re: Designing a Kitchen (well sort of) - need some ideas

I redid my kitchen a few years ago and have been really happy with it. I cook a lot, so it was really important that it be functional above all else. I also had limited space. I tried to lay mine out so that I could stand in one place and have access to all the things I would need while at the stove. The only thing I wasn't able to do was have the fridge as close as I wanted as the layout just wouldn't allow it.

For refrigeration I chose a fridge only unit and have freezer drawers in the island, which has a butcher block top. I don't really need ready access to the freezer on a day to day basis (I doubt most do and if you have the flexibility, I'd suggest putting it somewhere else), and I have a full sized freezer in the basement, so this arrangement works for me. The butcher block was a must for me. Another thing that was really important to me was power access, so I have two sets of outlets on the island, as well as all around the kitchen on the backsplash. You can't have too many outlets. I would agree that the wine fridge is non-essential. If you have a lot of extra space, go for it, but I'd rather use that for pots/pans/storage.

ETA: one other thing I would have done if I'd had space, is put the trashcans in the island to scrape stuff directly into them. I have mine in a cabinet on rails, but in the island would have been ideal.