Hi Once Bitten,
From our experience, just put in a new kitchen earlier this year, I would answer the following:
Hob / Cooker : Get an eye level double oven - don't know how we lived without it - easy to see into and lift stuff in and out. We put the hob on the counter next to cooker - very handy for putting hot stuff from oven on.
Units : New kitchen has deep drawers for plates etc - much easier to access than standard cupboards. Larder unit - we have fancy one that pulls out and you can access shelves from both sides - once again very handy and much better than pilling stuff onto ordinary shelved larder where your basil and 5 spice powder can never be found because there are fourteen tins of beans in front of them
Lighting : Get as much as you can - if it's too bright you can always turn some of them off, but if you don't have them you can never turn them on !!
efm