Okay, I'm (probably) not adding 30cm/12’’ extra counterspace behind the cooktop - critique my new proposed layout
Okay, so I got some feedback about my idea to add 30cm/12" behind the cooktop, and a lot of great comments that gave me some new perspective. Someone pointed out that my original plan (regardless of counter depth) didn't give me a lot of work space at the cooktop or the kitchen sink, and to be fair, it would have been a lot more than I have today.
Someone else also suggested that I should put the sink under the window, which I didn't think would be possible because the foundation walls are 1.5m thick and it's not easy to move the plumbing, but we got really lucky with the setup of the water central in the basement and it shouldn't be too much work.
There is still the problem of putting anything in front of the windows because the sills are gonna sit 10cm/4" lower than the countertops, but we know a surprising amount of people who have done this and it seems okay. For reference, the window sills are roughly 15cm/6" deep. This is an old log house, so moving or resizing the windows is out of the question.
Other than that, I also got some flack about proper ventilation in my previous plan, so I asked around and it seems the general consensus is that duct-out ventilation is a must. My new plan features a ceiling hood, hence the box drawn in over the cooktop as we have nothing extra to work with in neither the floor or ceiling.
The door in the corner is meant to represent a built-in corner fridge.
So, what do we think? Does it look too empty without any uppers? What can I do with the awkward corner behind the door? Should I squeeze in some bar stools between the counter and dining table?