I would take the left side of your island-that diagonal corner and lower left 90 degree corner and make a curve...2 reasons: better looking ... second,I would put money on the fact that you will use that island all the way around for prep...to the left of frig isn't big enuf-to the left and rt of sink will be easily "occupied" by all kinds of things. It is logical: take items from frig-pivot and the island with a good amt of space is right there-but you will be moving around the island:make curves, not corners.What a nice kitchen-very large- I'm green eyed.Are you planning on a lot of sitting at the long higher counter? Obviously without that -the island and it's position could have been a bigger element in your design, but you got to this point so the counter for sitting is your choice by intent, I assume.

thanks for your response

---the area to the left of the fridge will probably be slightly expanded as what is shown above has an "appliance garage" (i like - wife doesnt - guess who wins - apparently they are not as popular as they used to be)--- think they make cabinet depth ones so that may be an option -- but i see your point -- leave the whole space open

I'm guessing that the reason we didnt go "rounded" on the island is that the left side of the counter originally had a cabinet and the right side still does--- that is definitely something to look at --- the designer was also trying to stick by the "width guidelines" and on the left side that would shorten the walking width a little bit (course we could always shrink the island)...

you are right - our thought is to have seating around the raised counter for eating- which will probably be about six chairs. have a good sized breakfast area which will double as a dining (room area) since there will not be a formal dining room (one of the reasons for the extra eating area on the bar)

the below was our first stab at the island - had seen one with the bar stools in the middle and liked that idea ---but the designer switched them to the end figuring it would be better to sit away from the range

{{!gwi}}

Actually, the location of the prep sink doesn't seem optimal to me. You have acres of counterspace to the right of it but it's not situated in a place conducive to cooking prep. It seems as if your clean-up will also function as your prep sink. I would put the cleanup sink and DW in the island and prep sink behind the stove. It would be convenient for easy cleanup when eating at the island.

Actually, the location of the prep sink doesn't seem optimal to me. You have acres of counterspace to the right of it but it's not situated in a place conducive to cooking prep. It seems as if your clean-up will also function as your prep sink.

Agree with remodelFLA here, but how about this for a solution: move DW and cleanup sink to approx. where small prep sink now is. Large sink stays, perhaps becoming a little smaller, to serve as a true prep sink.

I think we need to confirm how and what you cook. Are that small sink and its counter designated for bar function? Where will you be cooking/prepping? On the island close to fridge, pantry, and stove? You do have a nice, efficient work area there.

Rosie is right, we need more information. For example, if you cook a lot, you have very little workspace around the cooktop and that angle is an issue. To have a decent amount of workspace and landing space around that cooktop, you should aim for 24" on each side. 18" and less than 12" won't cut it...at least not if you cook much.

The prep (or bar) sink and wide expanse of counter is "orphaned"...the island is a barrier b/w it and the cooktop.

You have all three primary work zones crammed into one small section of your kitchen...the Prep, Cooking, and Cleanup Zones are all on the small island (small with regards to how it's setup for working) and the counter behind it.

You also have your Prep Zone facing the wall, not into the room where you could visit while working. (Because the island is a barrier to the prep sink and has very, very little accessible workspace, you will most likely end up prepping to the right of the cleanup sink...that's where you have water and access to the cooktop.)

Also, because you have seating at the island, it will be difficult for anyone to work at that counter with the prep sink...the aisle is just too narrow for both. Personally, I'd get rid of the island seating, you have plenty on the peninsula.

If this is more of a "show" kitchen, then function may not matter to you, do whatever "looks" nice to you. (Having a kitchen just for show is fine if that's what works for you, we're all different. Just let us know so we can tailor our comments to the purpose of the kitchen.) Or, maybe you eat mostly raw food and rarely cook.

Looking forward to learning more about how you plan to use your kitchen. (Meanwhile, check out the "Layout Help" topic in the "Read Me" thread. It talks about what kind of information we need to help you.)

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!

thanks for the responses....
- most of the cooking/prepping will be on the right side of the kitchen---we probably cook (as in full blown out meals) 4-5x a week...eat in most of the other time - but not a 5 course meal. the bar prep sink would be used by the kids/other cook when more than one cook is in the kitchen...the thought with the island seating is not so much for eating (even though it may turn into that) but more for socializing/kids helping out as we cook...

agree with some of the comments above as that is why we are expanding our thoughts (the "isolation" of the prep sink, the landing area around the range, and the direction that you face when "washing dishes"...) we thought about putting the DW in the bar or island, but it didnt appear to be enough room to walk around it with it open if it was in either of those places... the issue revolves around the range being in the island. if it was on a wall - quite a bit of the other perceived issues would be resolved...

This is by no mean finished or as detailed as what you published. I'd be more tempted towards something like this.

Oddly enough, in this plan, cooking and cleanup could exchange without too much added walking, then I would also exchange the pantry and dish storage. Choosing things like this partly depend on the rest of the house plan (hmmm, will people using whatever room in on the bottom be tempted to cut through the kitchen?) and partly on how social you'd like to be and when.

You could move the cooktop onto the island, but my inner cheapskate will warn you that the hood will be 2-3 times as much as a wall hood. And that from the same person who just two seconds ago said it could be on the peninsula! My inner being doesn't think that spending more dollars to face a blank wall is quite as worth it as spending to directly face the other rooms I guess.

with regards to the diagonal lay of long eating counter...can you change that set up to a right angle...the corner would be further out in your family room but it would widen the footprint in the kitchen and what you can expect from your island. Actually, the people on each side of the right angle would be looking at each other with greater ease-it might be better for social interaction at meal times.