Ok, the best plans for kitchens work from Fridge to sink to prep space to cooktop without having to cross any of the zones as you work.

So in all, the red arrow is from Fridge to sink. We take food out of the fridge, bring it to the sink and wash it.

Next we bring the washed food to the prep area next to our sink. (noted by the blue arrow)

Finally we take the chopped and prepared food to the cooktop and oven to cook it. (noted by the green arrow) and finally after cooking the food we clean up at the sink which I did not note.

So first your plan. Notice how you'd be crossing behind your cooking area to bring food to the sink? Also notice all the extra steps you'd need to take? If there are two of you preparing a meal or even one preparing and one helping to clean up, you'll be getting in one another's way.

Meanwhile you'd have an island that serves really no function.

Next is my plan which is just your version with a 42" wide island. Notice I put the prep sink on the island which creates a really nice work flow now.And finally Mama's plan. Her's opens up your kitchen the most, creates a really nice size pantry and gives you the same workflow that mine does. Two or even 3 people can easily work within either version, but especially in Mama's version. Plus the area between the cleanup sink and the cooktop becomes a secondary prep zone.

I like your hallway. I like the entrance to the bathroom off the hallway, rather than through the mudroom. Can you extend the wall in the kitchen into the dining room a couple feet? That would help with privacy.

Perhaps you could put a fridge to the left of the stove against the wall as long as you can open the fridge door (Cut the wall back on the left side to make it work). I also increased door opening between kitchen and hall by the fridge. Depends on your fridge depth.

Move your island 48 inches from sink. Decrease island size from 51 inches to 42 inches . Put seating on the side near new 18 inch deep pantry. Aisle would be 54 inches. Seems like less costs involved and your bedroom is more removed from the activity.

Thank you all for the comments. One reason I wanted the angle is because we have a view out the kitchen/slider windows and I wanted at least some of the island seats to face the view.

I only have a winter photo on my phone but this is out the slider door. I feel like everyone's back will be to the view with the straight rectangle. Mamagoose my drawing of the island is not to scale. There would be 45" of space between the island and the counters and way more in front of the dishwasher. Any ideas to help with island placement to maximize the view?

Gorgeous view! If you want the island oriented to take advantage of the views, and you can use a couple feet from the DR, as karenseb suggested, you could still use a rectangular island for prep, by moving the fridge. Making the wall pantry shallower would let you make the aisle between the fridge and island wider, and you could keep the pantry in the corner.

It might not be as functionally efficient as the plans that cpa and I posted (with separation of prep and clean-up zones), but it's less structural work, and you'd have wider aisles. Maybe with the savings you can widen the window over the sink, to include the secondary prep area in the corner, so you can also enjoy the view when you prep. :)

I was going to say that Karen's plan wouldn't work because again you'd be crossing over your cooking work zone from fridge to sink.

However Mama's idea will work. In this case I don't think you need the prep sink though since you'll have a perfectly good work flow without it. Your island could be used as a secondary prep zone, or just to have visitors sit and talk to you. Here's how it would work. The only changes I made to Mama's above was to remove the prep sink, because I know myself I'd never bring things from the fridge to the island and then to the cooktop when I could just use a sink right next to the fridge and I moved the cooktop down a bit so you have more prep space between the sink and the cooktop.

When we have our 4 kids and spouses home for holidays ...

Keep the prep sink, and put them to work. ;)

I can see why you like that view! But don't you want to enjoy it, too? How about an island where you can prep (and see the view) and so can a few of your 'helpers'?

I vote NO on the angled island. And, I second an additional sink. Our kitchen is similar to MG's first suggestion if you need a visual. We could not be happier. Good luck.

LL that's what Mama came up with but the op didn't like it because the visitors couldn't look out. Personally, I'm with you. I'd rather be able to look out since I'm doing the majority of the work. Visitors can look out when having dinner.

And I agree, Mama's first suggestion is the best!

I like Mama's suggestion, too. And it looks like at least one seated visitor would have a view. Also visitors who help with prep can enjoy the view. The ones seated facing the kitchen will have a view of the action, in my opinion the best view of all.

Cpart- Yes, it's very similar. I like MamaGoose's kitchen, but I moved the prep sink closer to the window...so it's across from the range.

Also added room for a second stool to face the view and included the shallow pantry, Karen suggested.

LL here's the problem with your version. It crosses zones. Just repeating what the colors represent in my arrows with your layout:

So in all, the red arrow is from Fridge to sink. We take food out of the fridge, bring it to the sink and wash it.

Next we bring the washed food to the prep area next to our sink. (noted by the blue arrow)

Finally we take the chopped and prepared food to the cooktop and oven to cook it. (noted by the green arrow)

Please explain how you are walking around the island to get to zones. You have a prep sink across from fridge right in front of the cooktop. Perhaps if you made the island one level and eliminated seating at island it would be more functional. But, it seems to me to be wasting money when you might just have to adjust the way you are using the space you have. If u flatted your island, you can prep right at the prep sink you already have. Where are you prepping currently?

Do you really need all that seating in island with the dining table literally steps away?

Nightowl - is that dog waving?!! Oh, the cuteness!

I think OP doesn't like the shape of the island as well as the 2 levels. It creates a narrow walkway, especially near the DW.

You've got a lot of space with the opening of the hall and a beautiful view.
I don't feel like you have the best configuration yet. A faceted island with seating for 4-5 to talk would be valuable to me. Ditch the pantry and counter against your new far wall and pull the island out or shorten that side or both to create aisle clearance. Forget any prep sink on the island. The space is too valuable for entertainment purposes....and the view.

re dog waving -- hahaha The dog bomb does look that way doesn't it.

PS OP -- super glad to see you get the potty door moved.

Thank you all so much for the ideas! I wanted to post my inspiration photo and say that I do most of my prepping now on the counters between the sink and stove and some at the island. My island sink is too small (another mistake) so I rarely use it and it makes the prep space there smaller. I hear you all about not liking the angled island (thanks MG, LL and cpartist for your plans, so nice!) and I'm really taking all that into consideration. Dan, I agree that an island with seating for people to talk and enjoy the view is valuable to me. Please look at this inspiration pic and see what you think. Would this still be too inefficient? I could move my pantry to this position to free up more isle space as Dan says.

Karen I just have to move the powder room door! I've regretted it since the first day. I have tall boys who are loud pee-ers. :-)

Nightowl your kitchen is beautiful! I love it!

Also Mama Goose, I neglected to say that we don't have the closet space in the hall or the closet in the mud room. We decided to add a bonus room above the garage and the stairs are located there. Lost 2 closets but gained another bedroom/bath and playroom for grandkids. Here's the view from the mudroom to the kitchen.

So I do need a pantry somewhere! Sorry, I appreciate your input so much and didn't mean to make you think harder unnecessarily!

Using your 4' measurement as a guide, here's where the angled island would fit in. You could keep dishes in the island, across from the DW, or have a prep sink on that corner instead.

Sorry, I appreciate your input so much and didn't mean to make you think harder unnecessarily!

It's OK--I enjoy puzzles, and my kids say they're good for my aging brain. ;)

Thank you MG! I see lots of crossing zones and not much benefit for the view. So much to think about. I'm leaning towards your plan that has the island facing the window. I just have to think about having the fridge that close to the dining table.

Please explain how you are walking around the island to get to zones.

If you're referring to the first post where I posted the arrows, you have to not literally walk around, but the corner of the island creates a pinch point right at the fridge and walking around to the sink.

I just have to think about having the fridge that close to the dining table.

When is the fridge most used? First for cooking and then for putting things like juice, soda's, condiments, etc on the dining room table! The ideal place for the fridge is between the sink and the dining room to take advantage of both.

Honestly if it were me and you want to use the plan where the island faces the windows, I'd instead put the prep sink under the window and put your cleanup sink and dw in the island. (that's what I'm doing in my kitchen.)

My reasoning is for several reasons:

1. I too am getting up there in age, and as we age, if we have more trouble walking etc, it's a heck of a lot easier to slide food over than having to pick it up and carry it across the aisle.

2. This way you're not crossing the aisle to bring the food from the fridge to the prep space and then crossing a second aisle to bring the food to the cooktop.

3. 70% of the time is spent prepping compared to 10% of the time spent cleaning up. I would much rather have a window to look out of as I'm prepping.

So along the perimeter I personally would (and am in my own kitchen) doing fridge>trash>prep sink>prep counters>cooktop>counters for baking/prep>pantries.

On the island I'd do from left to right as you face the sink:

Dishwasher>clean up sink> drawer stack for dishes and silverware

That's my feeling. I know lots of folks don't like a cleanup sink on the island as they feel they don't want to see dirty dishes in the sink. I tend to clean up as I go (actually DH helps), and those things I don't clean up right away are in my very deep sink. However in your case, I feel that either way you'll be looking at the cleanup sink so figure out which way would work best for you.

First even with all the exceptional help you are getting from these GW'ers, I would call a KD straightaway!

Working in a
circle m/l, in the same zone doesn't bother me--for instance in the
corner prep zone (yellow), going from fridge to sink, to corner, to
range is OK, because it's just a step or two, or a pivot, to drop
prepped items on the range. Once you rinse the items and move to the
prep space beside the range, there's room for a helper to load and
unload the DW, if dishes are kept in drawers on the island. A helper can also set the table without interfering with prep.

In the island prep zone (red), you'd take things from the fridge to the
sink, then pivot to the right for prepping, and scoop prepped items to
step across to the range. The only conflict with two people prepping
would be if both needed something from the fridge, at the same time, but
that could happen in either plan. If the island was the main prep
space, and dishes were kept in drawers to the left of the clean-up sink,
a helper could load and unload the DW without interfering with prep or
cooking.

Having the fridge on the sink run would be fewer steps, so slightly more efficient, but with a prep sink on the island, the 54" wide aisle is important so that two people can work at the same time. The fridge would be more convenient to the dining table, which some
folks prefer--if you need salad dressing, butter, etc., after you sit
down at the table, you don't need to walk across the kitchen.

I still prefer the first plan I posted--think about moving the range toward the sink wall, and putting the fridge beside the current pantry. You can prep in the corner, or on the island, looking
toward the DR, with a peripheral view of the distant mountain through the slider. How much
time will guests spend sitting at the island, compared to the time you'll
spend in the kitchen every day?

I put a very shallow pantry or a bookcase against the bathroom wall to act as a buffer for noises, or you could use soundproofing insulation in the wall.

Piggy backing on MG's first plan, I'm wondering if you could widen the window above your clean up sink to satisfy your concern about the view for those seated on the dining room side of a rectangular island.

Is there view this direction?

Prioritizing, I would maximize the view by adding or moving a window to open the area between the existing window and the doors. I'm a fan of fixed pane for energy efficiency and cost saving while maximizing view. Triple gazing may be an option.

One idea then would be to move the sink to the right and build the frig in across the corner similar to a corner pantry. An regular frig has worked like this for years although an integrated one can be built in with a more finished look. A French door version can make door opening easier.

21" facets on the seating side of the island are a design that can look good and allow different spacing for chairs. More relaxed. No prep sink. You can add a couple stools on the kitchen side for prep and as an entertaining perch even while cooking with guests present. I prefer MR-16 50w floors above the counters and spaced around the island on dimmers. LED versions are a couple years away from the 100 lumens per watt needed to replace halogen. California has a requirement for that coming online. A slim but wide and tall pantry with 11" deep interior shelves is all the space needed, ime.

Dan are you suggesting she put the fridge angled in the corner?

I've come to appreciate corner sinks and corner ranges/cooktops, in the
right setting, and if an OP really likes a corner pantry, it can work, but having a fridge (or pantry) in the corner between the only sink
and the range? I think this is what dan1888 meant. I added his suggestions for stools on
the kitchen side, and 21" facets on the seating side of the
island. I left the shallow pantry--it seems to fit the description.

Corner frig, yes. I've had this config for many years. It works functionally because only one person uses the frig at a time. It saves on not buying a counter depth or expensive integrated model. It also works well with a deeper 28-30" counter, which is truly a major benefit. Upper cabs at 16.5" instead of 18" above the counter for access. Normal depth for the uppers gives you a larger sense of work space at the counter. If you run the counter back into the corners next to the frig with 28-30" the space makes good out-of-the way storage.

I'd forego the deep pantry to the left of the range above for counter space. The shallow one is more accessible and could go high for added capacity.

The only problem with that plan is that it doesn't seem to have much counter space. With a kitchen that size, I would want more work areas.

Add in the triangles on each side of the frig and the area labeled pantry and things will open up some. This design has to be 'tested' at full scale in cardboard in your basement or garage and tweaked as needed.

Dan I have my fridge in the rental now in the corner like you are suggesting. It is probably one of the worst designs I have ever worked in! Why? Because it takes up needed counter space and those corners are USELESS. Who wants to go fishing into a deep corner like that to find something?

Plus it gets rid of an effective upper cabinet too

This effectively gets rid of one of the most important things you need in a kitchen; counter space. Plus, it divides your counters in half. There's a reason the NKBA says never to put a tall item breaking up the main counter space.

If the rental I'm in had put the fridge into the corner of the same area, I would have effectively had another 6' of actual usable counter space. Now I have 2'. The other 3' on the opposite side of the fridge is just a useless spot to be a junk collector.

To the OP, please do yourself a favor and DO NOT put your fridge in the corner. From experience, it doesn't work.

The gray areas on the sides represent the voids in the cabinets--I would expect that anyone with this design would, of course, have countertop in those areas.

What type of work space would be in the area where the full-depth pantry is now? Most functions would need a water source, even mixing and baking. It would be a good drop zone for groceries coming from the mudroom entry, but the island without a sink is just across the aisle, for a drop zone, and I, personally, would prefer the extra pantry storage.

Here's the drawing with the fridge pulled forward, and 'countertop' represented. The space lost to the corners is plugged in next to the DW for comparison, so about 24 x 24" in the base, and half that in the uppers, but you could always put in some open shelves for a collection of S&P shakers or pie birds. ;)

May not work, but thought I'd post it anyway. It gives you views outside and nice work triangle...with island having more stools facing view. Also, the prep sink makes a nice work area, even if someone is helping to clean up. Just an idea : )

The frig gets panels to box in the sides. The uppers can die into the panels. With the deep pantry gone the range can move to the left some. This may be the opportunity to address the micro placement and ventilation. A micro/ventilation fan is very limited.

Dan I don't think the OP is planning on having her mw above her stove anymore. And yes the uppers can die into the panels, but look how much upper storage you've lost! If I didn't have the exact same fridge layout, I might not be quite so adamant about not doing it, but there are so many better ways to do the kitchen without using a big fridge to divide your counter space.

The upper cabinets can die into the fridge box, but if you notice the 12" black line to the left of the fridge--that's the closest the upper cabinet door can be, and still open 90°, so there would be no accessible storage in the wedge that dies against the fridge box, as cpartist mentioned. A wider door would need to be farther from the fridge box. I was thinking about 30" uppers when I typed that you'd lose half of the amount of lost base storage (roughly 10cf), but if you consider 36" or 42" uppers, you'd be losing more space.

As for moving the range toward the space now occupied by the pantry--this plan is continuing to deteriorate. Firstly, with the fridge in the corner, anyone wanting to access it has to walk through all the zones--clean-up on one side, prep (on both sides of the fridge), and cooking on one side. Secondly, I had already moved the range over, in line with the edge of the island, but if it's moved farther, that puts it in the walkway, and even farther from the only water source. You could add a prep sink between the fridge and range, but that would only be adding extra expense to an inefficient plan, IMO.

The corner fridge might work for dan1888, but I agree with cpartist on this issue--don't do it.

I agree! i don't want a corner fridge. Still working on the plan with the island seating facing the view. Wondering if it will work if I leave the fridge where the old pantry is now. I know the zones will cross. It if I have a prep sink not so bad. What do you all think of a prep sink next to the oven?

IMO - it looks like function is losing to show. We chose function over the relatively few meals that would benefit from a show kitchen. YMMV. Good luck. And, regardless of the final plan, if it were me, I would prefer to be the one enjoying the view 365 days / year as I prepped.

I will go with mama goose_gw zn6OH design !

My opposition to the angled island is that I would not want to feel like a waitress and short order cook in my own home. Sometimes an angled island can look very nice in the home, a lot of times they look better on paper and big and awkward in the house. If was going going to go with this format, I think that I would finish the floor underneath and have the island sitting on top that way if you later decided that you really did not like it (unfortunately a distinct possibility) you could change it out to a more typical Island.

Truthfully, I think you'll end up wishing that you didn't change what you have if you go with this configuration.

I wish I could remember the usernames so I could link you, but I can think of at least three kitchens with angled islands like you're proposing that were posted here within the last six months. They were all asking for layout help to get rid of the angled islands they hated. I would take all the "before" kitchens with angled islands as a warning that you might be exchanging one bad layout for another.

Does anyone remember the kitchen with the island that had the rounded end...for more seating? There were a few, but one stands out because it was a great way to get more people around the island...without taking up too much of his prep space. Maybe something similar?

I am an angle island owner with the identical layout to the OP's inspiration. My only difference was that the sink was on the island.

It makes the whole kitchen into a one person space. NO ONE else can be in the space behind the island. Every time the fridge door was opened, it blocks the entire kitchen. The pantry usage did the same. The corner area was unusable and a junk pile.

No one ever stood at or sat at the island or cared that we had an ocean view from one side. The angle made it feel in your face for people.

The angle made the counter useless. No one ever sat at or stood at the island because they disliked the angle. Unless the island was much larger, it felt in your face for people.

In person the design looks nice but it was horrific in terms of functionality. We effectively had 6"-12" of counter space that we spent 18 yrs prepping on. That's less than one foot.

So what's right and comfortable for working in your kitchen. Your visitors couldn't care less about the view. It's typically 10 seconds of standing at door ooh ahh then forgotten.

Thank you beachem for your personal experience! I'm so glad I posted this and have given up the idea of the angled island. So many GW's can't be wrong!

Oops sorry about the repeats and wrong words. I was posting using the Houzz app earlier and it wouldn't let me see what I wrote. I had to do it blindly and I guess the system changed some words.

Not every idea fits. This one does prioritize the view. The corner frig, when doors are open has the benefit of not blocking any traffic through the space. Ours allows easy access on each side to place things on the counters. I also have a faceted island that is always the preferred seating area for many things, so that varies for sure. It differs a little because the kitchen area is 6" down so the seating side of the island is table height, from the kitchen it's counter height. Just baked 18 brioche rolls. There is no need for water near this operation. 110* water with the yeast sits for 5-10 minutes anywhere.