I hear all of you, but I live literally 2 minutes from Roses Unlimited. (heavy sigh) So there is no hope for me. My hubby told me I needed a hobby, so I chose roses. He was thinking more on the lines of model cars or puzzles....so it's his fault. He has given up on saying anything to me, since our kids are grown and I'm home all day by myself, I need to amuse myself....muuuuuahhhh! I told him yesterday that I needed him to fire up the roto-tiller for my new flower bed. He rolled his eyes and then promptly went out and fired that baby up. One pass through and now the rain comes, so maybe by monday I'll try again. I have to be ready you know.....for the new arrivals in april.

I know - I was looking for the matching pitcher, but no luck. I was thinking we could use it as originally intended until I got running water in the bathroom! Then I had the idea of using it as a sink if we could drill a hole in it. I used to have a chamberpot ( bought it at flea market in the 70's) that had a rose design, I don't know if my mom still has that but powder room is too small for it anyway (unless I put it in the "door" side of the washstand that is missing the door). This has got to be a repro - it's too nice (no crazing, chips, or discoloration). Probably had a "Made in China" sticker on it that PO took off. But I wish I had found the pitcher! Even though it would be too heavy for kids, it would be cute. Better than the pump of hand sanitizer I have in there. It's not terribly heavy - so not stoneware. I think it's porcelain. Ceramic? Don't know the difference. So don't try drilling it? It's too huge for a salad bowl - but maybe a centerpiece on DR table.

Salmon from one end of the continent and lobster from the other...this is one good swap. You'll like Bittman's book I bet, Robin. I bought one for the kid's roomate when she graduated high school and, of course, had to preview it for her. The trivet is beautiful, Catherine... nice choices.

Peace, I don't have much time this a.m. (Saturday is our busy day, and I don't have any rendering software at home--to keep the job and home a bit separate.) but I have to say, that's a much busier roofline than your line drawing would lead me to suspect! And, it's surprising that the gables run N-S rather than E-W. That's why advice from an experienced contractor on the scene is so much better than an anonymous internet person! But, having suggested that you think out of the box, my first suggestion to you would be to try to live within the current plan without any expansion. That's always the cheapest, and it's the best investment for resale since additions won't "pay you back" unless you plan on living there for 10 years or longer. The chimney and the stairs really eliminate much of the potential openness between the family room and the living room. But, if you eliminate that wall all the way to the chimney, and use the sunroom space, I can see turning your current kitchen into a very efficient galley style arrangement that will still be as open as possible to the living room. Keep the sink in the same location (always a LOT cheaper!) or scootch it down towards the family room a bit, and just run that run of cabinets all the way along that new wall between the patio and family room. THe range would go on that wall between the sink and a full sized glass door (single "french" door") between the kitchen and patio. Put a pantry where you show the fridge, and put the fridge on the new "mudroom" wall (and maybe laundry?). That is, make a wall extend east from the stairwell through the porch (right about where the post is in the rear shot, I'd imagine) to create the other wall of the "galley" where you create a "snack zone" with a microwave (and maybe a beverage sink?) for all of those snackers coming in from outside. The new small "mudroom" would give a place for coats and boots and flotsam to drop before it hit the kitchen. You wouldn't have to change any of your footprint, and you'd get a very efficient kitchen that would be as open to the living room as structurally possible, with minimal structural issues to be solved. No, it doesn't give you an island, or seating in a kitchen, but it will literally probably be a minimum of 50K less of a project, which if you plan on moving in less than 5 years, might make these changes be more in the realm of being able to be recouped. Like I said, Saturday is my busy day at the showroom, so I probably won't be able to check back in until Sunday to see your response to my radical rethinking. And, I'm probably making a few assumptions about you that may not be entirely correct, such as this being more of a first or second home for you (I noticed the young kids toys.) rather than a home for a mature family. If this is a home from which you will never move, then the dollar amount "invested" in remodeling is less of an issue, as you will get years of enjoyment out of creating a larger and more functional space to live in. You might post your current home's layout with a request for other input about creating the optimum kitchen from what exists and you'll get a LOT more input from some very talented forumistas with a more specific appeal to a layout challenge.