Just my opinion but I take things from the refrig to the sink to wash/prep before they hit the stove.

Nice design! The things that come to mind for me are: The fridge right next to the stove seems a bit cramped for when you're working with doors flying open and stuff. Also, when the fridge door is open, you'll have to stop traffic going around the island. I'm thinking here about parties my parents have had and their setup is similar. When I'm getting ice out of the freezer drawer, everyone coming and going has to wait. The other thing is coming home from the grocery store and unloading groceries, I like the idea of having one "zone" where the pantry items and fridge items can be easily put away without making treks back and forth across the kitchen. HOWEVER, when I see where your pantry is located, I'd hesitate to put the fridge on the other side of the door because then it would really impact the entry into the kitchen (big honking thing on your right when you enter the kitchen, instead of an open counter.

I wish we knew what was outside of those doorways. Some of this is practical - like where are you going to dump that big pot of pasta to drain. I wouldn't want to go around the ref doors or have to walk around the outside of the island. Without knowing anything else about you or the room, I'd move the ref as shown.

The nice nice 36" base pot and pan storage cab moves near the range and about a 30" cab goes in place of an 18" one and a ?12" one. Your corner could be a symetrical angled base with a lazy susan or such-like storage solution.
{{!gwi}}

Bmorepanic beat me to it. The fridge in your plan is difficult to access and the range is crowded. This doesn't make your cleanup wall as nice, but I think it's more workable, all around.

I like Bmore's plan too.

However, if you wanted to keep your cleanup area unchanged....You could move the fridge over by the doorway near the pantry, slide the range towards the sink wall a tiny bit, and put a prep sink in the island. If you're not willing to put in a prep sink, then Bmore's plan is probably the only way to go.

Thanks for the input. Later today I'll post a floorplan with the fridge moved by the pantry. It may be helpful to clarify a few things first. Door to the left of the sink leads to the family room. The kitchen is sunken 8" lower and is on a slab.

The fridge is 36" wide

The door to the right of the sink leads to a hallway/powder room/garage/laundry room.

The door at the far end by the pantry leads to the dining room.

We plan on knocking out most of the the wall between the kitchen and the family room. We'll leave a wall for the pantry to set against.

The "island" is really a kitchen table. It'll sit 30" high and will have a granite top. 4' wide x 6'long.

eandhl, we considered that also. By moving the fridge to the other side of the room it'll add another four steps.

caligirl, good points about being the stove and fridge creating cramped space. The pantry and fridge being close to each other shouldn't pose too much of a problem. There's currently a built-in pantry with a 24" door that swings out but for some reason we've never had a problem with it blocking people going to or from the dining room, where the doorway is.

bmorepanic (great name!) Excellent points all around. We've considered the pot of water thing and the fact that when we prep next to where the stove is now (right next to the sink) it's very convenient. Moving the stove closer to the sink is a great idea. With the 36" wide fridge we can't put the 36" cabinet in that row along with the range.

alku05, because the island is really a table, we can't put a prep sink there. However, we thought of a prep sink along the "south" wall. The sink is currently placed in that corner and it wouldn't take much to add a prep sink. It would help with clean-up but would reduce our prep space.

Knowing where the family room is, I'm still for moving the ref up near the sink.

Also, you might consider making the table 36"-42" wide instead of 48". It would be more "table" scaled, but also move the filled chairs a bit further from the counters.

bmorepanic, we just spent over an hour redesigning with the exact idea of putting the fridge in the corner, left of the sink. That's where is started out over a month ago but we moved it around because we were told corners are a bad place for one.

The suggestion of making the table more narrow is one we'll take.

Here's my 2 cents: 1. move the range down next to the door to the dining room, 2. leave the fridge where you have it, 3. put a prep sink in close to the fridge, 4a. and give the table a 90* turn, or 4b. get a round or square table, if you need passage space on the ends of the table.

By moving the table away from the fridge, that gives you more passage room around the fridge if someone's standing there with the door open. Moving the range to the end of that counter gives you more landing space for unloading groceries into the fridge, and more prep space for things that you'll be cooking on the range. Adding the prep sink gives you pot-drainage without schlepping clear across the kitchen, plus gives you a good workflow from washing/chopping/mixing to cooking. (Be sure to put a garbage disposal in the prep sink!)

Molly, I like the idea of changing the shape of the table. Perhaps a 4' square will give more space but still accommodate six people.

Since we're moving major appliances, what about moving the range to the corner to the left of the sink and leaving the fridge where it is? It creates a work zone clear of the table, eliminates the need for a prep sink and increases counter space from the fridge all the way around the corner.

Is there a way to edit posts? That last idea of mine was awful. A corner is no place for a stove. Moreover, with my setup there's really no place to prep food next to the stove.

We are getting somewhere, I think by moving the fridge by the sink. We're also still open to the idea of a prep sink, but I'd like to avoid it if possible.

FWIW, my wife and I do a fair amount of entertaining and are pretty good cooks, so function is paramount to us.

Where do people end up? Both you guys and the entertainees?
Family room, living room, kitchen or dining room? Where do you serve food most often?

We usually start off in the kitchen cooking, talking, drinking wine and eating hors d'oeuvres. Sometimes we go to the family room for appetizers and wine. For some close friends who come over often and when our kids have a gang of their friends for dinner we eat in the kitchen. At least once a month we end up in the dining room for the main event.

Don't try to fit 6 people at a 4 foot square table - even a 4' round is cozy for 6. I was thinking more along the lines of 5' in diameter or on a side.

If you move the fridge back next to the sink, you'll have to put the stuff you pull out on the counter on the other side of the sink, and you'll still have the schlep to empty the pasta pot. It's your kitchen and you can do what you want, but do you have an objection to putting the range near the dining room door?

Just my opinion, but I'd downscale the countertop in order to have my prep sink. I love it, and they aren't all that expensive. If you entertain as much as it sounds like you do, you'll be very happy you have it - just make sure that it serves your cooking area. My girlfriend has a prep sink between her fridge and ovens, but she does most of her cooking prep on the other wall next to the cooktop and she almost never uses her prep sink.