Nice feel, overall.In your space i think I'd center the sink under the left or right section of window as opposed to centering in front of the wide framing area. What is the calculation of longer counter to the left of range as opposed to centering the range or longer counter side on the fridge side?

I agree it does have a nice feel and love the splurge on stainless steel, my own favorite.

Your "2 avid cooks plus some little helpers" thing makes this problem special. How about

1. Moving the counter-depth refrigerator back into the "mud room" in the space labeled pantry. If possible, remove the framed doorway and the little wall between fridge and doorway. If not, just remove the doorway framing to widen the passage and strengthen the relation to the kitchen.

2. Putting a 15" pantry pullout on the end of the counter where you show the refrigerator now. This would be readily available to cooks on both sides and create a 31" counter to its right.

3. Putting a carousel or other base pullout cabinet in the left corner, with small drawer cabinet to its left. OR put a 30" drawer cabinet under the counter AND frame a door to the blind, closed off corner space from the stair landing.

4. If problems fitting what you want in #3, how about moving that doorway to the stairway area south to gain critical inches (31" becomes 36" counter?)? If that's out of the question, would just removing the doorway framing gain a couple critical inches?

4. Personally I'd forget about "centering" the sink--under anything. The very last consideration, especially since you're fitting in standard unit sizes. First consideration would be keeping it accessible to both avid cooks at once, right? Second would be using its placement to designate appropriately sized places for cleanup on one side and prep counter on the other? However you see it, massage its placement into greater functional perfection, maybe even do something with the right blind corner. (BTW, depending on the sink you choose, you could center the faucet under something if you wanted.)

@herbflavor -
Centering the sink on a window means having it in a corner or needing to go with smaller sink to have some cabinet to give some buffer. Currently, sink is just slightly offset from center to the left window. I could narrow the 3-drawer, but I donâÂÂt end up gaining much beyond another sliver of space to the right of the DW.
WeâÂÂll have just slightly more counter with the fridge to the left, otherwise I need 6â of buffer space to the side of the range, which shifts everything left to maintain a walkway to the sunroom.

@rosie -
To points 1-3 : It is an interesting idea to move the CD to the pantry, but we currently have a ton of functional storage there - shelves on three sides, all the way up to 9â ceilings. I also feel like it would be a trek to it, although that might just be because IâÂÂm used to have it close. An interesting idea to put access to the left dead corner from the basement stairs.
4 : removing the door framing would be tricky - 100+ year old house with plaster walls, makes small alterations like that sometimes really problematic. If it happened, fridge could move out a few (2-3âÂÂ) additional inches, maybe allowing for a small cab. Would it start to crowd that entry to the kitchen?
I suspect the under the MW will be toaster oven + coffee center, leaving maybe 30â of countertop to the left of the sink for prep. It is tough because when cleaning up, DW open, that entire corner of counter becomes non-useable. Was hoping the 36â by the range would help to provide some breathing room for other prep, even though there isnâÂÂt water there.

** Thank you both for your time and comments! **

We all have to choose what to trek for and what not. I'll leave it after this since you have a clear preference, but my own trek from stove to refrigerator in a standard 13 x 15 kitchen is longer than from either close end of counter to the storage in your mudroom. Yours apparently does feel farther, though, which would mattered when you realized you need another splash of milk after all -- x 10 years. :)

Under the MW would be a perfect place for the coffee maker, etc.; a really nice opportunity I'd hate to give up myself.

BTW, just looking at your stainless counters makes me covetous. That program does an amazing job with them.

This post was edited by rosie on Thu, May 16, 13 at 16:57