Do you plan to vent the cooktop?

Is your formal entrance from the front porch so that visitors will be immediately confronted by a vista past the small seating area directly into the kitchen? That would not be the most attractive choice, IMO.

That also makes the LR into a de facto entrance foyer, sort of a pass-through, not a destination, space. LRs are usually seen as the highest-level entertaining/public spaces. If you just want a casual sitting area near you kitchen, that's fine, but if you're going for the presence of a living room, what you have presently designed isn't going to get you there. I'm not, BTW, arguing in favor of formal, but never-used spaces, almost roped-off as if awaiting a Very Important Visitor. That VIV, in my opinion, ought to be you (and your spouse) on a daily basis. We all need a designated space to relax and talk and read or maybe watch TV space at the end of the day. That's the function of a LR, in my opinion. And well-planned houses accomodate that need in the same space that can also be used to welcome the most important of both formal and informal of guests as well.

Have you considered moving the kitchen to the present DR area and putting the DR where the kitchen is now (behind the LR)? This would give you a better progression from public to increasingly private, less-formal, spaces and connect the kitchen to the family room (where kids are often playing) which is the preferred relationship in many households vs the kitchen to (often more formal) LR axis. Where does your family hang out the most (in non-kitchen spaces) - that's usually the room most people want to connect most intimately to the kitchen.

FWIW I am not a big fan of open, undifferentiated spaces. But even within open plans I still think it's important to pay attention to exactly what is open to what and make sure that the progression/inter-relations of the intended uses of the space makes practical, design and functional sense.

Moving the kitchen left-wards (as plotted) would also better connect it to the entrance from the garage (how groceries likely come in) and what appears to your garage freezers, possible food pantry space, etc. You wouldn't have to schlep your food through your DR.

You could enlarge the connection of the DR to to the outside if you included lovely French doors to the patio for outdoor dining.

Dare I suggest a wall between kichen and DR which would make planning the kitchen arrangement easier since some of the most important features of a kitchen are pretty much wall-oriented: cabs, ovens, fridges, etc.? You could move the laundry space and perhaps gain a possible window space for the kitchen by having the laundry occupy a windowless space along the garage wall. You'd have room for a good (windowless) pantry. I don't personally think that windows are required for kitchens, but many people are really attached to the sink/window thing. Possibly you could steal some space for the kitchen (with more exterior exposure) from part of the proposed family room.

Also as Angie DIY said: do you intend to vent the cooktop? In order to keep cooking odors from permeating all of your living area, you'll need a very efficient, high cfm fan, especially if you decided to stick with the island-cook top/imitation TV cooking show theme in your kitchen.

HTH,

L.

I am currently remodeling and am dealing with similar issues.
Wherever your DW is, make sure that it would not be in the way of someone who may be cooking.
Having the sink behind the cooktop is nice for draining pasta, etc. But having the cooktop on the island means you will need to hang a hood from your vaulted ceiling. I am most likely doing that in my home but would prefer not to. If you move your refrig to the end of the dining room side counter you could find room against a wall for your cooktop. (unless you rarely cook, do not rely on a downward draft for you will have fumes all over your home.)
As posted above, it may be a little awkward entering the home and looking right into an open living room/kitchen. I have not seen a layout like that. Moving the kitchen to the present DR is a good idea but may not be feasible. You can flip the location of your sofa so the back makes a hallway when entering the home and put the TV on the opposite wall it is now. This would separate the LR more.

Thanks for all of the great feedback!

We too are concerned about seeing the kitchen from the front door. It does make for a very informal space. Starting from scratch we would not have designed a house this way, but we are trying to make the best use out of the space we have. We had contemplated moving the kitchen down to the dining/laundry area as suggested. The big problem with that setup is we would have to give up the laundry room, and it would make for a pretty large dining room area that I�m not sure we would fully utilize. It would also require a decent amount of work, to move doors, electrical, plumbing, add windows, etc. I do like the idea of a sliding door leading out to the porch area though!

The rear family room currently does not exist, as I had it drawn on the original floor plan. That is a future addition that may or may not happen, just depending on how long we stay in the home. Currently there is a non-conditioned sunroom where that family room would be located (so we still have to keep an entry into that area). The front living room is the only true living space the house currently contains.

I agree regarding formal living spaces. My parents have a formal living room, and that room is absolutely never used (other than to store coats when guests come over).

I too agree about swapping the living room furniture arrangement. I am not fond of having to walk in front of the television when entering the home from the front door. However, to swap the setup and create a hallway with the couch, we greatly decrease the useable space in the living room. You also are greeted by a television set and the back of a couch when you first walk in the door, vs. looking at the front of a couch and chairs. Again, it�s definitely not ideal, and it would be great to have a separate foyer.

I�m kind of torn about the concern over venting the cooktop. Growing up, my parents did not have a vent over their range, other than the undersized vent that was built-in to the microwave. There were never any issues with fumes or smells. Our main concern with the island cooktop is the traffic jam that seems likely to occur with having the sink, stove, and dishwasher directly all in the same general area. We also would like to have the island completely open, as it seems that everyone likes to congregate around an island. We just really didn�t want to see the refrigerator when you walk in the front door. As liriodendron suggested, the island cooktop does create the "cooking show" effect. I think we are leaning towards moving the stove to the outside wall.

I�ve included some updated shots of the kitchen layout, along with some shots of layout if we were to swap the kitchen and dining room areas. I�ve added a second window to the kitchen area, which would bring in more light to the kitchen, allow us to better center the sink and cabinets, and allow for more counter space between the sink and the refrigerator.

Photos if we were to swap the kitchen and dining room areas:

Wow! Liriodendron really nailed the layout. It would be so much better to have the kitchen near the garage and not open to the lliving room.

However, if you can't do all that remodeling, then I would definitely move the fridge to the end of the counter and move the cooktop to the wall. Islands tend to be used for entertaining and no one wants to get splattered with cooking grease or tip pots over when reaching across the island. To me that only works for cooking shows. Also there could easily be an conflict between the dishwasher and oven door.

Further if you do build the family room eventually, it would be nice to have people have access to water and ice and beverages without getting in your cooking workspace.

If you leave the kitchen where it is, your living room becomes the de facto family room which is more informal. You may find yourself adding a formal space on the back off of the dining room instead in the future.

Moving the cooktop to the wall would be preferable to me.. Venting issues are only a part. Having the cleanup area back to back with the range is not the best if you have more than one worker in the kitchen, and the stove in the island limits its use. You are trying to save the 6 ft of counter to the left of the sink, but what will that do for you? Where you usually need counter space is for prep, for spreading out while cooking, for secondary prep by another person helping, for plating, and maybe buffet service. The island will be better for all of that.

Wolfeman- I really like the kitchen layout you just did (the first two) with the living room, open to the kitchen. It's not a formal home and you'll be much less closed off from everyone, while you're cooking.

Just a few comments...can you change the microwave to an undercounter, in the island? Also, you might think about a prep sink on the island, if you have more than one person working in the kitchen. Otherwise, I think this is a beautiful layout and it would be a joy to entertain, in this home :)

Wow! Liriodendron really nailed the layout. It would be so much better to have the kitchen near the garage and not open to the lliving room.

However, if you can't do all that remodeling, then I would definitely move the fridge to the end of the counter and move the cooktop to the wall. Islands tend to be used for entertaining and no one wants to get splattered with cooking grease or tip pots over when reaching across the island. To me that only works for cooking shows. Also there could easily be an conflict between the dishwasher and oven door.

Further if you do build the family room eventually, it would be nice to have people have access to water and ice and beverages without getting in your cooking workspace.

If you leave the kitchen where it is, your living room becomes the de facto family room which is more informal. You may find yourself adding a formal space on the back off of the dining room instead in the future.

Wolfeman- What software are you using? I really like all the detail :)

You've been asked a lot of very good questions, especially Liriodendron who brings up so many excellent points!

I like the idea of moving the kitchen to the current DR, but I think space would be an issue, especially if you want island seating. If you moved the kitchen and you would prefer a window off the left wall for the kitchen, I do not immediately see a good alternate place to put the Laundry Room that (1) gives you a big enough laundry space while (2) giving you a decent sized kitchen...without "stealing" from the garage.

As to your second layout...ideally, I'd rather see the Cleanup Zone on the right and the range on the "top" wall behind the island and next to the refrigerator. This would help with workflow as well as traffic and provide you with a "protected" Cooking Zone.

Kitchen workflow:
Refrigerator/Pantry --> Prep Zone (with sink & trash pullout) --> Cooking Zone (with range) --> Cleanup Zone (with DW & sink)

How about something like this?

It places the refrigerator so it is easily accessed by someone working in the kitchen as well as from the DR during meals. It's also on the periphery so that someone looking for a snack will not get in the way of those working in the kitchen. This also applies to the MW...

The Dish Hutch is situated so dishes can easily be put away when clean as well as on the periphery so someone setting the table or looking for a dish for a snack will not get in the way of those working in the kitchen.

The island directs people out of the main work area of the kitchen and without a door on the top wall there is no reason for anyone to use the space b/w the range and island as a thoroughfare - keeping both the Prep & Cooking Zones protected. The Cleanup Zone is also somewhat protected b/c there should not be any reason for anyone to be in it unless they're actually cleaning up! No zone-crossing during prep & cooking and no snackers!

With this setup, you also have two very nice Prep Zones. One in front of a large window for an outside view; the other on the island if you want to be "part of the action" or even watch TV In the LR while prepping (just watch your fingers if you're using a knife :-) !) The space to the right of the range could also be used for a nice "Baking Center", if you wanted one...

No upper cabs on the back wall to give the whole space a more open "feel". If you do want cabinets on that wall, one can easily be placed b/w the range and refrigerator and, to balance the wall, shorten the window so you can put one to the right of the range as well. Personally, I would prefer no upper cabinets...unless storage space is an issue. You do have a lot of cabinet storage in this plan, is it enough? It depends on how much "stuff" you have and if you have a pantry somewhere...

.

Or, how about this? It gives you three Prep Zones (only two with water) as well as a bit more window (8' of windows, combined).

Buehl- I like the second plan! The microwave is handy to the fridge and I like the range, between the windows. What would you suggest over the main sink? Cabinets or maybe a plate rack? The hood over the stove will be easier to vent too...with the shorter ceiling there.

I like the look of a plate rack over a sink. With the deeper counters, a plate rack shouldn't be in a the face of someone working at the sink...and it can be mounted higher than the other upper cabs b/c you don't have to reach the top of the plate, you can pull one out or put one away from the bottom of the plate/rack.

The more I see pics of ranges/cooktops b/w windows, the more I like them!

Buehl- I agree! It's nice to have a view outdoors, while you're cooking :)

Wolfeman- Here are a few examples... {{gwi:1434537}}From Farmhouse plans
{{gwi:1840992}}From Kitchen plans
{{gwi:1609004}}From Kitchen plans
{{gwi:1749540}}From Kitchen plans

And a plate rack, over the sink... {{gwi:1447238}}From Kitchen plans