For some good initial (and free) advice, it's worth talking to one of the kitchen planners at either HD or Lowe's. I'm sure they vary in quality, but we when we were in the research phase we were pleasantly surprised at how thoughtful and knowledgeable the planner at Lowe's was. She gave us some good ideas that we incorporated into the final plans.

Anonymous wrote:You need a cabinet person and they need to work with your contractor.

This. Also, tape the floor (if possible) with the dimensions. A friend added an cabinetry--more of a peninsula than an island that made the cooking triangle and pathway a hassle.

You need a cabinet person and they need to work with your contractor.

Thanks for the responses. It has to have a pretty specific function, because it contains the stove. Not my ideal, but we can't move the gas line in this house without great expense.

So it will have a stove, an outside vented range hood (freestanding) and hopefully a breakfast bar. It will need to match the granite we have in the rest of the kitchen. So the help I need is to pick the right size/shape/color of cabinetry, figure out what to use as a base for the countertop and breakfast bar. I also need to figure how center it, how to connect the flooring. I have a vision of how it will look and I am looking for design help to execute it.

I would think about the function. What do you want to store? Is this island going to be connected to plumbing for a bar or prep sink? Will there be a cooktop surface? If so, will you have adequate ventilation? Did you want a "breakfast bar" set up on one side with stools? Electrical for a microwave? Fridge or freezer drawers for sodas, ice cream entertaining?

Where are you getting your cabinets? Usually cabinet places will have a designer to measure and plan for you.

We're adding an addition on to our home and are planning to connect the kitchen of the existing house with the new family room using an island. I'd like some help with designing the island so that I can give the plans to the builder. Who is the right pro for this? It isn't full service kitchen design, and it isn't really a decorating thing.

Thanks for any tips!