Question about the "under island wall" -- is there a height change between the cooking counter and the seating counter? I'd want a bit of a raised seating area to add separation from the hot stove if it were my house.

I think I recall your original ideas, Aloha. This kitchen looks to be practical and oriented toward useful movement within the house. How great! You can tote drinking glasses and pork chops to the deck at back of the house and bring back efficiently. The relationship between nook and kitchen is more useful too.

If there were anything I'd add, it's "plunk space" between kitchen and dining room--I'm a dinner party person. I'd also wish for a second sink toward the dining area if I gave a lot of parties, but it's good this way, if the single sink is easily accessible and clean. A three-bin or asymmetrical sink perhaps?

You've lost the "ta-dah" range area of former kitchen plan as seen from other parts of the house. Perhaps that refrig wall can have some glitz in another way?

Janet, the countertop is all one level. Kids are all grown and we'd like an expansive place to do various things on too. We made sure that the countertop was deep enough to help against splatters. Thanks for your thoughts.

Florantha, I'm confused as to which layout you are referring to??? The first diagram is not aligned with the old layout because of the way I drew it up, we scanned it in "ajar". The "plunk space" would be across from the frig in the new layout. Would you want a spot where the pantry currently is? The "tah dah" I was hoping would be the 6' window. I'm a "window person" so that's all it takes for me. We used to have a triple sink in our old house and we loved it, but there was enough info on GW in favor of single sinks we have converted.

O.T.
My bad. I guess I've got your layout confused with another one. "Never mind."

Dishwasher is by sink, right? If you're disciplined, you have sufficient plunk space. I'm not disciplined so I have lots of plunk spaces to compensate.

Here's a common scenario in my world: you're getting stuff ready to launch to the dinner party but you're still cooking also. There are bowls of condiments, assorted flatware, matches for candles, butter. You're cooking and you're busy. Where do you put this accumulating stuff while it awaits being launched, the pile that perhaps the first guest will be assigned to haul to dining room.

Another scenario: you're taking dirty plates off the dining table but there are pots and pans and other gucky items still on island and in vicinity of sink as residue of the cooking and food prep. Where do the dirty plates go? You won't be scraping them and putting in DW for another 2 hours or more. (If you're disciplined, you'll keep the are to the right of the sink clean and ready for them.)

Another scenario of mine: you're going to serve liqueurs and espresso with dessert. The dinner had lots of plates and glassware, which are removed before dessert. Where do the waiting little cups and liqueur glasses and dessert items hide out during the meal and where do the removed glassware pieces go during the transition? The one set has to be removed before the other can be picked up, so you need two spaces. (This problem did not occur in my old life because we set the dessert part of the table setting directly from a a dustproof large china cabinet in dining room, but in our remodeled lives that piece is gone. These party items are now on top shelves of kitchen cabs, which requires me to go up a stool hours before the meal and dust them and put 'em in a holding spot ready to rock and roll.)

If I had as elaborate get gatherings as you do florantha, I'd spend more money on hired help and less on the kitchen remodel. You did get me thinking that if we continue with the proposed layout, it would be wise of us to prep on the left of the kitchen island and stage misc for dinner on the right.

We live on a lake and we tend to entertain more in the summer, which then we barbecue outside anyway. We've never had formal gatherings, so I expect more of the same.

I haven't heard anyone's opinion on whether or not this is too open or not. In most homes I've been in that have this open a floor plan there is a formal living room. It makes me nervous to take down the one remaining small wall left that divides the kitchen only because then there are no other places to be by oneself. We will finish the walkout basement at some point so we will have that place to escape too at some point in the future.

Too open is just a matter of opinion, and it depends largely on lifestyle. Some people prefer to be able to completely close off their kitchen from the rest of the house, while others like it to be very open in the center of everything. This layout will definitely be very open, but your space is large enough that you can still feel separate from what's going on in different parts. Does it feel too open now? Not open enough? Just right? If it feels not open enough now, you'll probably be thrilled with the new layout.

I will say, however, that if I had that much room and flexibility with my space, I would make my island even bigger and in a shape that allowed for seating that wasn't all in a row. If you plan to spread out with projects, you'd probably like to be able to have a comfortable conversation, and a row of seats is not very conducive to that. At the very least, a curve on the seating side would allow for some conversation, but I think I'd like seating to extend around to the open end.