Here is a link to the album:

Here is a link that might be useful: link to kitchen album

Will bump this up for you so hopefully will be seen by the layout geniuses here.

The only thing I don't care for is the cooktop/oven on what appears to be your island. But that's just my personal preference.

I plan to do a cooktop on my island, so I am not opposed to that idea, but in your case it seems your island is very narrow so that could create a dangerous situation, especially if you are using gas and/or have young ones. Also, what about venting for that location?

Maybe put the stove/oven on the wall where your pantry is and you can vent out the wall? And move the sink to the island?

I'm not a big fan of the cooktop/oven in the island. For one thing it's a dangerous situation for the cooktop to be in a small island like that with no overhang at the back & the oven being under it, puts the oven so low. It can't be very easy or good for your back to have to bend so low to get items from so low.
Do you have a different place for the powder room ? Can it be out of the kitchen area ? How much can those walls move ? Feet ? Inches ?

If you are re-doing that window wall, how about taking out a window & turning the corner there -enough for a lazy susaun cabinet & a wall oven cabinet.
Put the cooktop next to that lazy susan to the right of the pillar- but not right against it.
Shorten up the island & put a prep sink in the end closest to ovens & cootop, since you have the pillar separating the sink & cooktop.
Move the doorway to dining room down as far as it can go, then turn that corner and put a small tall pantry & frig at the end
Now you have a long U-shape kitchen with a decent island.
Separate cooking & cleaning areas, thanks to the pillar.

Hope this makes since, I don't know how to post a picture.
Good Luck

I remember this room, don't I?

Maybe pick those shelves off the wall and put them on the back side of the island with a raised section behind the cooktop?

Thank you for all the feedback!

I did make some changes a few years ago - they ended up being pretty minor..

I might be able to move the powder room - not sure if it is practical, but I will ask.

The exterior walls can be changed by a few feet if that would help.

I am still working on a layout with the cooktop on an exterior wall, but I'm not quite there yet...

Here is another try with the powder room moved somewhere else, no shelves, and a prep sink: {{!gwi}}From kitchen

Thanks again to everyone for all your help!

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen take II

The island is looking a little bit close to the dining room door.

These are a few "big thoughts" - don't worry about them if you're pretty much set. The plan you have will work and I'd be happy cooking there.

Don't know if that actually is the back door(upper left), but if it is, consider making a mini-entrance way out of the space in front of the back stairs, up to perhaps actually walling it off if your climate needs it.

If you move the bathroom, that's where I'd put the table space (big users of dishes all on same side). I might do a taller window there if a view exists.

I don't have any answer for a potential issue. I guess it bothers me a little that the island doesn't face the windows. Turning the kitchen into an "L" on the left and bottom walls sorta works, but not quite as well as facing that wall of windows from the main prep-cook space.

What your current plan does is an ok solution - at least you see it from one side. I don't know if its possible to add other windows in other faces of the room or if that would help. But its something I'd spend some time on(if you haven't already) to become assured that was the best thing I could find.

So, given that that probably is the best, if I was going to be mostly looking at a big blank wall, I'm thinking take a minute and do some visioning of the blank wall. Like could you inset one or two columns of narrow-depth shelves, a chalk board, is there enough depth for a clever message center, picture ledges, your collection of mid-century textiles or something?

I can't remember if I've seen the floor plan of the entire house and I certainly don't want to blow your budget out, but one thing to doodle might be if the left wall moved OUT enough to put the kitchen as an "L" on the left and bottom walls. Use the space between the kitchen and dining room as a combo sitting area with very informal dining.

I think you would really appreciate the 2nd plan more with the wider countertop.
It looks as though you would do most of your work there.
If it's not too much $$$ to move the p owder room?

Without the shelves, do you still have enough storage?

Personally, I don't look out the window when I'm cooking, I look at the f ood.
(It's usually dark anyway.)
Even if a window is over to your side, it's enough to let you know if it's raining or snowing or sunny.

Thanks all for the feedback.

Good idea about the space around the doors to the basement and the exterior. The exterior door (and that wall) could move back up to about 3'...

I was thinking I could put shelves at the back of the island instead of on the wall across and have some extra storage. I might be able to inset some shelves on that wall, although it is under a staircase. Hadn't thought of that...

The exterior wall at the bottom of the picture looks out onto my driveway, and my neighbor's house is a few feet from that (those tight city lots...), so the view out that side isn't so great, but the light is nice. There is a fair amount of leeway as far as increasing the size of the room at the other exterior wall (on the left), which looks out onto my back yard (that's why it seems like a good place for the table.)

I'm cooking up a plan where the cooktop is on the left wall, and the ovens and refrigerator are on either side of the pillar, and the island has a prep sink in it. Drawback is that the wall behind the cooktop is blocking the nicest view, but then there could be windows on either side. I'll post it when I finish...

Thanks again everyone - this is really, really helpful.

Okay, here is one where the cooktop is along the back wall. I like the way the windows are at the end of the corridors facing the back yard and the cooktop lines up with the island. It's getting a bit of kitchen sprawl (I guess I prefer compact), but it's not too bad:
{{!gwi}}From kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen take III

fixed links...
{{!gwi}}From kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen take III