Correction to response above. I just polled DH directly. He smiled, worried that he'd say the wrong thing. I told him there's no trick here, what does he particularly like? He said the drawers in the lower units. Has never said word #1 about them until how--whodathunk it?
I told him I liked the layout best and he said with a leer in his eye, maybe he should change his response to "having enough space to please my wife so she will cook me a good meal"

I have two favorites that I wonder how I lived without all these years.

1. The pass-through that is now enlarged. The opening is flush with the kitchen counter, which allowed the kitchen counter to extend into the dining room, creating a decent-sized buffet area in the dining room.

No more setting up a folding table to accomodate buffet-style gatherings.
I platter it up in the kitchen and slide it right on through to the extended portion counter in the dining area.
Added outlets next to the trimwork of the pass-through to allow me to put heating plates on the buffet side for foods that need to be kept hot.

2. Because my Mom has some disabilities, but still feels "needed" in the kitchen, we decided to move our dishwasher down one small cabinet width so that the dishwasher is now at the end of a counter run.
This allowed us to create a reasonable facsimile (DIY) of a raised dishwasher cabinet at the end of that run.

My GOSH.....my intent might have been for Mom, but I am reaping the benefits!
How I ever stacked and unloaded that dishwasher twice a day, practically standing on my head it was so low, I'll never know.

Now, no bending whatsoever! Just open the door, place the plate/bowl, etc on the rack, close door.
Completely Effortless! After dinner I can't wait to get up from the table first just so that I can stack the dishwasher. LOL

My island! I'd never have another kitchen without one. We have breakfast there, chat there, and I have oodles of space to spread out and do my messy prep. Just a turn to the stove and I'm in business.

Oh this is a great topic. My most favorite has to be my granite - Bianco Antico! It was love at first sight and everything else was chosen with the hope of making it the star of my kitchen. I gaze adoringly at it all the time! Will this pass? Dunno.

And in general just overwhelmingly pleased with our end results. All those endless choices and decisions coming together and exceeding my expectations. The "vision" in my head is now a beautiful and effecient kitchen. Life is good.

We're not fully moved back into the kitchen yet, but so far I love the light. I was working in the kitchen yesterday and realized I had no lights on and I could still see what I was doing! My 2nd favorite is the undersink pullout garbage. I know that is not a preferred spot for garbage, but it is so nice to not have to walk across the kitchen with drippy wet garbage to get to the can.

I'm another who has difficulty deciding on one thing---all of the pieces make a wonderful whole.

I guess I'd have to go with many here and say the layout which includes the peninsula at 90 degrees to our 48" range. I love having a wide expanse of prep space and the range at my right hand--easy to keep an eye on items in the oven and on the burners. I had my heart set on an island but got talked into the benefits of the peninsula since and island would have made walkways tight. I couldn't be happier--this definitely makes much better use of the space. I face a bank of windows while I prep.

I like that appliances such as dw, fridge and mw are on the outskirts so others have free access without invading my space. The dw (dishdrawer dw, another favorite) is paired with the smaller sink rather than the larger. This made much more sense to me--it leaves the big sink available for larger pots and other items we handwash while the smaller sink is used to scrape dishes (and any rinsing necessary) before going in the dw. It's easy to clear dishes from table to dw--the main sink is farther away.

I like the dish storage in the hutch between the kitchen and dining area---dishes get put away on the kitchen side and taken out on the dining side so again, others don't have to come into my cooking/prep area when they set the table.

amity - did you post a pic of your kitchen / raised dw? can you link to it? thx!

My granite (Piracema) which is indestructible, etch-proof, stain-proof.

My large rectangular single-bowl sink with offset drain.

It's interesting that a couple of people in this thread said their island. One of my favorite features is the open space from getting rid of the island because it was just an obstacle to get around. I think an island being the favorite feature or least favorite really depends on the size and shape of your kitchen.

Akchicago, I think you are very correct about islands. They can be barriers. Before renovating, we had an island, which I needed for counter space, but the
sink was on the opposite side from the stove, and the refrigerator was inbetween the 2. It got very congested. Now I think I have a 2 galley
kitchen. One galley is the cooking side and the other is the cleanup side. It works great and I would never have thought that prior to being in this new division of space!

Another mid-project kitchen here, so not much to actually have as a favorite thing yet (though I have to say, right now "finished walls" are up there on my list!)

But, like hydrangea_luvr, my biggie is the light that comes through now that we've removed a wall. Unfortunately, some of that will go away again once the cabinets are in but much of it will still be there. Excited to see exactly how much, too, since that was really hard to judge from the renderings and modeling!

My thing-I'm-most-looking-forward-to is the dishwasher, though. That will be a first for both DH and me in our adult lives and dozen homes we've collectively had since college so I can't wait! (I'm actually getting a bit nervous, though---am I going to be disappointed after all this buildup??) We're splurging on a schmancy dishwasher, too, as our one luxury item because it exempts us from needing a countertop air gap in our period-ish kitchen (so I managed to convince DH that this was, in fact, worth an extra $300!) so we'll see...

My corner sink with windows and a chandelier! My sink faced a wall cabinet for 20 years so I am very thankful to be be able to look outside when I am at the sink. I also love all the new counter space, the pull out trash can cabinet and the new french door fridge. We just finished and I am hoping to figure out how to post pictures soon. Maybe when DD comes home from grad school she can help me.

For me it's the peculiar tension between "being" and "becoming" that is present in all culinary endeavors. That, and my flat-screen TV.
Casey

We just finished ours too. I need to take and post some pictures. I love the whole kitchen, I am amazed that in the same space we have so much more open space, storage, light, and function. I love the light we get from our large, East facing window over the sink, which throws over most of the prep area and stove. It makes it a bit tricky to see the size of the flame on the stove in the morning, though!

We also had a large island which I hated! It had our sink and dishwasher in it, but no dish storage, so everything needed to be carried across the kitchen to put away, and the island just took up so much space in the kitchen that we could not fit a table anywhere to eat at. I prefer a regular kitchen table, where I can eat, read the paper, work on long cooking prep projects in a seated position, etc. We never liked the bar height seating at our island.

By far my favorite thing is the layout that's conducive to cooking!!! That, and a good oven. I have even better than good ovens, but just having one with a temperature regulator is a treat. I use the oven all the time now! :) It's the layout that has me wanting to use the oven, and the rest of the kitchen, however.

Joshct- Please post some pictures of your kitchen! I'd love to see them, especially your big work table :)

The two big stretches of double-hung windows over my counters and flanking my stove. Joined by the French door that continues the view down the house and on through and out the kitchen to the garden. Planned as the one "luxury" expenditure (in money and function trade-offs) in a pretty basic kitchen and, happily, it did turn out just as I wanted.

Lavender_lass - You have already heard me wax on about my island. For my space & the function I wanted it has been a great solution and I really like the way it looks, especially the counter (white quartzite.)

Wide Aisles - 48" have been a great for our two cook kitchen, layout with work triangle that no-one has to get into other than the cook, overall calm pallet (natural wood, white, gray, taupe), WINDOWS.

But most of all I am glad it is done...almost :)

So far, my favorite feature is my DH. We started with demo on Oct 7 and were scheduled to be done by now. But we have a BIG problem with our granite on the island - the first cut was off so our downdraft wouldn't fit, and the second cut on Thursday will probably leave a gap somewhere - either on the front edge or between the cooktop and downdraft. We're waiting for our contractor to come to do the hookup --- but I am not waiting to put another slab on hold if they still have one.

Add to that the fact that my 800 sq ft of tile (open floor plan including FR, all with heat wire underneath) has a haze from the grout (Quartzlock2) that we cannot remove even with the cleaner the grout manufacturer suggests. The tile store says our installer should have cleaned it up as he worked, and a comment on the John Bridge tile forum says it will be really tough to get up now...

But my DH - who probably did not really want to spend all this $$$$ to begin with is being very supportive and amazingly calm. Now I remember why I married him....

Oh, but I do love the new layout too - I just wish it was over.

Counter space & material (ECO composite material in white).
Lack of a corner counter or cabinet / no "L" anywhere.
Skylights over the island.

Oh god, nj. I had that haze from Quartlock 2 on the bathroom limestone, exacerbated by the enhancer/sealer we added. What helps is barkeepers friend and 000 steel wool and/or that white pad from 3M. It won't be perfect, but it did get most of it up. A razor blade might be needed if you have grit on it. I consulted my granite fabricator who recommended the steel wool/razor blades.

The instructions on that stuff need to come in Chinese and Spanish bold print!

My Impala Black granite which goes so perfectly with my gorgeous Fire & Ice backsplash.

Jodi-

The Miele Optima dishwasher that I splurged on, after having 3 small boys and having gone without a dishwasher since 1995. Yeah you heard me... I can't BELIEVE what hell I was in all that time - I can't believe I survived all those years without a dishwasher! And I can't believe what a dream this beast of a machine is after having crappy ones back in the day. I researched enough to find a machine that wouldn't force me to scrub the dishes by hand before putting them in the dishwasher - and so far it's worked wonders.

p.s. I just want to add, after reading others' comments: my heart ACHES for more light in my dark kitchen. There is a wall separating the kitchen from the mudroom (w/ half-bath off of it) and the back yard's beyond the mudroom. If I could afford to tear down that wall - and I can't and probably never will, frankly - and if I could add all windows on the back wall - I'd get a ton of Southwestern light. What that would mean to me - having that space and natural light - would be EVERYTHING. Also because I live in the city basically and the only side of our house that has privacy and more greenery is in the back. It would make me sooooo happy that I can say without doubt that if I had the top of the line french stoves and everything else fancy in my kitchen AND could have a lot of natural light brought in, the natural light would win hands down. SOB! ;)

Definitely our big, chubby functional hood is my favorite hands down - especially after setting off the fire alarm in the middle of a 40 person party Sat night - turned that baby on and the alarm was off in 5 secs. I loved it before, but now it's my fav.

(I also love our microwave drawer since I am short and struggled with the OTR model that we had before - tiptoes and hot soup are not a good combo.)

Theresse- Is there anyway you could put in a half wall (or even big pass through) between the kitchen and mudroom? Maybe a nice double window opposite? It wouldn't be perfect, but it would let in a lot more light :)

Lavender Lass,

I don't even have my table in the kitchen yet. For the time being we will continue to use our enamel top kitchen table we have had for years. I always kept it in it's small configuration in our "before" kitchen, but can not open the leaves up and have a nice square.

I found a really fabulous table at an antique shop nearby, it was quite old, and very very long, probably 12 feet. It had bread board ends. It would have been lovely, but probably too big.

Will post some pictures as soon as I get the last details worked out. We don't yet have pantry shelving, so I have some free standing shelving units taking up space, and the table needs to move back in.

I baked bread the other day, and must say that I LOVE my granite slab I had installed at one end for bread kneading and pastry. It is just lovely to work on, the dough just did not stick to it.

Can I post what I 'will' love about my new kitchen?

We are planning a Spring build here in Alaska. The kitchen I raised 4 kids & a husband in is teeeeeeeeeeeeny, tiny, only about 2.5 feet of useable counter space. And I cooked & baked a LOT. Good thing I had my kitchen table right behind me. Anyway...the things I 'know' I will love:

I'll have an L-shaped kitchen with an island, raised dishwasher & wall oven (back problems) and a large walk-in pantry.

1. Counter space! 11 feet!
2. Large walk-in pantry :)
3. DISHWASHER!!! I've only had a mediocre one 3 out of our 33 years!
4. Wall oven...no more bending & hurting my back WHEW!
5. RAISED dishwasher - this is one I'm really looking forward to :)
6. 2 pull-out trash bins...one at the island & one between clean-up skin & dishwasher.
7. Prep sink in island.
8. 24 feet of 22' high ceilings full of windows - finally, a view of this!

9. I know I will love my built-in control center at the end of my north wall facing the dining room. I want something like this:

[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by boston kitchen and bath Rob Kane - Kitchen Interiors Inc.

Here are the plans - not big but way bigger than I have now! :)

North wall (there's a corner that is hard to depict)

West wall

10. Finally - a REAL vent hood for my cooktop :)
11. We will have an attached greenhouse right next to the kitchen.
12. There will be recessed cabs/storage behind the sink wall.

I want to thanks RHome again for all her help :)

Mine is going to be knocking down the wall between the kitchen and DR.. I can;t wait to see the new room that I will have to work with. (the work begins right after Christmas). Also, very excited to have an Island.

Can anyone post a photo of a raised oven... i am sure it is obvious but I cannot picture it. Thanks...

Hi DesertSteph,

Here ya go.

Just remember, this was an unplanned kitchen redo...unplanned as in no finances. LOL
It's all been a labor of love (read: DIY).

Mr. Amity's Motto: "It's not professional, but it's presentable...just don't look too close."

:)

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Dishwasher cab

greenhouse - here is a picture for you. Some people have 2 - I will only have 1 since there's just the 2 of us now. I'll link where I got it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wall ovens

So hard to answer. I love that my kitchen is: pretty (imho), functional and light-filled, more or less in that order. So I guess my 'favourite feature" has to be the walnut and the quartzite - the beauty. I'm all about finding beauty wherever I can these days.

Next is function - my prep sink, (temporary) island and my awesome Gaggenau fridge. And the speed oven.

For the light - knocking down a wall and brining in light from 3 additional windows into the kitchen.

Sorry, I couldn't come up with a short answer!

Your view is beyond gorgeous! Congratulations! We've wanted to visit Alaska but haven't made it yet. Sounds like you've earned your kitchen-to-be. Thanks for posting such a wonderful photo.

And a greenhouse in Alaska? Sounds like the best of both worlds.

Having 4x the counter space I had before (which came from taking a wall out).

Well we built a new home and moved into it in October of this year. We did NOT want stainless (NOT) STEEL, however, appliance stores really do not want to sell anything else. They kind of make you feel as though you are totally out of it - IF - you have the audacity to even ask for anything else. We did not want the average white range. We found Albert Lee, in Bellevue and the salesperson, Lindsey Miguelena told us that Viking has 22 colours - who knew.........
We purchased one and a hood to match. I absolutely LOVE it. It is the best range that I have ever used. I also love our granite. It is called White Tiger. Yes it has a fair amount of white but it also has dark brown, black, deep gold and many many jewels. It is fantastic. We searched for months for the perfect granite and found it at Pentel in Seattle, WA. We chose out own slabs. We have another built-in microwave - white Sharp (love it) and the rest of the appliances are built-in Jenn-air refer with cabinet panels and Miele optima DW - with cabinet panels. I LOVE everything about our kitchen and will try to post some pictures.

Dishwasher for me too. I didn't know that until recently when ours went out.

Thank you, Susan. What part of Alaska do you want to visit? I live in the port city, Valdez...cruise ships stop here all summer long. This is where the oil pipeline ends.

Greenhouses are really big here :)

melaska, we looked at maps and travel information three years ago and planned to take a month to drive up to Alaska with my sis and BIL; then it turned out none of us could afford it so we didn't go. I can't now remember where we were going except for Anchorage and Denali, and that my sis wanted to go up to the Arctic Circle for sure. We were going to have to skip the Inside Passage I know. Looks like your back yard would be a great place to stop off!

Soapstone countertops and large glass doors with view of gardens (I know, that's two things!)

My kitchen isn't finished yet but I know I'm going to love my bread drawer, larger window, induction cooktop and functional floor plan oh and MW drawer

Lavendar Lass I would love to see a photo of your raised oven. I am considering putting in an additional oven. We remodeled 3 years ago so I have to work it in between the 2 pantry units. I have a convection range but love to bake. I am not crazy about the low undercounter ovens.

Three way tie between the island, the dishwasher and the recycling drawer. I guess it's all about improved function over form in our case.

My long expanse of countertop/workspace--16 feet--that faces a wall of windows. Well, there is a very handy shelf a few inches above the counter, but above that, windows from countertop to ceiling. The sink and range are along that wall with plenty of workspace in between. I inherited this feature and will do nothing to change it. The ongoing remodel will expand the kitchen into an adjoining room so we can add some upper cabinets, a wall oven, and pantry to replace the wall of open shelves that used to be there. I guess the folks who built the house back in the 1950s didn't need the storage I do now.

amity - thx so much for the pic! hey, we each have to do what we have to do! if dh can do it for 0 $'s and the budget is 0, then you go for it! it's great he can do it. Many never have the option of even that much of a redo.
how does having it so close to the sink work out? (love your 3 bowl sink!). for me to have a raised dw it'd have to be smack dab (within inches anyway) of the right bowl of a 2 bowl sink. Plus it'd also be smack dab against the fridge on the other side - giving no landing space next to the fridge. maybe I'll have a miracle break thru in the next 6 months or so...and extra footage will appear in that space - lol!

melaska - loooooooooooooooove that view. I have friends in Alaska and get a pic sometimes from them. I so love the views up there.

for another pic of a raised oven, This is from my sister's kitchen. they have the range oven (on the left) also. on the right the top 'oven' is the micro, the bottom a convection oven.

Angled base cabinet!

And no, I didn't expect it. I didn't know how big a difference it would be.

My definite favorite thing is our second dishwasher. We have four kids, and while we don't use it every day, I love not having any dirty dishes stacked in the sink.

At this point, I have to change my answer to a working sink and appliances. Waiting without any kitchen stinks big!

Honeysucklevine....Explain the angled base please?

Very hard to pick just one favorite feature!

If I have to pick just one working feature, it would be the lowered work space on the end of our island. It is exactly the right height for me for prepping, baking, etc. and it is also a great height for many of our kids. I'm five feet tall, and it is so nice to have a work space that works for me! The layout works well, too, as my dh chooses a different part of the island, so if both of us are in the kitchen, we are not bumping into each other.
The end of the island that is lowered is across from the sink and dishwasher, and I love having drawers in that section for all the dishes-even my three year old can empty most of the dishwasher, and no one is hauling chairs into the kitchen to get or put away dishes.

The big windows are probably my other favorite-adding big windows makes that whole end of the house so much brighter and enjoyable to be in. Having big windows rated higher than most everything when coming up with a layout for our new kitchen.

Here is a picture of an angled base cabinet.

Before we were bumping hips into the counter. If a pathway is tight, an angled cabinet really can't be beat.

Here is a link that might be useful:

My brick arch,my aga stove,wormy chestnut cabinets.