In today's open plan houses it shouldn't be difficult to decide which walls are suitable for artwork. The issue is whether or not you would decide later to put a mirror there or put nothing there. The time to figure that out is now. You can always remove the lamp in the recessed fixture if you change your mind. It is also possible to use adjustable low voltage fixtures that can be directed down or at the wall. The light in a room that is directed toward a wall is reflected back into the room and that makes the space feel larger and more dramatic and with the use of dimmers it is easy to control it.

You stated that the window at the bottom is to the floor and to change it would mess up the front elevation of the house. Given that constriction, I would do one of the following: 1) Swap Fridge and Ovens, place prep sink on the top side of the island. You would need to adjust the framing. Your primary prep space is the top side of the island - that's a long side, so will give you a lot of space. However, your prep is in the traffic path from FR to DR through the kitchen. 2) Move cleanup sink and DW to bottom end of island. Put Fridge at bottom of left wall, put prep sink somewhere on left wall, deepen left wall counters to 30". Your primary prep space is the left wall, with secondary on the island across from the prep sink, and neither are in a traffic path. 3) Move cleanup sink and DW to bottom end of island. Put Fridge at bottom of left wall, put prep sink on left side of island. Your primary prep space is the left, short side of the island, but I would still deepen left wall counters to 30" in order to have a secondary prep space. By the way, you will not be able to open a two-door or right-hinged single door fridge all the way if you put it against a wall like that. The wall blocks the door. You might be OK with that, but note you won't be able to pull out the drawers in the fridge for cleaning, or possibly even every day access. You need a single door fridge that is hinged in the opposite side from the wall if you want it placed like that, or the wall can only cover the fridge to the point it doesn't hinder the door swing (6" back, maybe?)

Hi EK! I think maybe the people who "relevelled" your home didn't do a very good job. Have you reported to the company that now your doors and windows don't function correctly? If so, what did they say? Did you shop around and make sure the company is certified to do this work? This may vary from state to state, but I know that in Washington, where I live, one must have a special certification to relevel manufactured homes, which tells me that it's a skill that requires special training. Did you consult any engineers or contractors prior to making the decision to relevel in order to get some advice as to whether relevelling was necessary? Doing a Google search was quite enlightening! Every single site that said relevelling is necessary for manufactured homes was a site for a business that relevels them. And the frequency with which one should relevel varied widely! I saw one recommendation of every ten years, and one that recommended relevelling annually! I can't believe that "un-levelling" your house would be a good choice. And I wouldn't go back to the same company that levelled it in the first place, unless you get some information as to why this happened. I would most definitely have a contractor who has experience with manufactured homes come out, take a look and give you some expert advice. I think that $100-$200 for an hour of his or her time would be money well spent. And after about 30 minutes of my Google research, I'm more confused than ever about as to if and how often relevelling should be done! :-)

I reread all the comments, took some time in nature, and then came back to the drafting table anew. It seems my desired wall oven is just not happening. My appliances have been downsized. I am not thrilled about loosing my wall oven, but it’s my concession to get the storage I want. My DH is getting his open wood shelving he want oh so bad. I also opened up the main walkway. Gave myself plenty of counter space left of the sink and added the appliance garage (I’m thinking like a bifold door? Thanks Mama Goose for the helpful photos!!) The island is now an L shape. Pantry is still small- but we eat mostly fresh food and I know it will be fine for our needs. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. (For those that don’t read the whole thread- the dining room is to the right, and Is used several times a day.) The family enters the dining room from the side where the stools are usually, not the kitchen.