I sort of have that. To some extent it's about where you have room to store stuff. I have my mixer in the corner of my perimeter, right above the drawers with my staples (in canisters). My spices are on the far side of the baking area. There's an short counter between which is great for pouring a cake into a pan or whatever, on top of the drawers with my baking pans, rolling pin and pastry cloth, scoops, measuring spoons and dippers, scrapers and other utensils, etc. Above the mixer are mixer bowls and attachments, and glass measuring cups. So it's a nice, compact baking center. My island is just behind it, though, so if I'm rolling, shaping bread, or doing some other spread-out-y task, I have plenty of room.

There's no reason the rolling pin, cookie cutters, etc., couldn't go in the island if there were room there. I LOVE having the staples right at the mixer, as well as the measurers, scrapers and all. The pastry cutter and mixing bowls are best where you have a lowered counter, if you'll have one. Mine are in the same bank of drawers mentioned above. The perimeter counter is slightly lower than the island too. The rest--pans and all--don't matter as much. My big baking board is around the other side of the island, and the cookie sheets are actually in the butler's pantry with the trays (though I could use the ones that came with my oven and are right by the baking area, over the ovens). It's the things that you're constantly reaching for that are really best right where you'll be using them.

Interesting side note: I put my big, old mixing bowls in a baking drawer because I've always used them for that kind of thing, but I find myself recently using the steel bowl for making meatballs, and the Pyrex one for stuffing, and things like that, and I'm thinking of swapping them to the island prep area and moving the melamine bowls I have there to the baking area. Moral: You can only plan so much.

I guess you could say I have what you're talking about. My official 'baking center' is across the aisle from one side of my island. The KA mixer sits on the counter, and is used there. The flour, sugar, flavorings, etc. are in the cabinets above. In the cabinets below are measuring spoons/cups, rubber spatulas, baking pans. In the island, where I do kneading, rolling out, and putting things in pans, I have my bread mixer, bread pans, cake decorating tools and cookie cutters. But I think of it as one baking cetner, it just happens to be on both sides of me when I'm in that aisle. :-)

These photos are a little old. Since then, I turned the bottom left cabinet into vertical baking sheet storage, so have pie and cake pans in the bottom drawer...So those things swapped spaces. I also moved the tea from the upper cabinet and have more room for extra baking supplies.

rhome - ahhh, it's so nice to get another peek at my favorite GW kitchen. Yours is my inspiration to use 3 different finishes in mine...can't wait to see how it turns out! :)

Rhome, you have inspired me too. Partly with your baking center setup, which I'm lusting for, and partly with your different finishes. Thanks to you I'm thinking we can do white cabinets on either side of the range and white uppers, but stained lower cabinets everywhere else. The point being to really set off the red range. I thought it would look weird to do that, but seeing your kitchen I am obviously wrong. Yay! Thanks!

AP- I dream of having your situation :)

If I ever get my kitchen remodeled, I'd do something very similar to what you're describing. I love to bake and would enjoy having more room, just to bake bread and frost cakes. Now, it's always move something to make room for something else!

Rhome- You're so organized! Nice set-up.

Thank you, everyone!

It's probably not as neat as the pics make it look! lol But I think organization is due to the blessing of having enough storage in the right places, and that definitely helps with my neatness issues.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing your multi-finish kitchens, Melaska and Ideagirl2. And a red range! I saw a red American Range the other day in my oven hunt, and had to stop and run my hand across it. SO GORGEOUS!!

I have a bake table area that works well - everything I need is near me. Two doors open out and then slice back into the cabinet so I have access to all equipment on slide out drawers- the surface is granite which is great for rolling out cookies and pie dough. My table is 30-5/8 " high - about 5-1/2" lower than the normal 36" counter top. I find this a little low - does anyone have an optimal height for a bake table?