I would advise posting a full floor plan with measurements (showing adjacent spaces) to let the experts in this forum work on a better layout. I see two major issues that would disqualify this plan for me.

1) Having the cooktop on the peninsula - The heat and spatters will make the seating uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. And you'll need a noisy exhaust hood, right in people's faces. I'd figure out how to move the cooktop onto an exterior wall.

2) A prime important space in any kitchen is the counter between the sink and stove. This is where most of your prep will occur, and you have just a very little corner there.

Good luck!

I would flip the location of the pantry with the upper lower cabinet. When you are standing at your refrigerator if you want to put your grocery bag at counter height and empty it into the refrigerator. Similarly when you take things out of the refrigerator if you want to put them on the counter right next to the fridge so I would put a counter right next to the fridge.

I think the idea of having the rangetop where the hot grease can spatter the people seated at the peninsula is a bad idea. I am not quite clear why you have a large island with no seating and then have people seated in a dangerous point. But in order to answer the question intelligently you need to describe the rooms on either side of this kitchen. Also if this house has views you need to indicate which window leads to the great views.

It looks like the wall oven will exactly brought block the walkway when the oven door is open that is dangerous. It's really important to understand what's going on in the two rooms on either side of the kitchen.

The upper cabinet over the peninsula is not readily accessible. I think you would be better off putting the window in that direction and giving yourself a little more cabinet space over the dishwasher.

What is the 5'x 2'2" space? an island? Is there no seating at the island?

Can the windows on the bottom wall be changed? I'd rather see the
cooktop on that wall, with the sink (Stages type?) on the peninsula.
You'd be able to vent directly to the exterior. Also, I'd switch the
line-up of the appliances on the top wall, to put a landing space between the oven and fridge, with the pantry in the passage. And I'd consider a work table or mobile cart
for the island.

The info in the above link explains that most time in the kitchen is spent prepping, so you would be facing the peninsula seating. The prep flow would go in order: fridge--->sink--->prep counter--->cooktop. (ice, water, stone, fire)

Thanks for the quick replies, please see the updated schematic. FYI-We will not be using a hood. We have never used one in either of our 3 homes.

The yellow areas along the wall are the windows. All of which face a beautiful lake. It

The 5' x 2'2 is the island, which has 42 inches of clearance around it. It would be great to have the seating on the island but there is not enough clearance around it for seating. Just barely enough to get the 42" walk through.

Unfortunely the windows can not be moved. The 6 ft windows near the seating area is also floor to ceiling, so only the window behind the sink can be blocked.

I hate to suggest losing a window in a kitchen, but with the full-height window, and slider on the other side, the more efficient (and safer) layout might be worth it.

BTW, if the cooktop is not on the peninsula, the peninsula does not need to be as deep, so 42" would be sufficient for the minimum NKBA recommended seating overhang of 15", leaving an extra 8" for the sitting area.

Images of cooktops/ranges under windows

I am struggling with moving the sink out from under the window. Our designer mentioned the same thing and at this point I do not want to go that route. Changing the windows are a hard no.

I have attached a picture of the current set up, hopefully this can help everyone visualize.

Thanks again for everyone's

input it is greatly appreciated.

I also forgot to mention our main goal is to remove the wall at the far end of the kitchen...

Much better for safety, but you still don't have the minimum recommended prep space between the sink and cooktop, and the DW would need to be on the seating peninsula, which is no big deal, IMO. Are you using one of the Stages (or similar) sinks? Is the peninsula on the left 36"?

The latest picture I posted is of our current set up, we want to open the kicthen up by removing the wall and one of the two peninsulas.

Do you suggest we keep the two peninsulas and not go to the island layout? Thus, remove the wall and leave it open above the range.

The peninsula on the left is 38" and we are using a 42" 60/40 double basin sink

Any comments on changing the design or leaving it as it is? Does one or the other have a better triangle?

Does the current U-shape work for you? I can't tell from the pic, but there appears to be a little more space between the sink and range than on the plan.

If so, and you want to open the wall behind the range, I think that's fine, with a backsplash for safety, and a shallow ledge. If you keep the range, rather than an oven and cooktop, I'd suggest centering the fridge on the top wall, so that there is counter space beside it, and the left peninsula can also be used as landing space. You could put the DW and sink on the left peninsula, and have the whole counter under the window as prep space, with a view, or you can use an integrated cutting board on the sink, and prep facing the LR and those sitting at the peninsula. You could also use the integrated cutting board if you keep the sink under the window, to increase prep space there:

After speaking with my wife she likes the idea of relocating the rangetop to the window and the sink to the peninsula. Thus we will be moving the rangetop to the window. She would like to keep the island as prep space.

If we follow Mama Goose's original layout the sink will be up against the corner of the peninsula- 2 ft on the left for the DW and 2 ft on the right for the base cabinets- do you foresee this being an issue?

Oh and just so you know, your aisles are at last 3" narrower than your layout shows. Aisles are measured counter edge-to-counter edge or to/from whatever sticks out into the aisle the farthest - whether it's counters, walls, appliance/appliance handles, etc.

A common mistake many KDs and most GCs make is to measure cabinet-to-cabinet. That's what I see in your layout above. Counters overhang cabinets by approx 1.5", so 1.5" on each side of the aisle means your aisles are 3" narrower than the labels on your layout.

Wow that was very informative information. We have agreed that the sink in the island is needed as well as the hood above the range. I have redrawn the layout below now reflecting the counter top dimensions. The space between the sink and range does not meet the 36" requirement but my wife likes to prep on the island so the space between the sink and range is not an issue.

The only concern I have left is that the 42" sink is going to be right against the corner of the peninsula. Does this present an issue?

Steve I just want to say I am glad you are open to having a hood. Even if you've never needed one in the past, when that time comes for resale, the lack of a hood could be an issue. Indoor air quality is becoming more of an emphasized item in home construction with each passing year. By the time you are ready to sell, a lack of a hood could be a non-starter for buyers, especially if neighboring homes for sale do have kitchen exhaust.

Here is "Hoods 101" for a good hood installation:

- exhaust duct should be 8" or 10" diameter, not smaller. Some GC's will say a 6" duct is fine, but that's cause it's an easier install for them. Stand your ground while you have the opportunity while the walls are open. Often a hood is noisy cause the duct to the outside is too narrow, so that the noise is not the fault of the hood.

- a hood with "baffle filters" is preferable to a hood with "mesh filters". Mesh filters are higher-maintenance and need frequent cleaning to work well. Baffle filter hoods cost a bit more upfront, but are easier in the long run, so it's worth it.

- those glass hoods look cool, but don't exhaust that well, and show every spatter.

- canopy-style hoods offer the best capture of smoke and grease.

- try to get a hood that is 24" deep (front-to-back) so that it covers the rangetop entirely. Many hoods are just 20" deep, leaving the front burners uncovered.

- a nice-to-have is a hood that is 6" wider than your rangetop (i.e. 42" wide for a 36" rangetop). But many people don't like to forego upper cabinet space for that. A hood that is the same width as your rangetop will be fine.

By saying "Thus we will be moving the rangetop to the window." do you mean that you are removing the window? I know our local code does not allow a cooktop to be under a window and that it must be at least 18" away from one.

We would not be removing the window. According to our contractor it is within MA building codes. Any comments regarding the sink near the corner of the peninsula?

Steve, are you really committed to a 42" sink? I ask because I was absolutely certain I could not function without one, but we just recently finished a new build and I ended up with a 36" sink so that I could have an additional appliance. And I have to say, the 36" is the perfect size, especially with the accessories that came with my sink. I think the 42" sink would've been overkill. Also, with the 42" sink, make sure you budget for double faucets, as the reach of most faucets is not enough, including my large waterstone faucet. If you decrease to a 36" sink, it would enable a little more space in the peninsula corner.

Maybe you can have a galley kitchen.

We already have the sink and really like it, it doesn't mean we cant change it but not sure it will be worth it to add 2 inches per side. I did find a picture which show another sink in the corner of the peninsula and it looks pleasing, I just am not sure how functional it will be.

Do you really use the range? If so I would not put it under the window. You will spend your life cleaning the grease off the windows. Even with the strong hood it still splatters.

the Galley kitchen is a really out of box idea. I will have to show that to my wife this evening. What program did you use to draw that it looks amazing!

Wow that is a huge sink I agree with twobelles and I think the placement is fine but a smaller sink would be more comfortable. And you will now have the prep sink in the island remember. I am so happy you are going with a hood. In your picture of the current kitchen it appears that you do have a vent microwave oven over the range so you do have ventilation. For future possible sale you could certainly not call it a gourmet kitchen if there was not a sufficient exhaust ventilation hood.

We are currently looking at smaller sinks, and may go that route once we lay out the kitchen. I am planning to construct a 44 inch base cabinet to hold the sink and we can change the size before the granite is cut (if needed).

The microwave vent is supposed to go into the cabinet and out via duct work. The cabinet was never cut and the duct work was not installed, thus if we try to use the vent it blows the air directly into the bottom of the cabinet. Needless to say neither the previous homeowner or my wife/I can use the vent feature. We are however excited to get a hood with the redesign.

I still have reservations about the oven having no adjacent landing space. Also an island which is 2' deep won't have much space behind the prep sink faucet to contain dribbles and splashes. If you keep a peninsula, with no seating, in the current spot, you'll have more continuous counter space for prep, and the space on the back could be enclosed for extra storage, rather than display. The work U would have enough space for two people to work comfortably:

Really? Really? You would put the stove in front of the window? Does the code even allow for it? (Not for gas) I would pass right by this awkward design. I hope you don't plan on resale...ever....give up on the big pantries on the back wall and move the stove top to somewhere there is going to be a cleanable backsplash.

That layout would work great but we are attempting to get away from the 2 peninsula layout and open that side of the kitchen. I was thinking of a round sink with a 14 inch inside diameter. With a 28 inch counter this would leave about 9 inches behind. Is the island too narrow to allow a sink at all?

Do more people agree that having a rangetop with a window behind it is a bad idea?

9" sounds better--I misunderstood the measurement of the island depth on the last plan you'd posted.

There are many pics of cooktops under windows (I linked some above), and a few GW members have done the same. Angie_diy and cotehele are two that I recall. You might do a search, and message them to find out how they feel about the issue. If it gives you a better layout, I think it would be fine, and although glass shows spatters, it is durable--more durable than my bead-board backsplash. I would assume that any solid surface behind the hood would help contain the steam and grease plume better than the open cooktop first considered. Where would that grease have gone? I've never had a cooktop under a window, though, so I can't add any first-hand experience.

One GW discussion/pros and cons

cotehele (and a few others) weighed in on this discussion

So it turns out I overlooked the specs on our range top and we can not have it in front of a window. We are pretty set on the 36 inch LP Wolf rangetop and do not want to go with an induction or electric top.

So back to the drawing board... This is another potential layout with the raised seating behind the cook top. FYI- We would have a pantry in the corner and push the wall ovens out beyond the peninsula and the prep sink would be added to the island. I am not a huge fan of the raised counter look as I feel like the look is kinda dated. Any thoughts?

I wish there was a way to have the seating at the island looking out the back windows but I can not come up with a layout to accommodate that as the room is only 13' 6" wide. Please feel free to prove me wrong!

Have you considered flipping the kitchen? The only storage you'd lose is the storage at the window. You can still have storage below the window and it now gives you a good place for taking hot things out of the oven and/or fridge.

That is a cool idea. the only issue I see is that the small wall that I have circled can not be moved. It is a load bearing point with utilities.