Overhead/in front of cab halogen recessed lighting provides 450 footcandles at the work surface. Soon led will be available for an update. The counter is 5" deeper than standard with a 12" upper cab. Plenty of room for everything.

Yes...I do.

Do I prep in such a place? Yes.

Do I like it? No.

Yep. Never had a kitchen big enough to limit upper cabinets. I also had cabinets straight across over the sinks.

When this kitchen gets redone, there will probably not be cabinets over the prep area but that's because there are ribbon windows all the way across where the prep area will be.

But it's never bothered me. I am happy to have prep area. Neither of my original kitchens in the first two places had Any. It was a cutting board on top of the sink.

Yes, have done so now for more than 30 years. Anytime one changes anything, it takes time to adapt. Before my kitchen remodel a year ago, I prepped on the opposite side of the kitchen. Now, I do it on the wall nearest the stove. It took me at least a month or two to get used to the change but now I love it.

Yes, sometimes. Sometimes I prep on the counter, with upper cabinets (and LED under cabinet lights). Sometimes I prep on the island, with no upper cabinets. When do I choose which? Usually it depends on how much I've got to do -- a little prep might be done on the counter beside the sink; if I've got more to do, I'll probably do in on the island, so I'm not facing the wall (and might turn on the TV).

My major prep area has cabinets above. I do have under cabinet lighting in that area. Also, I am short so the upper cabinets are not bothering me in any way. If I had my dream kitchen, there would be very few uppers since I can't reach past the second shelf anyway without standing on my toes.

It is normal. I don't, but I have in other houses. It's not a problem.

My longest run of countertop has a window (without a nice view) and beside that, overhead cabinets. I never prep there, always on my island. I think the view from my island is better, and the space feels less confined.

Yes. My counters have cabinets above them, and between my sink and range is where I usually prep. I do have a large peninsula, but I only use that for prep when I am baking - as I need a lot more room. Not sure why natural light matters - heck most of the time I am cooking at night anyway. I have plenty of good lighting, so the cabinets don't block light, for me.

Yes, I do. In fact, I have upper cabinets that are 3" deeper than standard (15"D) and prep in front of them on counters that are standard depth (25.5"D) -- no problems!

I don't when at my mom's Kitchen.

Which do I prefer -- neither/both. I have no preference, it's all the same to me!

The Key is to have good under cabinet lighting. Now that I think about it, I have better lighting than my mom has b/c I have under cabinet lighting and do not have to rely on overhead lights that cast a shadow on the counter when I'm standing at the counter. At night, it is a bit dim in my mom's Kitchen despite the overhead light.

Natural light is all well and good, but what about at night or a dark and stormy day? The best Kitchens have both natural light and good artificial lighting.

It depends what I'm prepping/cooking. The baking area counter top is 30", so plenty of space. For the rest, I'm next to the sink on the island.

I'm fortunate that both my current houses have an island or peninsula where I can do prep looking out on a beautiful view (at least in daylight). I really don't like facing a wall/cabinets either at my sink or in the prep area. In our previous house where we did a complete kitchen remodel the prep area did face the cabinets but was adjacent to a window. We also had an island but the design of the kitchen was such that it was not the prep area.

Obviously either is fine. Just depends on what you prefer and how strongly you prefer it.

3katz4me wrote:

I'm fortunate that both my current houses have an island or peninsula where I can do prep looking out on a beautiful view (at least in daylight).

I very much prefer prep looking out at the other living areas of the house. In my current kitchen the area between the sink and range has cabinets above it and also has poor lighting. Even though it's less convenient and has more steps, I prep on the peninsula facing the dining room because it feels more open and comfortable.

You have decide what works for you. In our to-be kitchen, the island will be the primary prep space. Obviously there will only be natural light in the kitchen during the daytime, but it will always be more 'open' than the areas to either side of the cooktop.