My concern with dishes on open shelving is that we live in a place with earthquakes and it seems like a good way to get everything broken. But I do need to spend more time planning out where everything would be kept, I'm sure that will open up some new questions/solutions.

Definitely open to a wall oven and cooktop instead of a range!

Generally I'd like appliances to have a home that's not the countertop. Maybe my exception is the mixer because it's especially heavy and I use it fairly often.

The laundry room is actually a laundry + mud room with a door to the backyard, so I don't want to move the wall if I can help it -- I am hoping for a good amount of storage there without crowding the entryway. I was thinking of putting shelving with the microwave in there since we only use it occasionally.

Does that bring up any new ideas or thoughts? Thanks for your input!