Kathy- Can you provide a link, to your other post. That might help people see what changes you've made.

I can see that taking the wall down would really open up your space. You have a nice eating area, at the counter and probably much better views, looking out the dining room windows :)

You don't have a lot of room, on your side runs of the kitchen, so I can see why you have the range and sink, on the same wall. It would be great to get the trash a little closer to the range (swapping the dishwasher and trash maybe) but that might not work, in your space.

I do like that you have the sink, closer to your stool area and the range has some nice storage nearby, on that wall to the powder room. Instead of a reach in pantry, pull out shelves might work better in your space. Nice job with the fridge and microwave...it creates a great snack area, outside of your main work area, but still close to your eating bar.

This version gets the trash over into the prep zone and moves the dw out of it. Instead of a blind base cab, I put in a cab that opens out towards the dining room for the seasonal items that you may only pull out once a year(turkey platter, etc.) You get more drawer space out of this one, too. You'd need an inch and a half of filler next to the dw to ensure clearance for opening.

I would switch the pantry with the microwave station. If one of the kids is getting a snack and warms it up, they can go from fridge to microwave to bar seating and be out of the way of someone working in the kitchen.

The original thread is now linked below - good point!

Would switching my DW to either of the places mentioned (peninsula or with sink) make it a pain to put away my dishes in the upper cabinet? That's where I plan to keep them - I've got other ideas for my drawers. Also, what is the 'issue' with prepping in front of it? I don't have it open ever while I'm cooking - in fact, my lone space to prep now is directly on top of the DW and it hasn't been an issue. But I know the folks here discourage it so just wondering why?

Re: the pantry wall, I put the base/wall cabinet on that end b/c I thought it might feel closed off if you walked in from the hall with floor to ceiling pantry or fridge cabinet. Thoughts on that?

And no reach in? I so covet them...to use the floor and not have to deal with ROTS (my last kitchen had a tall cabinet w/ROTS and I bonked them all.the.time b/c I didn't open the doors far enough!)

Thanks for all the ideas!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kathy's Original Plan

The issue with prepping over it is that it creates an overlapping zone, which may not be an issue for you right now, but your toddlers will someday be kids, then tweens, then teens and you may not be the sole worker in your kitchen forever. Training your kids to put their snack dishes and 4000 glasses a day into the dw when they're done with them is key to not constantly picking up behind them. Or if you have really helpful kids, they may be emptying the dw while you are working on something. Having to step away from the cutting board to allow them into the dw would drive me batty.

A trash pullout only has to be pulled out a few inches to be used whereas a dw has to have a ton of clearance in front of it to be accessed. Walking around an open dw door to access the water while prepping is a pain.

I like a reach-in pantry, too. You can see everything at once, and configured correctly, it can be a really useful space. The problem with reach-ins is when the shelves are too deep things get lost in the back. Just make sure to have the shelves configured in an L with the shelves along the back wall only 12" deep.

Ah-ha! Hence why you are a supermom! I'll do some tinkering and see what I can come up with...In your plan, do I need a filler on the drawer side of the peninsula, too? So the drawers have opening clearance? Meaning, filler on both sides of the corner?

Yes you would. About an inch or so, depending on your dishwasher. If the handle protrudes out a lot, maybe 2 inches. Buehl has a cabinet facing out in the corner of her peninsula. You might want to check with her on how much filler clearance they used.

Yes, I recall seeing buehl explaining the process of the turned cabinet somewhere...I did't read it b/c I never figured I'd need it! I'll go searching.

Ok, I did some tinkering...The first plan gives me 45" of workspace, but I don't like the 6" pulls for spices as much the 12" cabinets I work into the next plan. And the peninsula has some weird drawer spacing, but I guess that would change based on how much filler I'd need. I put in 3" on each side of the corner just to be safe.

Second plan:
Has less workspace - only 39" - but I like the way the corners work better. I also much prefer the 12" cabs on either side of hood. I'm thinking the bigger space on the right side of the stove in this one might make up for the 6" loss in the workspace? Maybe?

I like your plan. I know you said "only" 39 inches btwn sink and stove because you're comparing it to the 45 inches in the previous iteration, but in my book, 39" is a pretty nice stretch, especially when you've got that big, lovely peninsula to work with, too. That's where I'd do a lot of extended prepping (e.g. cutting up veggies while kids do HW at peninsula, and prepping things that don't get cooked...e.g. salads, sandwiches, school lunches). I would use the space next to the stove for more hurried, last-minute prep (running late, chop-and-toss-into-hot-pan type prep). I have a peninsula now and that's how I use it.

I also have a cabinet on the dining side of the peninsula, and really like it. It's a great place for things that get used on that side, and some things that don't often get used. I see you've gone back to the blind base cab in that spot - why's that?

As for pantry, I love the idea of the reach-in pantry with L-shaped walls. Looks like you will have a lot of good storage in this kitchen!

I like the second one better, even with the 6" less of primary prep space. The 24" drawer stack next to the range is perfect for knives/whisks/spatulas, etc. Larger projects like rolling out cookie dough would probably take place at the peninsula anyway with kids on stools on the other side helping with sprinkles.

If you put a 27" cab facing the dining, you'd eliminate the need for the filler strip on the peninsula side. You'd just have to skin the 3" on the back of the cab for it to be pretty. Then you'd still have 45" of combined drawer space on the peninsula or 33" drawers and a 12"deep cookbook shelf facing the pantry wall.

Thanks so much, ladies. I know not to plan your space based on your little kids, but I couldn't really envision how it would work in the future. You expert moms are helping a lot!

Scootermom: I only went back to BBC b/c I couldn't think out of the box! :) laxsupermom helped with her suggesting of 27".

I put in a 12" cookbook space on the and then 2 smaller drawers as the thought of the big ones overwhelm me (silly, I know!) The making lunches comment made me think a 12" drawer for ziplocs/lunchbags/etc. And I'm a creature of habit so I keep thinking my flatware has to go in a 'smaller' drawer like 18-21. But I know it could go in a 33" and I could use the extra space for other things (like the ziplocs!). I guess that's all stuff I'll work out when I get to ordering the cabs. Need to get some recs for local makers and talk to my GC about the pantry, but seems this is pretty much where I'm headed.

Thanks, again, everyone for all your thoughts/ideas! Sadly, I don't think we'll get to this until the fall as we just realized out masterbath's shower tile is at its end, so we probably need to do that first. But it will be a rip out old, replace with new 'easy' job...how I wish we were DIYers for that one!

I like your new plan and I think you'll have plenty of prep space, with counterspace to the right of the stove and the peninsula.

What about the idea of switching the pantry and microwave area? I think that's a good one...kids will find it easier to grab things out of the fridge and use the little counter, under the microwave and then fix their snack and take it over to the peninsula.

Also, if the pantry was on the other side of the fridge...couldn't it be a little deeper and give you more 'reach in' space? Then, your side wall of the pantry (visible from the entry area) could be for calendar, message board, etc. Just a thought :)

Don't forget the 3/4" door depth that will make that peninsula run off unless you panel the back of the peninsula with doors and use a filler overlay on the kitchen side. You'll also want to use a filler with a 3/4" panel attached in an L shaped configuration for strength next to the DW with a filler overlay on top facing the kitchen. Fill the cavity created there with boric acid for bug elimination and batt insulation to keep the "drum effect" from happening and to make the DW quieter.

Put the MW in between the pantry and fridge for stability. It's specs require it to be attached to cabinets on both sides. You can do a shallow bookcase or blackboard/message center on the fridge facing the family room if you don't care for the look of a plain panel. I would also shift the pantry down all the way towards the DR door opening to increase the counter space between the pantry and fridge and to be able to get that bookcase on the end. That would be where the cookbooks would go, and I'd eliminate the bookcase on the end of the peninsula in favor of a far more useful 24" cabinet. Just panel the side that faces the pantry run. And I'd probably have that 24" cabinet be a plain non drawer one, simply because there are always some things in a kitchen that won't fit in a drawer and you need at least one non "regular" cabinet in a kitchen.

I would do a to the counter glass hutch type cabinet on the peninsula wall facing out. It can serve to house your more seldom used "pretty" pieces and transitions the kitchen to the DR better. You also might want to do the upper pantry doors in glass to tie in with that. Frosted glass can give hints as to what is behind it without revealing how messy stacks of soup cans can be.

LL: Yes, that's true. I just worry it will feel a little cavern like coming in from the hall.

Again, though, creature of habit, this is how it's currently set up - counters & cabs by entrance, small pantry cab, then fridge. So I'm probably just seeing it as it is. Maybe I'll tape some cardboard between the current cabs/counter in that spot to see if it feels weird walking in. Something I'll definitely think on! Thanks!

Hollysprings,
I am copying your message to a document to save with all my other stuff. That's a lot to not forget! :) But thank you, most of it makes sense to my very not technical brain. I like hutch idea, too. I was trying to think of what to do there.

And ew on the boric acid. Does that mean I'll have a bunch of dead bugs in there? Or will they eat the BA, leave the space and die somewhere else?

By the way, it is not necessary to place the microwave between the pantry and fridge if you just make open space in the upper cabinet for a counter microwave. One of the huge benefits to this is the less expensive replacement cost of the microwave, but it still gets it off the counter.