Is there close access to storage, another counter, etc, or is it more isolated?
I think if it is set up right so everything is handy, it could be great, even if you have to take your creation to another counter to knead or whatever.

Size isn't everything; depends in part on how you want the area to work, and how it helps ease the flow elsewhere.

Yes, for me, but it depends on how you use it. Mine is 39" wide and 24" deep (I think I've already posted pix but let me know if you need to see it again). I don't think I'd decide that 6" less width makes it completely unusable. I do a lot of chopping on various chopping boards that are much, much less than 33" wide; a lot of rolling out dough using a silicone mat that is about 18-20" wide; kneading dough, which maybe takes up a 16-18" diameter space?; and misc prep tasks. HTH.

It would be between the ovens and the fridge. So, it's an isolated, but not too far from other counters. I'm pretty sure I can fit all of my various baking items over there. Ideally I would have it low enough to roll out dough for pies and cookies.

I don't do too much kneading as I don't bake bread.

I often use my mixer at my baking center and take the dough or batter somewhere larger to load pans, etc. I think the 33" would be tight, but enough for doing that. Looking at your plan, though, I can't imagine working in that spot for long. It's in the traffic path, and right across the room you have a wider stretch of counter with more elbow room, more light, and the view out the window...So I'm thinking that's where baking activity might end up. I see your baking center spot as a good place for snack and bfast items. It might be one of those things that works itself out after the kitchen is in use awhile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Becktheeng's thread with layout

Rhome - Thanks for the input. I was thinking having the snack food in the hutch with the dishes/glasses/silverware, but I'm still trying to decide where to put the MW (original thought was in the hutch).

The baking area might be a great spot for the MW on the counter.

My eyes keep skipping over the hutch in your plan, for some reason, so I keep forgetting about it! Do you have a toaster oven or toaster that you leave out and use regularly? The little place tucked in between the oven and fridge would be a nice, protected spot for something that gets hot and stays that way awhile.

That does seem like it might be a good location in your layout for the microwave. But, if you put the microwave right on the counter, it takes up the best landing spot for things going in and coming out of it. It'd be better to install it above or below the counter.

Could you do side by side under counter ovens for a longer countertop run?

If undercounter is okay, I'd rather go with a 48" range and have the ovens over there and a larger baking area if the pots and pans storage works that way.

I don't want a range. I get hot enough cooking on the gas cooktop, I don't really want to add oven heat to that.

I also don't think I want under counter ovens either as then I would loose the valuable storage place for my small appliances (kitchenaid mixer, food processor, waffle iron, panini grill) all of which were planned to be stored in the baking area.

I also have many cake decorating items that I plan on storing over there.

If you are going to store all those things in that area, where would you actually work?

I have a 4 ft section that functions as my baking area, but most of my small appliances are on the other side of the kitchen. My baking area has Measuring cups and bowls, extracts and decorating items, my food processor, my scale and discs and mixing bowls in the uppers. The bases have my spices in one top drawer next to the coooktop (dividing them for baking and cooking wasn't going to work, so I overlapped them). I have 2 deep drawers that hold flour, sugar, cocoa, chips, dried fruits, and other baking goodies. The other stack has a couple of shallow drawers with pot holders, wraps and baking parchment, some utensils, and my smaller baking pans in the bottom. The sheets and racks are above the ovens and the roasting pans and wok are in the drawer below the ovens (range didn't work for me either ---that was a big IF in my last post). My mixer and a utensil crock stay out on the counter.

That space works for baking because everything is right there. I can pull out a drawer and scoop flour or sugar -- it often never hits the counter. I also have an island to turn a round and work on if I need more space. It would be hard to work a lot there without the island. It would also be hard to work there without most of my supplies right at my fingertips. I'd actually like to have 2 feet more, but I'm very happy I nixed the drawing my KD came back with and that had only 3 feet there. I'm not sure that space will do what you want for you.

Ok, so this is what I'm used to:

with the layout I have right now, I have a slightly longer pennisula that what is shown in the link. I have about a 45" space that I use for baking. I have 1 cabinet that is below that area that is 27" wide with two drawers in the top. One is the junk drawer, the other as measuring cups, spatula's, measuring spoons. The cabinet holds most of my bakeware (though I have a lot in the cabinet above the fridge too) & my hand mixer. Cooling racks are in the pantry along with my Kitchenaid mixer, and other small appliances. Vanilla, decorating sprinkles, rolling pin etc are in the bottom two drawers of the 15" drawer stack to the left of the cooktop. Oh yeah and the decorating bags, food coloring, and tips are in a plastic caddy under the cooktop. Oh yeah and mixing bowls are in the cabinet under the window by the sink.

So, I was thinking that even if I couldn't actually get the mixer, and a cookie sheet in the new 33" area at the same time, I could mix the cookies and transfer the bowl and pans to the pennisula to get every thing on the baking sheets. The pans would be stored in double stack slots above the oven.

I usually cool cookies etc, on the counter between the sink and the cooktop (it's deeper because the counter extends into the window sill.

What would you think about moving the cooktop back towards or into that corner opposite the sink and creating a baking work area to the left of it -- leaving the ovens where they are, but waking that fridge oven wall all tall storage?

If you did that, you could work in that space between the cooktop and ovens. I have my workspace similarly situated, and it is convenient for both baking and cooking. The utensils, spices and other things that you use for both are conveniently located for both. You wouldn't be working in a traffic lane, and the space would be open. The crossings needed to put things in or take things out of the ovens would be less frequent and less messy, typically, than when you are mixing, measuring, etc. Makes your clean up easier too and the work zone safer -- any spills are less likely to be in the traffic paths and cause a slip or fall.

When I look at a layout, I try to imaging cooking a dinner or baking a cake or cookies. With the way you have things drawn now, the work room is tight. You have about 2 ft of work room if you have a mixer on the counter. That makes it harder to use a waste bowl, hand towel for wiping to minimize trips to the trash and sink. Anything more than the simplest recipes would have you walking back and forth to set bowls and utensils in the sink because there won't be any spare room. Keep in mind that you would be boxed in there -- talls on either side. The more I think about it, the less I like it.

I've tried the cooktop in the corner, when I do that I loose the cabinet to the left of the window. I'd like to keep the ovens over where they are in the tall stack (though they could stay in their current location which is next to the fridge). That walll currently goes: fridge, ovens, pantry. I hate the pantry....it's too deep and I loose tons of stuff in it (read half used chocolate chips etc).

I very rarely cook and bake at the same time other than occasionally roasting some meat.

If I try the cooktop in the corner again (I think I have that layout somewhere), it would have to be pulled into the room as the current angle over there is 30" long and I'm using a 36" rangetop. I could imgine baking between the cooktop and the walkway with the corner setup, but I can't imagine prepping there. With my design, I was planning on preping between the sink and the cooktop. I've been practicing this with the current layout and it works well, but right now the lighting sucks over there and the toaster/MW/coffee maker also share that area. But I generally like working over there.

I'll work on the layout tonight and try to post so I can get more feed back.