Function Critique.

Everything is way too spread out. You'll be hiking for miles. Swap the refrigerator to be at the other end of that L shaped counter. That way the whole right hand side will serve the snackers and still be accessible to the cook. Your range location is a LONG way from your sink. You need a secondary source of water near it if you want to prep near it. Otherwise you'll be trekking back and forth dozens of times during meal prep. I'd also nix those overpoweringly large pantries close to the range in favor of an L shaped counter with a prep sink there. You have enough storage in the rest of the kitchen to not need them.

Style Critique.

Nix the beams and the overpowering hood. Neither will work well with an 8' ceiling. It closes it in even more. If you want a chimney hood, it should be a lot lighter in visual weight like a reflective stainless or white stucco.

She does have a small prep sink by the range but above comment is correct - you need to get the fridge closer to the range. What is that black appliance by the prep sink - Is that another DW? My thoughts would be to redesigned the 2 L's or switch them. Make the range corner an L and include the fridge there and move that big brown cabinet to the other end. Your sink-clean-up wall seems fine. But the work triangle needs to be tightened up so make the left side of the kitchen the cooking/prep area and the other end the place for that brown cabinet and counter for buffet etc.

Actually, before making these or other suggestions can you tell us where all the doorways go? Which one leads to the eating area - I think it's the one by the fridge but may be wrong. Thanks.

Green - thanks for the ideas. I may have to rethink the frig spot based on your suggestion. I initially moved it down there so when people came in from the foyer into the kitchen they could put stuff there instead of on the range side. But that is really just a bad habit and we can learn to leave mail etc in the foyer. There is a sink near the range in the plan - that is going to be a much needed addition to what I currently have. I may move it to the left of the range though. Will have to think on the L in lieu of the big cupboard. The nice thing about the cupboard is that is in direct sight of the formal DR, so whatever is there I wanted to look nice too.

As far as style - the range, hood etc are just stock photos from whatever software the architect/builder used, and not exactly what I have in mind.

If you want to look at something pretty from the DR you could make pretty cabinets if you were to extend the L OR - you completely flip the L's but leave the fridge where it is. What I mean is -

That doorway by the prep sink - can it be moved to the left? If so, then what about putting the range on the fridge L. Instead of having 13' to the left of the doorway, put 13' to the right of the doorway and have the range and prep sink on the same wall but to the right of the door. If the door can't be moved you may not have room to do this.

If you want a pretty vista on that back wall, then nothing beats a great looking range as a great kitchen focal point. (Look at doing one in a color!) Center the range there with a pretty hood and some gorgeous tile for the whole wall. I agree that the hood needs to feel lighter in weight than what the software indicates. If you wanted to keep an unfitted look, you could do the range with just 15" cabinets to either side and have the prep sink counter run to the corner like you currently have it. Or do the L shape. Definitely do the fridge swap on the other counter run as suggested. Also locate a MW somewhere on that counter run next to the fridge.

Blfenton - the small black thing was initially a DW but I won't really need a second one so I may put an undercounter frig there. The reason for not putting the frig right up close to the range in an L was because my mother lives with us and is often in the kitchen helping me with prep and cleanup (little kids too) I wanted her to be able to stay in that upper section of the kitchen and then I'd have the range and my own sink for undisturbed prep and cooking.
Doorway by current frig leads to formal DR. Doorway on range wall leads to large foyer by front door, and we are going to open up a 7' opening on the far right sink wall (near the big cupboard) to incorporate an existing sunroom.

With such a long skinny space, have you considered creating a walk in pantry at the end rather than having cabinetry pantries? Drywall pantries are a LOT cheaper than cabinet pantries, and it would still give you a solid wall to place cabinets against on the kitchen side. It would narrow the proposed opening to the sunroom, but that would be a workable tradeoff to the huge amount of storage you'd get from it.

This drawing is thinking out loud more than anything. and it doesn't make much better - it's just where I got to before wanting to communicate.

I worry about this plan for you for two reasons. One is the main view from the dining room - which you have some concern about - will be of dirty dishes. The second concern about the layout (not saying my drawing is any better) is for entertaining use - if that's the bar in the sunroom.

And those two things stopped me from going forward. The location of the bar will send people out into the sunroom - continually crisscrossing your kitchen, but they won't stay there because its small and isolated.

I would think about having clean up on the other side of the kitchen for practical reasons and do ref, snack and bar on the window wall of the kitchen. I would plant the ref closer to the sunroom entrance so it doesn't block the doorway to the dining room when open. The guests (or children) will still go around and around, but will mostly keep away from your paths!

If you keep the big range (I would), I'd consider making a tall pantry to one side with just a sliver of counter and a good sized prep sink on the other. You need one that fits
your largest everyday pot and your colanders.

If I could move something about the room, I'd move the entrance to the foyer left one beam bay. If I could move another and you really wanted cleanup at the window, I'd move the door to the dining room ~ 4 feet towards the top of the drawing.

Beams -or- statement hood and big range for me. I combined your butcher block with more counter to get enough room for most work to take place on the - well I guess its a peninsula. It could be an island at 6 feet long - there would be two sides with about 3'2" passageways, but that would crowd the bar runners.

There is a list of things you may have forgotten about on the drawing. They aren't things every one wants.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who offered suggestions! It is funny how you think you have "the layout" and then you get all these ideas you never even thought of. I do really want to add a place to tuck two stools, that can be pulled anywhere in case someone wants to sit. I am going to have to go digest everything and then hopefully I"ll be back with updated layout photos. I think moving the frig will be my first steop.

I would have to agree that everything's too spread out. Imagine making something simple like an omelet. You're going to have to walk all the way across to kitchen to get butter and eggs, and maybe the pan and bowl and spatula, depending on where you're storing your cookware. Then when you're done, you'll have to take the dirty pan and bowls and utensils all the way back across the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher. Now imagine doing that x10 for a really large meal!

If you like this layout, you could consider having a fridge drawer for cold things you use often while cooking, and maybe a dishdrawer to toss dirty pots and pans into next to the range.

Will you have a table and chairs in the kitchen for informal meals, or the cart that you have shown?

Alternatively, you might move the fridge to the end of the wall where you have the larder and make the larder shorter to accommodate that. Then the ice will be closer to the bar as well, and people getting things out of the fridge still won't get in your way that much.