Thanks to all for the responses. kimberly623: Something to think about. I liked the idea of the "L" shape creating partial separation from the Family Room but you have given me "food" for thought (a little kitchen humor). GreenDesigns and arocbuild: Great points. We are working with a very experienced contractor and a kitchen designer. We used an architect in the beginning to see if we could find a design for the existing location that met our needs. That was not useful - except to get us to this point! Plan will definitely need a structural review before we get too much further. Because the "new" kitchen area currently houses a laundry room, some of the plumbing is in place. bmorepanic: The space beside the old kitchen is currently a long powder room and a closet. I share your concerns about the pantry size. We plan to use a pocket door to gain a little space. That window may need to shrink... or go! The primary reason to move the kitchen is because everyone is always in the Family Room and I am always in the kitchen. Want to make that connection. We grill outside but don't eat out there a lot. The back of the house exits on the second floor (walk-out basement). I can sympathize with your climate. We're outside of Boston and freezing! There is a fairly large coat closet at the side entrance (that rectangle). Vacuum lives there now. Other things will probably be relegated to the laundry room, although that seems far away for things like the DustBuster. Finally, the front hallway is SOO cramped we thought we should take this opportunity to open up that wall a bit. I see your point about making a spectacle of ourselves though!

As CPArtist said, we need more information. Until we see (1) a fully measured layout of the space (with or without cabinets) and (2) a sketch of the entire floor, we cannot say yes or no. I'm leaning toward "no", but I need more information. This link has a sample layout so you can see what measurements we need: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include

Thanks so much! I was really hoping to replace the rug, coffee table and leather chairs. We have had them for about 5 years. They were major scores at the pottery barn outlet and table was custom, so I am not too worried about the waste in money. We will try to sell for a little but on craigslist since they are in good condition but SO SO ready to lighten up the room and get away from the huge dark coffee table and dark big leather chairs

I think you have some good ideas. When you pop off the corbels you may be able to touch up with spackle and paint. If the gap is too wide to fill with spackle you can use a small trim piece to fill it. I would do the same thing with the fireplace surround. Just pop it off and see what you have to work with. Installing a single mantlepiece is not that complicated. I would take off the frou-frou over the top of the dining room entry as well. And paint your vent the same color as the wall color so it will recede. Are you painting the room gray? Do you plan on changing the carpet as well? On my monitor, the cool paint and the warm carpet aren't playing well together.