can see the point of leaving frig/freezer together. I'd seriously evaluate taking mwave/oven combo and placing on the other end-next to frig-moving frig freezer over.When standing in front of frig you'll be less in that walkway. I don't think people stand in front of ovens and with mwaves with sensors you really don't need to stand there either. I know when I'm rummaging or loading frig I can be detained there a bit...a little out of that path might be preferable.

Hmm, I'll have to think about that one, herbflavor. I have the fun choice of having people at the refrige block the path to the living room or the path to the pantry. Thanks for pointing out the blocked path issue!

Which ways do the fridge & freezer doors swing? And where is your plunk space for these appliances?

Hot pots can be pivoted to the counter under the open shelves, right? That's an aisle of less than 42", but what?

If the fridge is hinged on user left, then island counter will be the plunk space. Is the distance short enough you can pick 'n put without taking steps? (You can make a rough measure of the diagonal distance using a scrap of your graph paper as a "ruler".)

What about the freezer? Is the ice on the door, or do you need to open and scoop, does that involve having to set a container down - where is best?

This possibility is a bit off the wall (literally) but have you considered whether there is space to put the wall oven/MW on the opposite side of that passage way, i.e just around the corner from the cooktop, even if it meant stealing a bit of space from the pantry? This would unify all the cooking stuff - I often move a pot from rangetop to oven or from MW to cooktop. And both hot uses could share a hot-tolerant plunk space.

It would also allow you to have a countertop between fridge and freezer for plunking or even for packaging of leftovers in tupperware, vacuum packs, etc. I know we are straying from your already-ordered cab list, but maybe it can be rejiggered somehow.

The principle of KISS (keep it simple) has a great deal of value, but at the same time, occasionally new (better) ideas
pop up. Or old ideas are tested against new ideas and found to be better, which is very reassuring.

Hope this helps, not hinders, your progress.

L.

Lots of good, detailed questions, liri! I imagine the open shelf counter as the "plunk space" for refrigerator, freezer, and wall oven, and that aisle is 37". The refr/frzr have right/left hinges, respectively, and their depth with door open 90 degrees is 57". They are 26" deep closed. (Distance from center of refr to island is 54", but refr is right-hinged, so I don't think that's a trip I'll be making much.)

The freezer has no ice on the door, so there will be digging for ice on occasion, but not frequently enough that I'm worried about ice bucket space.

I'm intrigued by your idea of putting the wall oven where the open shelves are, though my knee-jerk reaction is "No way! I can't reduce the pantry!!" (And, to be honest, I have an unusual attachment to my cast iron cookware, which will be accessible/viewable in the open shelves, and which needs to be near the cooktop.) But I don't want to hastily dismiss any more sound advice! :) So I'll let that one rattle around in my head a while.

Thanks for helping me out again, liriodendron! (I looked that up the other day: tulip poplar. We have those lovely, tall trees throughout the woods near us. Nice!)

Interesting idea to put the oven where the open shelves are, but I'd want to see more of the plan to see how it would impact.

I do think that moving the oven to the left end and shifting the fridge and freezer down to the right might be good. Then you can see into the oven from the cooking area, which I like to do. The fridge isn't that much less handy, and is, actually, a lot like mine in location.

Oh - if you lose the counter and open shelves, you also lose landing space.

Fouramblues,

I chose that user name because I adore tulip trees which are very uncommon up where I live in northern NY. I brought a couple of dozen transplants up from my Mother's farm in the Blue Ridge area of VA as sentimental reminders of her place after she died. So far (10 years plus) they are doing OK - to my complete delight! I adored walking in my Mother's woods with old straight stems of tulip poplars all around. And on a slope, in the spring you could get yourself at eye level with the fantastic flowers on tulip trees lower down.

I also brought persimmon and sassafrass trees which haven't done as well. I think I lost my last sassafrass tree this past winter [sniff]. I'll need to back down this year and get some more little ones to try again, or find someone to send me some seeds. The willow oaks I brought have also hung in with me, and they really are out of their natural range, but obviously tougher than the sassafrass, which is a surprise.

I also just like how the word sounds, but last year someone googled it and incorrectly associated me with a very fancy, upscale estate of the same name. I couldn't figure for the longest time why they kept fussing at me because I was
"so well-off". I wish!

Liriodendron

rhome, here's the whole kitchen plan:

To the left of the dining area is the family room, the door on the bottom right goes to the living room, and the door on the bottom left goes to the foyer. Please let me know if any of this gives you an inspiration on my refrigerator wall! :) (Note that some of the measurements are up to 6" off, since a few things have moved around, but the basic concept is the same. Also note that the cabinetry is built and waiting for me in a warehouse. I jumped the gun a bit...)

liriodendron, sounds like you got some tenacious trees from your Mom's farm. What a wonderful reminder of her!! And what a treat to see tulip poplar flowers at eye level -- I usually see them close-up only if they've had the misfortune of falling off the tree. They are beautiful (like their Latin name)!

Four - I am going to have to defer to others.
I like the appearance of swapping the oven but not sure about functionality.

I made a a couple last minute changes myself and have to wait for one of the new cabinets to come in. After the GC made our hideous soffits disappear and suggested moving the HVAC through the basement instead of through the wing wall where it was, I started to reconfigure things and putting a pull out pantry to the left of the fridge instead of rebuilding the wing wall.

I also added a pocket door to the walk in pantry instead of a swing door - it is going to be so much better!

And to appease DH, putting in a motion sensor light in the pantry as i am guilty of leaving the pantry light on when carrying items out to the kitchen.

Good luck and thanks for your help.

Liri - I am planning to put a Mountain Laurel in my garden this summer in memory of my dad. My dad was an active scouter and loved the jamborees (and collecting scout stamps!!!) Mountain Laurel is the state flower of PA and working with landscaper to identify the best variety to be hardy around here - most are borderline, so have to pick the right one.