I like your first drawing. I would add another pantry to the right of the dishwasher. You'll have a much larger island which works great for prep and entertaining. The kitchen seems much larger is the first drawing. Would it bother you to have the kitchen visible when you walk in?

It really helps if you post the pictures directly in the message...you'll get a lot more responses!

First plan...

"... The kitchen, DR and LR are open to each other, which is great for entertaining. The negative is that when you walk into our house, you see the kitchen directly in front of you. Also, there is only a small pantry and not as much storage ..."

{{!gwi}}

Second plan...

"... has a wall that separates the kitchen from the entry. You can't see the kitchen as you walk into the house. It also has a nice walk in pantry. The negative is that it appears to be crowded, but I'm not sure ..."

{{!gwi}}

Buehl - Thanks so much for helping us out. We tried to post it on the page, but couldn't figure it out.
Susanilz5 -The kitchen is somewhat exposed when you walk into the house now (you can see straight into the kitchen and see the sink) but I'm not sure about having the entire kitchen that exposed. I don't think I've ever walked into a house with the kitchen totally visible from the entrance. I agree that the first plan makes the space appear larger and more open and the island seems great (I've never had an island), but it doesn't have the walk in pantry, (which I've also never had). I'm not sure which would be more valuable. Hmmmm. Thanks for your input. As you can seen, I'm confused!!!

In plan A, which seems "cleaner" to me, and keeps the island from blocking the fridge, you could have a wall that extends the width of island instead of a pillar, and that would screen the kitchen from the entrance a bit more. It still puts the kitchen sink in direct view.

First plan!

I had a kitchen that was visible from the front door and HATED it. When I planned this house, we inadvertently ended up being able to see the sink area from the front door (just at a greater distance), so I put in a 10-lite pocket door to screen it. Not only do I not like the openness to the front door, I'm not as fond as Plan A because of the sink and stove being so close together, and the lack of pantry. I'm not a fan of cabinet pantries, because of lack of storage flexibility, and just one is a big compromise between it and the walk-in. Plan B has the stove and corner pantry too close together, so I'd so this step-in style pantry instead to solve it:

Workspace-wise, the second one is better...if you move the 36" range "up" so you have at least 24" b/w it and the pantry.

Seating at the island in the second plan is also more conducive to conversation b/c people are facing each other and not sitting "like ducks in a row" (like the first one). However, I'm not sure you'll be able to fit 4...you need 24" of linear space per person. (I'd have to "measure" to be sure.

Notice the overlapping of the seats (each seat is 24" wide). The other issue is leg/knee space...the two end seats are sharing the same leg/knee space and that will only work for very young children (toddlers, really). Each person needs a 24" wide x 15" deep leg/knee area...i.e., no sharing of space! Realistically, I think you only have room for 3 seats.

In both plans, though, I don't think there's enough room b/w the table and island to accommodate seating at both locations.

We also have a corner pantry and really like it! But, be aware that at 4'x4' it's more of a "step-in" pantry than a "walk-in". However, it will hold a lot more than the pantry in the first plan will. (Ours is 41" x 51".)

What are the actual dimensions of the space?

What brand of range are you using? While 36" is not uncommon, 30" is more common. There are a few low end 36" ranges and then you start getting into brands such as one Frigidaire option, then Fratelli Onofri, DeLonghi, SMEG, Bertazzoni, etc.

No one makes a 36" true slide in with a flange that overlaps the counter, they are freestanding that can be installed as slide-ins.

Cooktops are more common at 36" but you don't seem to indicate a 36 cooktop and undercounter oven. So, if you are using a typical range, you may be looking at 30 which gives you six more inches of counter.

I can't believe how great the advice has been so far!! Thank you.
Buehl: The room is 14 feet deep (from kitchen sink to wall) and 20 feet 4 inches wide (from Stove to side wall) I agree that seating for 4 would be tight. We only need seating for 2 or 3 people. I am also concerned about the space for seating in both areas. It does seem tight. What would the options be? Should we have no seating at island? Also, since I've never had an island, would the placement of that island make it feel like it is in the way? Is it too close to the stove/sink?

Rhome: I love your input about your personal experience with the kitchen being open to the entrance. I was afraid I'd feel the same way. I also like the idea about moving the door in the pantry. That really helps with space. Wow!! I

I like the adjustment that Rhome made, but I'm still not thrilled about the placement of the fridge so far away from the sink. I like having only a few steps between getting veggies out of the fridge, and rinsing them off to begin prep near the sink.

Could you move the fridge to the top wall, at the end of the cabinet run to the right of the DW? Then you could have a longer pantry, perhaps with a linen "closet" or cabinet on the end facing the dining room table. You could display fancy platters, etc, in the top shelves of the cabinet.

I believe that the refrigerator is far from the sink, but if we move it next to the dishwasher, it would be right next to the french door that leads outside to a deck. I don't know if that would look right. Also, it would be visible from the front entrance, What do you think?