thanks everyone - i am starting to come around to switching the dishwasher and frige. When i told my husband about the suggestion he like it and mentioned that it would be nice to be able to clean the dinning room table into the dishwasher while at the same time being able to put stuff into the frige and pantry. I guess pinch points didn't occur to me because my current kitchen is full of them - it's like doing a horribly complicated dance having more then 1 person in there now, but if i am doing all this work i don't want to end up with the same issues just prettier with a little more counter space. :) I will have stools and some cool corner cabinet - i did the design using Lowe's system and I couldn't figure out how to add that and take away the back splash on the peninsula. Any thoughts or opinions on how far from the edge of the stove i should start the corner of the peninsula? Thanks for all the great ideas.

first-is the dishwasher meeting your needs... the key is to like and use the dishwasher.second-have you looked at the new single deep sinks-they are deeper and even if some dishes stack in the bottom,it's not cluttering the view so much.Re:drying dishes laying on counter...once you realize you have fewer to wash/can they get put away? If you have a household with lots of action...that alone can be reason for 2 sinks-prep isn't the only reason... people in and out/washing hands/getting water/dumping an empty jar or can in the sink/etc. In that case,what you are calling your mess of an area can be positioned in one spot with dishwasher......stick to the single bowl sink...and a 2nd smaller sink for secondary functions in another spot.You have avail:window wall/powder room wall and island. I think in kitchen design that is one of the hardest things for people to consciously reconfigure. Kitchens everywhere are laden with the old dbl bowls sink for wash and rinse. With new efficient dishwashers that handle more items/load better and are economical to run along with single deep sinks, the old "cluttered" sink area is less so. This is product shift and behavioral shift, so the "old way" isn't always forfeited immediately..... but an improvement can be made in any new planning.How would you feel about keeping the main sink on island with dishwasher but reduce it to a generous deep single bowl...and a 2nd sink on powder room wall or the corner or window wall? The window has the bumpout..get someone-like a skilled tradesman that does window install to look at your soffit setup and the mini soffit that runs above half wall as well as window and the ledge and soffits everywhere,really....some looking into areas behind soffits might be warranted. I would want a quote for window and soffit work separate from kitchen....and get a couple quotes for that. Size of window? Not sure-if you save money somehow with not messing with side door/etc, put a french door in with the mini terrace outside with decorative rail around-as in italy/etc-for ventilation and set plants on the rail and terrace-[not for walking out]... would be for effect.Or 2 dbl hungs milled together that you can lower from top-double hungs are okay because you can walk up and open them easily[no counter in front]...some grills in glass? not sure of the other window styles you have. Stay a little consistent.You have a lot of planning,don't you. I think your soffit work is pretty extensive so have you had that looked at/quoted? You can do that right away and still be planning the kitchen.

I'm back! Thanks to all the great help and suggestions here we are now looking at 2 new layout options. I really want to nail the whole house layout so I can actually focus on the kitchen :) But given my small space each option has tradeoffs. Please give me input on which plan you like best (function, form, room balance, etc) (I am crossposting on remodeling but you guys have great insights and I took many of your suggestions so I posted here. Note that neither plan contains a banquette as I would prefer to not be committed to a banquette as my only dining area. I figure I can always build it in later) Plan A: Pros of this Plan: Spacious island with seating Slightly better kitchen storage? Very open flow Cons of this Plan: No real entry - walk into middle of dining and kitchen Dining area "floats" Table is a bit of a hike from kitchen Curb appeal? Either flat facade with popout porch or a popped out front door area which seems very strange and isn't common around here Very open flow (I am conflicted about this - I like it in other homes but usually they have formal areas in addition or more of an L - my space feels railroad carlike and it is the first impression of my home and the only possible more formal area (TV room is downstairs) PLAN B (bay window would shift right a little) Pros: more defined entry with symmetrical casings to frame living room and kitchen/dining (these aren't drawn well - use your imagination) Table close to food Curb appeal: bay window/seat, front door set in Cons: More casual (table in kitchen) No island seating/slightly smaller kitchen Not sure whether people at table could interact with those in living room Will kitchen feel crowded? Would love input from you all!

Pantry is inexpensive, easy-access storage for lots of stuff. As soon as you start installing closed cabinetry in it, you reduce the ease of access, the amount of stuff that can be stored and you increase the price (because doors and hinges, etc are a lot more expensive than open shelves. Totally agree -- this is not a pantry that would flourish with built-ins. I should have mentioned that I plan to use this countertop for appliances that I'd like to keep somewhat hidden (blender, coffee maker, toaster oven, mixer)... not so much as a true work space. I would love a small countertop in my pantry, but -- yeah -- I wouldn't use it as a true work space. I would use it to unload my grocery bags. I would keep measuring cups nearby, and I would use the countertop to measure out 2 cups of beans (rather than bringing the bean container out into the kitchen). I would let a pan of cinnamon rolls "rise" on that shelf (or a crock pot simmer out of the way). In contrast, I would never go into the pantry to slice up a bell pepper. Two notes: Such a countertop should have an electrical outlet and a magnetic knife strip (for holding one knife and one pair of scissors, reserved for in-pantry use). I'm still resisting 100% open shelves because I do believe some appliances will live/run in there So why can't these appliances sit on open shelves? You have enough space for a great pantry -- but not enough space for closed shelving. 24” may be a bit tight if more than one person is in there. Why would two people be in the pantry? Regardless, 24" is too tight. Vinmarks -- love that you're using the space above your pantry door for pots and pans! In my old house, we had a little "clothesline thing" in that position -- we suspect the previous residents grew herbs /dried them in that out-of-the-way spot. FWIW the step stool I use (to get up to 9' ceilings) barely fits opened up in our pantry. For someone my height, a step stool is an absolute necessity. I have a library stool -- the kind you "kick" into place, and once you step on it, the top part "settles down" over the wheels. I have a built-in place for it. In my bedroom I have an Ikea Bekvam, which I take into the closet when I need to reach the upper shelves. All sorts of "step stool" methods exist, but -- yes -- if you know you need one, plan now and allot the space. I keep my "real" step stool next to the washing machine, and although it's not something that comes out often, I do value it. My husband bought it for me the first year we were married, and it's now covered in so many colors of paint! because I have baskets that pull out on those shelves. Baskets (or tubs) are a fantastic organizational tool in a pantry. Use them to "gather up" things that you'd always use together; for example, I have a tub full of cheese-making supplies, and I have a tub that holds my cooking cutters, rolling pin and sprinkles. When I want those items, I always want them together, so it makes sense to corral them up in a basket ... it looks neat on the shelf, and when I bring it down, I have everything I want. If they're things you don't use too often, keeping them on an upper shelf makes sense. obscured glass panel ... regretting this design choice a bit lol. Nah, with OBSCURED glass, unless a person stops and really looks through, they're not going to see specific items on your shelves. While I want to store as much as I can in here, I also have a large basement storage space right down those stairs that are in the kitchen where I can store appliances and extra food items. So efficient storage is a priority but it's not necessarily a make-or-break. Things that are conveniently located get used. The basement, while possible, probably isn't all that convenient. You keep coming back to small appliances. Just how many do you have? Do they honestly all get used on a regular basis? Are they all "earning their space"? I wonder if you'd be wise to start by reducing your stock of appliances? Last thought. Here's what I'd do in that space: - Have you taken the time to list everything you want to store in that pantry? For example, I bake wedding cakes, so I have well over 100 cake pans (plus cake stands and other supplies) ... probably not something you need to store. Do you have cookbooks? Do you need to store large platters? You get the point ... what do you personally need to store? - No to a true "U". You just don't have the space to do it well, but you can totally rock an L + pegboard. - On the right, use shallow Elfa drawers-on-wheels on the bottom ... they come in varying widths, but you could probably have 3 sets on the floor. Then install 10-12" shelves allll the way to the ceiling. Make them adjustable. This side would be for most of your pantry goods. - In the back, go with an 18" countertop ... not as deep as the kitchen counters, but also not skimpy. This is your spot for unloading groceries, laying out what you need to bring out for dinner, or measuring out ingredients. - Underneath this countertop, place a trash can and a recycling bin ... not to take the place of your kitchen trash, but so that when you open up the box of pasta to dump it into the clear glass container, you have a trash can for the empty box. - This creates a not-so-convenient corner ... use it for paper products that you don't need to access every day, but aren't so heavy. You could put in a plastic bin (or even a clean trash can) so these things'd be easy to pull out. Since your drawers on the right would be on wheels, it'd be an easy two-step process to reach these things. - Finally, go with a floor-to-ceiling pegboard on the left side. When you have it "loaded up", it'll probably be about 6" deep, which will leave you more space to walk in the pantry. I have a medium-sized pegboard, and I wish-wish it were a large one. We keep so much stuff on that pegboard: BBQ tools, kitchen gadgets that don't get all that much use, etc. Go to Lowes and take a look at all the accessories they have for pegboards: small shelves, etc. Amazon has metal pegboards that come in an array of colors. - You could have 1-2 shelves above the pegboard; they could work for cake stands, cookbooks, etc. - Don't neglect your lighting. You don't want one piddly little light /that'd make your head throw shadows on everything in the pantry.