The shape looks like it can work well, but your arrangement has the heavy duty work in the eating area. I wouldn't put the works, like your knives and boards, on that side of the island. Also, a much better place for the warming drawer is where your utensels/baking sheets stack is. Unless you all are particularly tall you could put the warming drawer under the utensils. That messes up your symmetry, but that cabinet for tall bottles will be a pain to use. Drawers or a pullout would work better.

How often do you use the baking sheets, etc.? Because they'd be okay in the outside of the island unless you're using sheets and trays or whatever daily while the family are gathering--possible in some homes, but not usual.

Another thing that could go on the outside of the island is the under counter fridge, especially if it's for drinks. If you're worried about the looks, you can get it panelled to look like a cupboard, or drawers. And also the cereal and snacks cupboard. My mother put those in the breakfast room because it kept the bugs that came in the packages back then from spreading to other things. It's handy to have them by the table.

The small sofa crowds the patio door and the island, and leaves no passage room. Those boys are going to be walking on it or hurdling it to get into the kitchen, pushing it back when they want to get past someone seated at the counter, and is just plain in the way of people going in and out of the door. Where is the TV? On the wall with the back hall door? I don't see a good way of furnishing enough seats for the comfy part there, it's hard to see from the table, and far from the cook.

How about shortening the island a little and putting a TV stand against the required column? The pedestal TVs swivel well, or you could use a turn table. That way it could face the kitchen, eating area or seating, and you could put the seating against the wall wrapping under the window and have a really useful amount. You could even do doubles, which is often done in a large room. That is, one piece of furniture with two screens. They even make them so that the TVs retract into the cabinet. Not cheap, but a possible solution.

I'd like to move the main fridge more into the kitchen proper though I'm not sure where it will fit comfortably. Close to the stove and table isn't a bad choice--I wouldn't want to undo that--but pulling more of the works to the inside of the island will define the space better. OTOH, it does help close off the desk area which might be a good thing if you need a more private feeling for your work. I'd get the creeps with my back to the activity, though. What's that door there by the desk?

Is mirror symmetry really important to you?

If you moved the stove over so that it was protected by the island it would help to compact the kitchen, and be good for the cook. is the door at the back by the brooms the existing pantry? Or is it a people door? If the latter, how busy is it?

I'm wondering if the stove and sink couldn't fit nicely on the current sink wall, and have a nice row of pantries on the back wall with the fridge, ovens, and storage. Or if you want a counter on that side, maybe a beverage/snack area.

It's too late for me to make this a cohesive message. It's really not bad. Other than the small sofa there are no "errors". But I think there are a lot of things you can do to polish it up and make it that much better.

Wow, thanks Pllog, I could barely post last night, it was so late. I'm amazed you could think well at that time for such a comprehensive review! I am printing it out and taking it to work with me today to mull over since I can't access gardenweb from work. I really appreciate all your comments and will read them carefully.

Some very quick answers and comments ( have to leave in 5 minutes)

The cooktop/fridge wall cabinet sizes are somewhat fixed since they mostly already exist. The oil/tall bottles cabinet will be converted into a pullout as you suggested. I'd rather keep the cooktop wall as it stands.

The large desk is not something that would usually be used during family times.The large monitors would be used in dead of the night hours. For other stuff like bill paying, I do that when the kids go to bed after 10 or 11 pm. It's not an ideal place for a desk but if I move the office to the basement at some point, I can convert this area to a butlers pantry.

Aisle widths are generally 42-48 inches.

The door by the large desk leads to the dining room.
The door by the 6" broom pantry leads to the future screened porch.

thanks!

Adding a potential issue about both doors on the left wall. Ikea door swings might be wrong, but the issue would be the door closer to the ovens could kill or by killed by the ovens if the door is opened at the wrong time.

The door next to the desk will hit the desk or the chair or the occupant of the chair. If I am remembering your house correctly, that's the dining room? Maybe move the desk to the sofa area and do a shallow depth buffet or a set of shallow pantry cabinets.

The "baking center" has no counter space attached. Generally speaking, appliance garages have doors that require you to clear the counter in front of the door to be able to open them. So you really only have 2 feet of counter on either side of the sink - sometimes occupied by the toaster, the coffee pot, etc. Will you be happy trying to use the mixer and constantly splattering the front or contents of the appliance garage?

Trash under sink is very dependent on the climate and building code where you live plus sometimes the cleverness of your plumber. Here, we are forbidden to have supply pipes in an exterior wall - no matter how its built. For a sink on an exterior wall, the pipes will come through the floor of the cabinet. If you have a garbage disposer and piping in a 24" sink base - you're done with what can be done in a cabinet. In reality, between the sink depth and a garbage disposer, it pretty much guarantees not fitting a trash pullout. Except maybe one of the tiny swingout ones.

I forget, but is there some reason the relaxing area can't take over the original dining room and the dining area take the relaxing space?