HI!!! Glad you're back, and moving forward. You know how sorry I am about your nephew, as we discussed it at the time. I hope you and the whole family are healing, and really, I hope you can enjoy this process, and do your best, so you have the best kitchen to enjoy with your family for a LOOOOONG time.

Running with this new idea for a minute:
Could you put the door to your bedroom toward the dining room and have a little breakfast area in a short foyer area, like you'd discussed before? I would want to keep it to just a few feet so that the doors are centered in your dining area. I think that with a large family to feed, having a longer, more flexible dining room might be a good thing.

Having the pantry in that new area could be good, but you'd want to have wall-space facing the kitchen for your baking area and fridge/freezer set...probably so they flush out with your bedroom wall. That would likely mean the opening of the new pantry faces the family room, which isn't ideal, but not terrible, maybe. I, however, wouldn't put too much in there, like toaster, etc, because then you're a long way from the cleanup and dish storage area, and creating a new area for mess.

Change or keep the original plan?
I'm not sure the idea I discussed above will be any better than what you had in the previous plan. Depends on the priorities of the gains and losses once details are worked out. I wish I had my computer with Paint on it, so I could try an idea or two.

Where do you really want the office space for yourself? It's fine to say it could be in any other room in the house, but if you want it close to your bedroom and the kitchen, that's where it should be.

susied - condolences; deeply. So so sorry....

Aliris19, thank you, thank you so very much..

Rhome, I thank you for letting me spill my heartache and withdrawal from interest in this project. You were so understanding.

If I'm reading your thoughts right, are you saying to try putting the bedroom door going out where the pantry is located now? I'll fool around with that and see what I can come up with.

As far as office space, I really don't need any. I use my laptop, DH doesn't use an office, so a spare bedroom with some bookcases, maybe a small file cabinet just a place to keep mail clutter and receipts are really all we need.

Thanks!

SusieD - I am so sorry for your loss. I hope your family is keeping each others' spirits up and healing as best as possible.

I am not much good on layout, but the fireplace idea sounds wonderful. You could even consider a brick oven if you like to cook anything that would use one, as that could do double duty for looks as well.
I don't know that I'd want the micro, toaster, freezer. bev center, etc... all away in the pantry because the traffic in and out would be all day, esp with a big family. I think those things belong in a kitchen within easy reach if possible, with the exception of the extra freezer space.

Thank you Dianalo.

I have always loved Paula Deen's kitchen, even went to the point of counting the bricks on her fireplace, to see if it could be put at the end of my range wall. DH says "no problem", he loves to work with stone.

I think you all are right, the pantry may not be practical for those uses.

Rhome, is this along the lines of what you were talking about? I know it's not anything near the finished plan, but I just wanted to see if this is what way you were going. Looking at it, I kind of like it.

Sort of. I didn't have it completely worked out in my head. I do better on paper!

I would certainly swap the stove and fridge, for closer access to the fridge from the stove area, and so the door swing works for you a little better. The downside from the other plan is it takes the fridge further back, so a longer walk to prep area.

I would enclose the 'foyer' to your bedroom with a wall across and a doorway, then maybe line the inside with your coffee area or whatever suits you.

What I meant in asking about your 'office' was your 'my space.' Where do you want that? Just in any old room, or handy to your bedroom and the kitchen?

Thanks Rhome, I adjusted a couple of things for y'all to look at.

My Space can be just any old space, really, my bedroom is mainly my space, and as far as what I would want there, my cookbook collection would be the majority, but looking at this plan, I think cookbook bookcases could be just about anywhere, including in that huge pantry.

I asked the girls today while cooking dinner, they agreed, kitchen storage, use is my main objective, it's where I spend most of my time, whether alone, or with the whole family. They even pointed out that the large pantry may help me bring out some old things I've not used in a long time simply because they are put away somewhere other than the kitchen. Most people give me kitchen related gifts any time it's gift giving time, not to mention, over the years I've collected a lot of seasonal dishes that I box away and put in the attic because there's no place to store them, even though it looks as if I have tons of storage.

Take a look at this and tell me,
What does this look like?

Are you sure you want the freezer tucked away? If you have room, I'd leave it with the fridge. It's best, anyway, to keep heat producing appliances out of a pantry, where you want things kept cool.

In the bedroom, I might put a doorway, not necessary door, at one end of the bedroom foyer...Door at one spot, doorway at the other end. Not sure which I'd have by the dining room and which at the bedroom end. It'll be more gracious and separate the functions.

I think this is fine...Not seeing any big disadvantages compared to your prior plan, and I could sure love a big storage room like that. You could use it for any number of things...Not only kitchen things, but maybe a section for the kids' games and arts/crafts supplies. Handy just off the family room and close enough to the dining room table (for possible project space), too.

Rhome, I've been tweaking it a little, per your suggestions so I'm anxious to see what you think of this latest concoction. :) I like it. Really, every time I have tried to get my heart back in to doing this, it just wasn't interesting. I DID always have the concern that the space behind my bedroom would stay as is, unused. I had even contemplated on just extending my bedroom out to make a larger bedroom, but that was impractical because it would have become a behemoth, and we don't NEED a bigger bedroom. I thought maybe at the bedroom entrance putting a small set of double doors? But, do I need to keep that wall space there for the cabinets which might stick out if we put doubles there?
DH likes it and that is good. He even suggested that if we put the coffee/cabinets on the inside wall, there wouldn't be space to put anything on the other side, so a nice tall window might add light and look nice. What do you think?

If anyone sees something *cool* which could be added, or something that needs to be changed, let me know!

Thanks!

Did we talk about a to-the-counter cookbook shelf or other type of storage to use the deep corner to the left of the freezer before?

Pocket door or outswing door for the bedroom foyer?

At one point, you had an area for the kids where you now show the big pantry. Does this plan meet those needs as well as you wanted?

Rhome, we talked about having open cabinet shelving from freezer around to oven enclosure. With 30" deep cabinets. For using to roll dough and store large mixer, more counter space for baking. I talked to the cabinet maker about 30" drawers for that area. But, the base corner was not addressed.

Door? I don't know. What do you think would work and look best? A pocket door might be interesting.

Re: kids area! Well, I've learned that as they get older, they want to either be in the kitchen proper, or in the bedroom playing. Especially, if they are not here more than a couple days a week, maybe we don't really need it? Right now, they spend a lot of time at the bar talking to me while I cook, so if I get that little table at the end of the island, I think they will sit there a lot.

You wouldn't put a place in the pantry for the toaster, small beverage fridge?

I wouldn't put that kind of area in the pantry. Enclosed mess...Unsupervised/out of sight...Far from a sink and cleanup. Have to fetch dishes from the kitchen or keep separate ones in the pantry area. Creates too many problems, I think. My DH goes crazy about how messy our breakfast counter gets because of being separated and further from a sink...and it's out in the open where people should see to clean it up.

OK, I'm pretty set on this design, think I'll move forward with posting a thread on how to lay out the island. I know what I want in it, but can't decide how to lay it out.

I really don't want to make a mistake, design wise, and as wishy/washy as I've been on everything, there needs to be a point to move forward! :)

The cabinet guy we are using is just that. He's a cabinet maker and not a designer. Only issues he pointed to was the cave like area in the last plan. I think this one opens it up a bit.

Thanks again! I need all the help I can get since we aren't able to use a KD. Besides, All the heads together on here are about as good as it gets anyways!

But, in the meantime, if you see something that looks odd, say something, it won't hurt my feelings!