SO much better than the first. :) I'm worried about the human dynamics of the shoe thing, though. This isn't a closet, it's a mudroom. That means wet, possibly muddy shoes, right? Shoes above message center doesn't sound practical. I think if you fitted the bottom of each locker area with a tray for shoes and maybe a little shelf or pouch or basket above it for houseshoes, you have half a chance of them not ending up in a pile on the floor (projecting ahead to the possible larger family). Re the sink: Once it's installed can't you tile the outside side of the grooming tub? Especially if the sink is going to be smaller. Or if the tile won't work, surely you could do metal mirror, or cabinetry, or something else pretty. FRIDGE tub sink really would look best, assuming that the fridge surround gives it enough spacing away from the wall to open fully. If the door swing and other issues keep it at tub FRIDGE sink, you could minimize the impact by putting cabinetry all the way up around each section, instead of just around the fridge. Then they'd echo the look of the lockers on the other side. That would make sense of the arrangement, and, even though it might look a little more closed in, it wouldn't actually be any different, and would look a lot better.

I always hesitate to comment on kitchens that have clearly already been carefully considered because surely my concerns have already been vetted. But just on the off-chance this has not come up yet: 1) I prefer having the microwave in the same area with the everyday dishes (bowls, spoons, forks, etc.) and the fridge. It means you can get something from the fridge, dump in a bowl, and microwave it. I also prefer that conglomeration of items (fridge, microwave, everyday dishes) to be entirely outside of the cookzone so snack-seekers don't get in my space when I am cooking. Your microwave is currently in your cook zone. That makes sense if you primarily use it for cooking (melting chocolate, etc.), but if your micrwoave is primarily used in non-cooking situations as mine is, I would suggest putting it by the fridge and dishes. 2) The upper cabinet above the dishwasher is not a good place for dishes. You will not be able to reach it when the dishwasher is open, so unloading dishes into that cabinet will be a pain in the neck. You will have to stack everything on the counter and then shut the dishwasher and then put them in the cabinet. 3) Have you measured and made sure that all your daily dishes will fit in the cabinets you intend for them? Especially considering that the upper cabinet above the dishwasher is more or less not going to work, to me it seems as if you could use a bit more everyday dish storage. 4) I would prefer the mirror image of your island like this: I tend to pull out all my ingredients at once and then prep them. So, for me, I would prefer to have the long stretch of island counter closer to the fridge/pantry, so where I naturally drop the ingredients is also where I prep them. I'd never have have to move them again. Just grab from fridge, drop on island and get going. As you have it now, where I'd want the ingredients to end up (the longer stretch of island counter) is too far to be the fridge drop zone. I'd either have to grab what I could hold, walk it to the longer stretch of island counter to drop it, and then rinse and repeat till everything I needed was over there. Or I'd have to pile everything I needed from the fridge on the 18" section of counter (which isn't a ton of room for all the ingredients in a recipe), then walk to the island and transfer everything from the 18" section to the longer stretch of island counter. In addition to that, mirroring your island puts your two sinks a little farther apart. It's not a big deal, but it is a nice bonus. When the sinks are evenly spaced around the kitchen, a sink is always near you no matter where you in the kitchen. When the sinks are more clustered, they aren't always quite so handy to wherever you are. And if ever one of the sinks is getting major activity, it is nice to have the other one totally separate from the hubbub so it isn't a big deal for someone not involved in the major activity to use a sink. Again, not a big deal, but it is nicer to have the sinks farther apart. 5) With the island mirrored, it also gives you some options for drawers that pull out towards the fridge. You could add some everyday dish storage (if you agree with my suggestion above that you could use more) or move the microwave drawer (if you agree with my suggestion above that the microwave would be better in the fridge/everyday dish zone and out of the cook zone). 6) I would also be tempted to swap the location of the fridge and the dish storage cabinets next to it like this: I know that means the island is a barrier between the fridge and the cookzone. So this would definitely be a compromise. HOWEVER: a) As I said, I usually pull out all my ingredients at once. And if the fridge and dish storage cabs were swapped, the island prep counter would still be my go-to fridge drop zone, and I'd still have a straight walk between the fridge and that drop zone. So I'd pull out my ingredients, drop them directly on the island and then walk around the island into the cook zone and never go back. Yes, it'd be better if it that were a straight walk to the cook zone, but a single non-straight walk like that would not be a big deal to me at all. b) What would be a big deal to me is that, with the fridge and dish cabs swapped, the primary every day dish storage cabinets (U1 and L1) are now directly next to dishwasher. So unloading would be a breeze! You never have to move. In your current plan, there'd be a lot of walking back and forth in front of the fridge to unload. Not a big deal, but I'd definitely rather ease of dishwasher unloading vs. a straight walk between fridge and cook zone. c) Also, in your current plan, the fridge door swings into a person washing dishes, the open dishwasher door, and the pantry doorway. That's a lot of activity for a little space, and I am not sure I'd want the fridge door to be adding to the chaos. With the fridge and dish cabs flipped, the swinging fridge door is in the way of almost nothing. If you are the type to go back and forth a million times to the fridge while cooking, this swap wouldn't work for you. But if you are like me or you wouldn't mine becoming like me, there are certainly some real upsides to the swap without much downside.

There's a humorous thread that discusses the need for water in the Prep Zone (among other things) - Marcolo's infamous "Ice. Water. Stone. Fire." thread. (The Kitchen FAQs also discuss this.) You may have already seen these, but just in case you have not, see the links below (especially Marcolo's!) . Ice. Water. Stone. Fire (Looking for layout help? Memorize this first) http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first . Kitchen Design FAQs: Kitchen work zones, what are they? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767031/kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767035/aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-and-landing-space-an How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767036/how-do-i-plan-for-storage-types-of-storage-what-to-store-where . Layout Help FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include

Oak town, By exterior closet, do you mean the closet that's outside the "lower" wall of the kitchen in the plan? (In my version there's FAU's shown there but on the above plan I posted, they are not shown as such, but that closet is supposed to contain FAU's for two floors). I discussed that with my architect for alternative locations and it was decided that this current location is pretty much the best. By code, we cannot put it under stairs or landing. :( and we are not ready to put it on the roof coz we may possibly have a deck there. Also DH does not want them inside. To answer your other questions: - under stair landing is storage accessible from outside. I think it will be ~ 5ft high -- but if needed this space can be claimed by the kitchen or from inside. - under the stairs is storage accessible from the main hallway that connects the great room with entry. I had it converted to a pantry but took it out (in my revisions) because I realized that it was not giving me additional storage but was wasting it away. So I decided to leave the counter cabinet separate from the pantry. - The new under-stairs storage will be accessed from the hallway. So if I were to use it for kitchen purposes, I'd turn around the corner of (currently drawn) 48" cabinet and then access it. It's not super convenient but not entirely inconvenient either. However, I am open to using that for kitchen if I completely run out of space in the main kitchen. - 48' range is a bit much for me. I do not need so many burners and cooktop grill etc. I have allocated 36" but may actually get a 30". Will decide soon based on my trip to appliance store. Also micro is my most used item so I would prefer it to be at a more ergonomic height. - I need a compact convection and a micro in addition to regular sized oven and thought of getting wall combo to primarily make space planning more functional. In fact, I use compact convection way more than large oven due to my family size (2 adults, 1 kid, and not gonna change). - mama goose, the tall 12" cabinet can go if needed. I am much more interested in keeping kitchen related items first. Hope I answered all the questions.