We are getting ready to break ground on our forever home in the next few weeks and my DH is pushing me to finalize the kitchen layout. We are a family of 5 - kids are 12, 10, almost 3 and we also foster so we usually have an additional little one. I am typically the only cook in the kitchen as DH sticks to the charcoal grill. We have set up the layout with the fridge & microwave at the end near the breakfast nook and an entrance to the game room so that the kids can use them without entering the main cooking zone.

The kitchen is open to the living room which features a fireplace centered on the back wall flanked by built-ins that will match the perimeter cabinets in the kitchen. I was a fan of the OTK long before I saw "Something's Gotta Give" and I still love the look of white painted simple cabinets with dark matte counters and that is the plan for the kitchen perimeter. We have decided to go with a mid/dark stain for the island because we know it will take a beating from the kids. The floors will be a standard oak - slightly darker than natural.

The big question has to do with the island. It will be my main prep area and be home to the sink and dishwasher as well as the microwave. I currently have a large island sink and I love it.I have room for another sink next to the wall ovens, but I just can't see myself ever using it. I like to clean as I go and I have always found using one side of my sink for prep and the other for cleanup to work well. The kitchen is 19'4" from the front of the wall oven cabinets to the opening of the nook - so there is plenty of space for an large island. I am terribly afraid of it looking like a giant box in the middle of the room, but I have seen many beautiful "continents" here and I'm hoping you can help. I particularly love jbrodie's island and I love that the raised bookshelf solves the seam problem, but I'm not sure if that design will work for me. Our room is designed so that the hood is directly centered across from the fireplace. The sink could shift to one side or another on the island, but I really like it in the center. It looks like jbrodie's is setup to work well with the way it connects to her family room which is not the same as mine, but I love the way the open shelves, baskets etc. take away the big box feel and give it such a lovely custom look. So - how big do you think I can go without it looking like a giant box landed in my house? I'm not worried about reach, but will 5' wide look silly in my space? and again there is the seam issue. I'm not sure what our countertop material will be because we haven't decided what we can live with - honed dark granite and fingerprints? soapstone and possible chips and scratches? FL Joshua is nearby so we are leaning toward soapstone - at least for the perimeter, but maybe we are better off with a quartz product- it is enough to drive me insane...

The aisle between the sink and rangetop is currently 5' - is that too much? I'm wondering if 4' would be better.

I may add a beverage center under the counter near the wall oven, but I'm not sure as we don't have a need for wine storage and I'm the only one who drinks single serving drinks and I don't think I need it for just my diet coke, but maybe?

We will have an extra refrigerator in the garage and I have a counter depth now with no room issues.On the rangetop wall Ithere will be 54" of countertop on either side with large drawers and possibly spice pullouts.

I think I could ramble on forever - sorry :)

I would love any ideas, criticisms etc. I am a simple cook and I don't do much baking, but I need the space to work well and be efficient. Your help is much appreciated.

Sorry about all the extra notes and cloud marks from the architect - they denote changes to a permit set - just ignore them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you - for taking the time to look and critique!