All plans are great for somebody. All plans remodeling existing space have some issues. All people don't weight issues in the same way. In the end, I didn't think I could add anything to the designs but clearance commentary and I'm sorry if it felt personal. I mostly quote nkba.org for clearances. In spite of the fact they want to sell cabinets, they have the best all around guidelines to me. Much of what we argue about on here is personal opinion and each and everyone of us believes we are correct in whatever opinions we hold. We all try to get the best kitchen possible for the original poster. This explanation provided by explanations-r-us, a limited company. Maybe we should have known but we didn't. For the original poster.... I couldn't see a good way to get all the stuff you want into that space... You "should have" wider aisles than you do have. When the aisles are right, the seating evaporates. The stairs dump a passerby into the middle of the island instead of routing people beside it. The dining room seems in an awkward location - it's kinda hard to get to when the island is occupied. All the work-a-day spaces are behind the island (have routing through the northeast passage). I keep seeing little johnny-or-jonette doing homework at the island and getting hit in the head with a passing laundry basket. There's a lot of space in the house already that's designated toward special purposes. I confess that I would rather have the dining room, home office and kitchen be combined and forget about having multiple areas that seat 4-5-6 cause it makes my brain hurt. So, I asked about the floor plan thinking that maybe those stairs could move someplace else or be smaller or something else could happen in the room design? Maybe the original kitchen could be kitchen and the wall between it and the original dining room could come down? And also wondering if home office could be in "more foyer". However, you seem pretty happy with your design. So I decided to shut up.

what are the wall-to-wall dimensions? This kitchen (including the pantry) doesn't look that small to me. Also, can the exterior door move? It seems to be in a high-traffic spot right now- could it scoot into the mudroom, pantry, or living room, or even to the mudroom side of that run? As drawn, I would really want a sink in the pantry area, and ideally a d/w too. And the bay-window side of the pantry... guessing on dimensions, but I'd think a straight across cabinet run- with deeper counter in the deepest part of the bay- would be better than the circular desk space you have drawn.

If I were to give up the prep sink on the island, and I'm assuming you don't want to move it to the perimeter and have the cleanup sink on the island (I'm doing that but most people prefer not to have their cleanup sink on the island) then I'd do the following, which is to switch the sink and the cooktop. The disadvantage is if you still want two dishwashers, you'll lose pantry space. If you can get away with one dishwasher, then you'll be fine. However I personally think Mama's arrangement is a heck of a lot better and allows for more than one person cooking at the same time. This arrangement doesn't.

Overall it's a nice layout. Specific comments: - The half bath couldn't be worse placed. Instead, flip-flop it with the mudroom ... this also allows for a bathroom that's convenient to the outside. This gives you a large walk-in pantry between the kitchen and the dining room (not ideally placed, but I'd do it). And that'd allow you to have mudroom-type storage where you currently have the pantry. - Still on the subject of the bathroom ... with a bathroom available to guests near the kids' room (which I'm thinking is kind of a den?), do you need that half bath? Bathrooms are the most expensive rooms in the house, and they continue to cost in terms of maintenance. - What's going UNDER the switchback stair? This is a large space -- I'd make it into half-height shelves or cabinets, which could open into the full bath, making it into really nice storage. OR it could open in to the office. But don't let that big space be boxed in /useless. - Still thinking of bathrooms ... I'd definitely lose the double sinks in the full bath. - Do you plan to have a TV in the living room? The only spot I can see for its placement is above the fireplace. Do think long and hard on this one. - Do you have doors between the living room and the kids' room? I grew up in a house that had a similar fireplace, which was flanked by single glass doors (in our case, they led to a sun room). My grandmother always had lace sheers on the glass doors, and it was a lovely set-up. - Consider that you have access to the backyard through the kids' room ... but once you place a table in the breakfast nook, that door will be useless. If this were my space, I'd leave the windows as they are in the living room, and I'd put a glass slider into the mudroom /on the side near the kitchen ... this'd be useful for carrying trays out to the grill. - You'll have nice light everywhere in the house ... except the kitchen. It won't be dark-dark, but you also won't have lovely morning sunbeams on your countertops. - 36” range + wall ovens vs. 48” range (familiar with MUA etc) This is a large-but-not-huge kitchen ... I can't see the justification for a 48" range. They're quite expensive and they keep on costing: oversized hood, amped-up electrical, additional floor support. And why? 30" is enough ... 36" is more than enough. Don't give up your average-sized cabinet storage for this. If you're thinking of parties (15+ isn't that big a group), I'd much rather have an extra refrigerator in the mudroom rather than an over-sized range. - General Cabinet layout Eh, it's okay -- good circulation, but things aren't really top-notch functional. Plenty of counter top space without going overboard and inviting clutter. Someone will say not to place the sink and the range back-to-back, but I'm okay with it. The dishwasher is on the right side -- no, left, but correct side -- of the sink. Glasses are a pain to put away, so you want it to be near the cabinet by the fridge. This gives you one good-sized drawer for knives /things you'll want near the sink. How much space do you have between the main cabinet run and the island? I'm concerned these two items may be a little too far apart to "play well together". I have that now, and while it's better than too little space, I wish-wish-wish I had right-sized instead of that extra step between the two. Questions to think through: - When you come in with groceries, where will you set them down to sort them out? - Where will your dirty dishes sit? - Where are your small appliances? - 15+ people not uncommon You have plenty of space for seating and setting items out in a buffet style. I like a kitchen flanked by a breakfast nook and dining space ... it allows the kids to sit in one area, while the adults are in the other ... and the food can be laid out between them. I'd skip the island seating. With large groups, you have enough seating ... but you're going to use this space for setting out food. I'd rather have another row of shallow cabinets on the "back side" of the island for extra storage. Where I think you're skimpy is the space beside the refrigerator, which is likely where you'd set out drinks for the group. You could place drinks AND dessert in the butler's pantry (for self-serve). Leaning towards a 48” AG range, partially to preserve the space next to fridge for a tall, pull out pantry. Definitely no to a tall pantry next to the fridge. You need this space for glassware and "landing space" for the fridge. I think this is also your "away space" where you'll place your coffee maker, bowl of fruit, and cake-under-a-dome. I don't see a natural place for a tall pantry cabinet ... but with a walk-in pantry, you don't really need it.