First of all, how much do you cook? Will you use the extra burners on the 36" or is it only to fit the style of the kitchen? Because if you prefer the 30" you can always upgrade to a more luxury professional range if you want to keep the kitchen "high end". Having said that, I do like 36" ranges. We just don't have room for one!

I would go with 36" ( I am getting 48" in my new house)

If you don't make the room now, it will be very costly for you, or another owner, to do so. I would recommend putting the 36" in now. Even if it's a lower priced range, for resale: the new owner can go ahead and buy that expensive Wolf range as there is room for it.

I would recommend 36" and I do agree your salesperson has a point. I'm basing the larger size on:

1) You can seat 10 for meals - 4 burners just won't do it. The 36" have 5 burners usually including one for very high heat, which you don't get (to the same degree) with 30"

2) You have more than ample counter space and a tiny cooktop would look disproportionate.

A 36" range or cooktop would look fine and adequate, definitely not overlarge. Top it with a simple 42" wide hood and you're done! (Hoods should always be 6" wider than cook surface they are venting.)

To keep costs down, it's cheaper to get a 36" range than a 30" cooktop plus 30" wall oven.

I currently have a 36" electrolux gas cooktop I do like it. If I could change anything I would have the controls on the front, versus on the top. I hate cleaning around those knobs. They do come off, but that's a pain, too. But when comparing 4 burners on a 30" range, versus 5 or 6 burners on a 36", it's obvious the burners are going to be closer together. If you often use large stock pots and have pots on the other burners, it can get crowded. So just check out the different models. And get a high CFM hood/fan. Oh, and it looks like your range/cooktop will be quite open, so get a pretty one! :-)

Thanks so much for everyone that has commented so far. This is going to be very helpful. I am definitely feeling the pressure to decide correctly due to the cabinetry. My original plan, if I go 36", would be to do a 36" cooktop and a separate 30" oven right below. The appliance guy I spoke with only does high end, and the cost of doing that was lower than a pro 36" range combined. There would be some modificaitons to the cabinetry, but still it would be lower in cost. I didn't consider going somewhat lower end for a 36" range....I'll need to see if I can find a reliable brand.

Get a 36" as a minimum. Any mid to high end reno should do that and a 30" gives you no room to upgrade in the future. If you every choose to sell this house in the future, a 30" range here in the bigger the better US will be considered a huge negative.

Bubblyjock: Great, down-to-earth advice, with which I wholeheartedly agree! But....but....but....I love my red knobs!

(word in your ear, feeny - Bluestar offer knobs in red, and 150-odd other colours, and for a $20 can of Rustoleum or similar, I betcha you could paint any knobs red!)

Depending on your kitchen size..... We are doing a complete kitchen remodel. Our kitchen has no counter space and not a lot of cabinet space. We currently have 30" range and knocking a wall down. In our case, we'd be loosing valuable counter & cabinet space by going with a 36". I think we're going with 30" with 5 burners. Less room between the burners - but, what are the chances I'll ever have 5 pots on at the same time?

I have decided to go with a 36" range. I think we have enough counterspace (that wall of cabinets is 14 feet plus we have the island). My husband loves to cook. I don't think he will realistically use all of the burners at the same time but I know he would enjoy the spaciousness and the ability to get something out of the stove and not have to use a trivet. I am not getting something super expensive, so I am considering Bertazzoni, Verona, and maybe some of the "lower" end ranges. It is hard to decide because there are mixed reviews on everything!

You have plenty of space to add a 36" range, it's a good scale. A 36" range will give you a more comfortable cooking space for preparing large meals...choose what fits your lifestyle. What types of cooking does your husband like to do? Do you entertain? Do you bake often?

He cooks a nice family dinner 5-6 nights a week. We don't do much baking. We do hope to do more entertaining once we are in our new home! Thanks!

I'd go for a 48" range...You have the room. :-) The extra oven comes in handy when you're preparing large meals and cooking at different temps, or just want to bake something quickly. A single 36" oven is big and can take awhile to preheat.

The 48" with a beautiful hood would balance your fireplace on the other side of the room.

I like your layout.

Haha, mmilos - you are killing me! :) I can't imagine 48" being in the budget, but I do appreciate the input!

justine - just messin' with your head, but don't forget it's often less expensive to go with two 24" stoves and sit them side-by-each: this gives you 8 rings on top (you could do gas one side, induction the other, for instance), and two good 24" ovens....

I would do the 36 but make sure you think about how you will use it.

6 burners
4 burners and a griddle
4 burners and a grill
4 or 5 burners and deep fryer.

Go bigger but make sure it suits the needs for how your family eats and uses the space. Congrats and good luck.

Now that you've got your range/cooktop figured out what are you going to do about the distance between your sink and your fridge?

I agree, Mary. There are some basic design problems here which surpass the 30"-36" question (though 36" is better ).
Key for me is the fact that you have 3 (three) table or counter eating areas within a short distance of each other. In my opinion, this kitchen design needs to be revisited, with the goal of having a unified island/eating space, and better flow (as Mary pointed out).

I just measured my European stove. It's 22 inches, and occasionally I need to juggle pots or pan handles to get everything in, but I've cooked Thanksgiving for 18 people on it and the turkey fit in my oven (also 20" wide). If you are looking for resale value, sure follow all this advice, but 30" is a generous amount of space for a 4 burner stove.

I'd stick the dining room in the corner where you have the sofa and the most chairs. Who wants to carry food through the living room? I'll also note that people who will actually cook, and therefore care about the size of their cooktop, will probably not want their kitchen completely open to the living room/dining room. If you actually cook, you might not want the piles of first course dishes visible on your counters while eating dessert.
You can make a half wall or some cabinets that will leave the open look but provide some screening.

I like to relax with my guests in the living room after dinner, not scurry around cleaning up. I really wouldn't want my kitchen visible from the living room. And from the night before Thanksgiving or any other event like a birthday until the following noon, my kitchen is a disaster area.

Perhaps you should add a second sink in your island to tighten up that work triangle. Love your floor plan - very nice.

That would work Debbie. Ideally, Justine, you wouldn't have a 14' run between your sink and your fridge. If you don't want a sink in the island look at putting a prep sink between your stove and the fridge. This would create two zones for you one with the fridge, prep sink, and stove the other being the stove and larger sink for washing up. I don't see a dishwasher in the plan do you plan on not having one? Is the current sink placement within easy reach of your clean plate/cup/glass/cutlery storage?

I'm not a huge fan of 3 eating area's so close to each other either but you know how you want to live in the space better than we and there is some separation of the spaces which is good. Look at getting a round table for the eating area between the kitchen and the family room. This will make moving though the space easier and allow for more seating if needed.

I agree with everyone's comments. We really struggled with this design. We can't expand the footprint of the house, so I've felt stuck on many decisions. I worry that I won't be happy in the end. :(

We've always wanted the family room/comfortable sitting area to be connected to the kitchen so that in the evening when my husband is cooking and then someone is cleaning, we all have the ability to hang out together (right now we have a small galley kitchen with room for 1 comfortably). We removed the fireplace in the family room so we have the option to put a TV.

We also don't want to have to look at the dishes when we are eating at the formal dining room (particularly when we have guests). We always have the front living room to sit at after dinner. I agree that the dining room is far away from the kitchen, though. I don't love that aspect.

Regarding the work triangle, I don't want anything on the island but I have thought about a prep sink next to the fridge. If we did that, we would lose some storage but gain some functionality.

I am not convinced that we will even put the small table near the island, that's just what the architect drew. There are sliding doors that go out to the backyard, so that limits what kind of furniture goes there (I think).

There is a dishwasher to the left of the sink. We are also contemplating a 2nd dishwasher. My potential cabinetmaker said the easiest spot would be to put it in the island, otherwise we would need to move the sink and window "down" to accommodate a second one on the other side of the island. Any thoughts on ideal placement of a 2nd dishwasher?

If we flip flopped the dining room and family room, would it make sense to have a mini TV room in the former dining room? Should we try and move the walls to make that space bigger? In the current configuration the family room seems too big to be a dining room and vice versa. It also seems weird to have two seating areas right next to each other. I would like the ability to put a TV somewhere in the main living area, but NOT in the living room at the front of the house. I don't know how much we can change because we are going through permitting right now, but I guess it isn't final until we build it!

Thank you all for your input! I truly appreciate the help! (especially if you actually read all of my words!)

I think that the idea of the second dishwasher in the island is a great idea, they do not need to be side by side. As you move through your day to day living in the space and get all the kinks worked out you'll probably find yourself putting items in the dishwasher that would be stored clean in that area. This way you could have two people emptying out both without getting in each others way.

Would you be using the dining room every day or just for company and special occasions? If so then I don't think it's too far away. It may not be ideal but I prefer your family room where it is especially for the very reasons that you listed above.

You could increase the size of your island to incorporate a larger seating area and could gain some more storage there to make up for putting a prep sink between the stove and the fridge.

You could also consider putting in a second Island if there is room - the first, closest to the work area could be just for prep and putting out a buffet when needed as it wouldn't have seating you could do cabinets back to back to gain more storage. The second Island would be for seating but could also incorporate a microwave and a bar fridge or two so guests and children could help themselves without being in the way of the chef. The fridges and microwave could go on the ends living the two longer sides for stools.

@ bubblejock: LOL, great point! (With which we agree 100% - most kitchens in Europe have 24" ranges, and people do perfectly fine).

@ justine7700 - not to throw even more gasoline onto the fire (you have enough things to deal with, it seems), but... this is too important of a topic to ignore - ** don't forget the range hood**!

Having proper ventilation will mean the difference between a stuffy overheated kitchen & a greasy film all over the cabinets, and comfortable cooking and much less cleaning!

When you get through all the other decisions, please let us know and we'll be glad to provide advice on choosing a range hood that's best for your cooktop size & placement, as well as your kitchen design & layout. Feel free to send us a Houzz message (link in our profile), or give us a call at (800) 230-3565.

Best of luck with your project!

- Futuro Futuro Social Media Team

We are just putting in a 36" American Range gas cooktop/oven. I love the stove and we had 30" in our previous house because no room for the 36"..... If you are going with a 30" now, suggest somehow you make cabinets so you could remove a small 6" spice pullout just in case you want to upgrade later.

I cook almost every night, so we went with a 36". We went with an American manufacturer, Premier, that costs much less than most 36" models. I do love having 6 burners!

If you don't have a second full-sized oven, I would suggest TWO matching ranges next to each other, with a very good quality double-size vent (which is installed to the outside). Your kitchen is certainly big enough for that! I have had that double-range in two homes and would not change a thing. The single-size cooktop or oven looks puny in your great kitchen.

I have a 36' with 5 burners or 4 with a griddle & I still think I could use more. If had the money I'd have some gas burners & some induction burners for different foods. And hey, & why not have a built-in giant wok.

Do go with an exhaust fan which is 6" wider on each side if you choose a high heat range. I like a range with the oven or oven/s built in rather than going with wall ovens & a cooktop.

Choose the exhaust fan carefully so it won't be in your way while cooking, one that is not a roaring train while it's on, but it must be strong enough to suck out all the smoke & smell while cooking. Also if you have a commercial style range the floor usually needs extra reinforcement.

Reading these comments is making my decision even harder. The local company we are working with has said the 36" is great if you entertain a lot and have frequent catering because caterers need a wider oven for commercial cookie sheets among other larger pans, and they will often need/use all 6 burners. But for just 2 of us, he felt the 30" would be fine for us. The height and depth of both are the same. Only the width is more on the 36" (for those commercial cookie sheets, I guess?) All that being said,, our kitchen is being completely remodeled. And there are several comments here about how a 36" looks so much better in a new kitchen. Why???

because bigger is always better?

i have a 36" 5 burner gas range. there are just two of us but i like to cook a lot and generally am using 3 at once... but a different 3 every night.

there are a lot of things you just don't make without even thinking about it because you dont have the space... just as you say don't say to yourself, 'oh, cant make a quiche for thanksgiving brunch because the turkey will be in the oven' if you only have one oven. you live in an unstated world of 'can't'.

so, with 36" you can.

The new 36" Wolf out there now is 6 burners. Is there a 5 burner still available. I just don't think we will ever use 6.

we have a thermador, the 5th burner is a large one for a wok or huge skillet, in the center.

I would leave your plan as is and instead of a small eating table between island and family room, get a rectangular table and back it up against the couch (pull the couch back toward kitchen a bit) and put 2 or 4 chairs at that rectangular table behind the couch. Then if you need it you can pull it out and put chairs all around, but in the mean time it takes up less space, can accommodate four people, and can be used for eating, games, puzzles, etc. We had this at setup at our old house -- loved it!

and yes, 36 inch cook top and separate oven or all in one if you can find one you like for a good price.

Good luck!

@xochitl Do you still like your Premier? I just came across one the other night and was intrigued because it looks just like my grandmother's.

J. . Had it for 10 years now. I love having 6 burners, as I cook a lot. The oven is gas, also, so you can't have more than one cookie sheet in it or it won't cook properly. Does everything wonderfully, though. Goose, capon, duck. I just got a second oven to compliment this one.

The only shortcoming is getting help with the stove. We found the Premier service folks to be anything but knowledgeable. Luckily, it's a simple design that has not required tons of service, but I would recommend bringing in repair people vs doing it yourself.

I'm hoping this community can help me with the same question: 30 or 36" range. My application is pretty simple I think...I have an island total width is 66"s...currently have an 30" range with side counter tops of 18" each....if I go with the 36" range then each side counter top with be 15"...I'm concerned those side counter tops wont be wide enough to support a 36" range...I would appreciate all thoughts and comments....thank you.....

I use caterers all the time. They never use my ovens. They have their own warmers and sometimes bring a van outfitted with a kitchen if they want to cook onsite.

I just remodeled my kitchen and got a 30" cooktop. I have 21" of countertop on both sides. I love that and that's what drove my decision. I had very little before and this was important to me. It's easy to think bigger is always better. Looking back, I can see I did have room for a 36 and I have a little buyers remorse...esp since I see now how hard it would be to change to a 36" in the future. It's really hard to see how everything will actually look and feel until it's built. But I rarely use more than 3 burners at once. With each decision in a kitchen remodel all you can do is pick your priority or it's overwhelming!

For that run of counter top I would definitely go with 36". I like to cook and not have to juggle large pans or their handles. I'm building new and faced with the same decision only I don't have much counter top to spare. Still, I'm trying to make it happen.

Haha... just looked at the dates on this thread. These people's kitchen has long been built!

I like the 30" ovens partly because I don't need more than 4 burners and also partly because I see more choice for a range with double ovens at 30" . But I do see convincing arguments that 36" oven looks a lot better in my kitchen. Also changing the hood would be problematic in going from 30" to 36". So I am thinking of going with a 36" hood with a 36" range opening in the counter, but choosing a 30" range. Do cabinet companies see 3" fillers cabinets? Countertop inserts of 3" stainless steel would also be quite required and useful. I can think of intelligent uses of the 3" wide cabinet e.g. spice rack pullout !

I had a 30" Blue Star at my house we sold. It was a huge selling feature for the Fireman who bought our house. The house we bought had a downdraft so we could not take the stove with us, or I would have taken it in a heartbeat. We moved to a different house that would not accommodate the 30" BlueStar. In our second house, we had gas cooking, I hated what was in there and we replaced it with a 36" Thermador and electric ovens. I found I loved the wall ovens. We just recently moved 400 miles away and are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and I'm opting for the 36" BlueStar Rangetop. I really miss my BlueStar and can't wait to get a Rangetop. The house we moved out of had electric ovens and I loved those. So our combo will be a BlueStar gas Rangetop and electric ovens.

Measurements would have helped us “see” the kitchen better. Your sink, stove and refrigerator appear to be too far from each other for convencience. A 30” range may look undersized in such a large kitchen. I would consider eliminating the bar seating since you have a breakfast/family dining table right in the kitchen already.