Comment on either design first - the angled base with the flat corner cabinets above? Can you actually reach those wall cabinets? I'm saying that because at 5'7", I can't. With a non-angled corner base, I can't reach the back about 4-6" but with an angled base, I can't reach the back 12-15" on both sides. This is because the countertop prevents my body from being able to get as close. I like the angled base in your kitchen, but I think it makes it one or the other. Have the wall cabs and a straight corner or have the angled base and no wall cabs. Maybe something like an angled pot rail.

Leave yourself some extra wall area behind the range - if the range is 48", the hood should be 54" and then a gap where the wall or backsplash shows and then the window trim and then the windows. The small gap (1" to 6") between the hood and the trim is to make it not look crammed in. It also provides a small assurance against little construction errors.

The trash and the micro are two things that others come into the chef's domain to use. Stuff going into the micro comes from the ref a lot of the time. I wonder if the micro should be on the other side of the island? Also consider either moving the trash so its accessible to others or add another trash that is. People use the trash not only for cooking but for general disposal of things that start or end their life in the family area.

An example that illustrates the point - you are making holiday supper and using every bit of the island space. "unnamed child" comes home and wants to heat up soup. Perhaps gets a micro-ready container from the pantry, walks through your prep area to use the micro, gets a spoon, walks around to eat the soup, then goes back into your prep area to ditch the container.

On the point you asked about, I think you end up needing perhaps a lot of other changes to make moving the range to the other wall work. The ref and pantry end up on the far side of the room from prep and around the island - turning the island into an obstacle in the way of cooking. The windows take the place of your dish storage. Cleanup is further away from the table space.

If you want to use the island for prep, you might need to turn it to get enough surface that faces the range area, but of course that makes it more of a barrier.

Some people solve the basic ref issue by adding ref drawers in the prep area. Omitting some of the south facing glass might make it possible to move the ref to the end of the south facing run, but it would do some other stuff - much more visible and cuts off the view from prep of the table area.

hth

Thank you so much for your help! I didn't think about that corner cabinet and I am 5' 7" too. Will definitely adjust that. And thanks for the comments on the backsplash/hood for the range. The windows will need to be smaller else we'll need to settle on a 36" range. We were hoping to get a double oven but don't really have the wall space hence the 48" range. I suppose we could put the refrig and double oven on the South wall, but that would be what you see as you walk into the room.

This is the view into the room.

{{!gwi}}

One alternative we are considering is getting a speedoven and rather than a regular microwave. Not truly an oven, but it could meet our needs.

At first we had the kitchen and family room area flipped (posted that view earlier), but the architect and others suggested this version as we spend most our time working in the kitchen (where we want the most light/sun) and want the least sun on the TV area.

Much to consider. Will keep you posted. Thanks again for your help!