Christy draw it out along with the dimensions of the room on graph paper and post here. It will help both you and the GWers to visualize your space.

I've found that pencil and paper have been my best design tool a do can barely make stick figures.

Agree it really needs to be drawn out (the kitchen as well as the entire living area of the house). We have a 14 foot wide U kitchen with an island. It works for us (2 slim adults and no kids) but is a little narrow. I don't think I'd ever want a 12 foot wide U-shaped kitchen with an island. The aisles and the island would be way too narrow. You might be able to do an L plus an island.

Is this in new or existing house? If new I think you'll want to redesign the entire area around the kitchen. If it's a remodel the GW community will try to help but make sure you give some clear parameters if your budget won't allow moving the kitchen to a different part of the house.

Narrow U shaped kitchens, especially with walls on 3 sides, don't get a lot of love here but folks will help work through it as best they can.

Ah! Big difference to have a 15 foot base vs a 12 foot base! Now there's hope!!!!

I'll start with the oven needs to be close to the cooktop, not across the kitchen from it. How big is the sink base cabinet? What size is the refrigerator and cooktop?

Actually we did consider to move door to laundry so you aren't walking around cabinets to.get through door

Great!

I left the island at 4' deep, but you could subtract a few inches--41-42" is the minimum if you want seating.

how wide is the window in the middle?

It's time for another link to the ice-water-stone-fire thread.

Edited to add: I miss Marcolo.

Well no window set right now since it will be a new addition so we can do whatever we want with it, or add the 2 window idea

Did you originally have something in mind for that cabinet in corner on the lower left? It does seem to be a disadvantage as has been mentioned from the perspective of this drawing. Although, what impact will it have on the adjoining room though? Is the short wall in the laundry intended to be the end run of the washer and dryer? Has that room been designed yet? Is that cabinet on the lower left to be for dishes for an adjoining dining room? If so, it might be helpful to minimize traffic flow in the work area. If not, and you don't need that short wall in the laundry/back porch area, it would help keep the traffic out of the work area, if you could remove it.

When I did that photo of our layout above I had forgotten we had talked.about moving door on the left so there isn't that little.cabinet area on the left. So assume now that's gone. The laundry room will be new too. Dining room will be to the lower left from.there

Moving the cook top to the other wall will definitely have to think.about. Didn't even.consider it because figured usually sinks are put where you can put a window.

So thanks so much for the idea!

Mama goose - what are you showing in the upper right corner? Is that supposed to be a mixer? I'm actually wondering what im.goi g to.do with that. It's too tall or our cabinets are.too low for it to fit under. Can other people fit these under this cabinets? But maybe that wall won't have upper.cabinets...though losing cabinet space is.a hard thought too... but an extra window for more light seems like a good.idea too.

Yes, it's a KA mixer. I love mine so much, it's kind of a joke that I stick in a mixer sometimes. :) The tilt heads (14" tall) will fit under cabs that are mounted at a standard 18" above the counter, but I don't have a taller lift-up model, so I don't know the specs. I like keeping my mixer out, and even adjusted the shelves above where it sits, so that I can tilt it up without first pulling it forward. I put my cookbooks on the open shelves above. If you don't want open shelves, and can do custom cabs, you could have a shorter cabinet there, or if you're planning 36" or 42" tall upper cabs, go for the shorter one on that end. I'd have the cabinets on the side walls end at the wall, not continue around--same as the example pic I posted.

You can unload your dishes to drawers under the 'extra prep' area, and to the upper cabinet on that side, and anyone who is loading or unloading the DW, or gathering dishes to set the table, will not be interfering with the prep and cooking functions. The only obstacle I see is that the dishes and utensils used for prep will need to be carried across the kitchen to the clean-up area.

I forgot about trash pull-outs; you could have a trash pull-out in the prep area, and an under sink trash pull-out in the clean-up zone.

BTW, at 15' wide, I don't think there's a problem with any of your aisles, especially if you decrease the island depth to 42", which would include a 24" standard depth cab + 1" overhang + back panel + NKBA recommended minimum 15" seating overhang.

NKBA guidelines

Now if I have that layout... I need a good spot for our microwave. We don't want to do over the cabinet mounted because its too high for the kids, and don't want it under because that just seems ackward. Anyone see an issue if its to the left of the ovens? Or maybe if the panty cabinet to the right of fridge had a counter space between cabinets and below. Everywhere has such great ideas on this site.

I was thinking left of the ovens, on a shelf, with an open shelf between the MW and window, since the MW is deeper than a standard upper cab. Or you could put a drawer in the island. When the island is not being used for prepping a meal, it could be a snack prep center, with the fridge, pantry, water source, and MW all within arm's reach.

I added a few more details, since you think the plan is workable:

ETA, you could also incorporate the MW into the pantry cabinet, with a pull-out board underneath, for landing space. Images--MW in pantry cab

My husband is not too excited about no window at sink.. and thinks the 2 windows would take away too much cabinet space. (which i'm worried about that too) but if the kitchen functions better.. I would take it)

Will this be custom or standard cabinetry?

There are lots of threads around here about not having a window at the sink if you want more food for thought there. Personally I would absolutely not do a kitchen of that size with only one window - unless it was HUGE or you have a ton of light coming in from elsewhere. It would probably be helpful to have a whole house floor plan as well.

"I wish I had less light in here, could we board up this window and/or close the sunlight" said no one, ever. As you work on the layout, pay attention to all the options you have for that window and be thankful.

It would help to know a little bit more about you and your family - right now, people are designing with only a rough idea of what you want. E.g., do you want seating at the island? If so, you will need wider aisles on the seating side (unless the seats are on the open side).

I will link to the "Layout Help" FAQ as well as the Kitchen Design FAQ threads at the end. The Layout Help FAQ will ask you a few questions to help us come up with a design that will fit your lifestyle, family, etc.

Regarding aisles...some of the info up-thread is a bit misleading. Any/all work aisles should be a minimum of:

• 42" if it is a one-person work aisle (and always a one-person work aisle) - this means only one person prepping/cooking/prepping/cleaning up at one time in the same aisle - not someone prepping while someone else is cleaning up, cooking, etc. If each primary work zone is on a different aisle, then all aisles can be 42".

• 48" if more than one person will be working in the aisle at the same time - someone prepping while someone else is also prepping or cooking or cleaning up.

Note that if you have seating on a primary work zone aisle, than add another 18" to the aisle IF the overhang is a minimum of 15" of clear leg/knee space. If the overhang is less then 15", add that 18" plus whatever your overhang is lacking (e.g., if you have a 12" overhang, then add yet another 3" to the aisle.)

For a less-used work zone aisle with seating (e.g., Snack Center), add 12" (plus the missing overhang depth, if any).

.

Layout Help:

How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include

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Kitchen Design FAQ threads:

Kitchen work zones, what are they?

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638270/faq-kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they

Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638304/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc

How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where?

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638376/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage

Ice. Water. Stone. Fire (Looking for layout help? Memorize this first)

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first

What is the layout of the rest of the floor? Do you have a separate Pantry? Reach-in/step-in/walk-in pantries are far more useful & versatile than pantry cabinets - and much less expensive!

What's the scale of your drawing? It's not 1 box = 1 ft b/c then the base of the "U" would be 16'6"