Two very, very quick comments.
1. 15" next to the cooktop is tiny. Tiny.
2. 12" of overhang for stool area is also too small. 15" is the minimum recommended by the NKBA and by me. 12" is not comfortable for me.

And a question. Why does the counter in the yellow area not lineup with the counter next to it? It looks a bit odd to me.

Gotta sleep.

Thanks Breezy. Yeah I am not leaning toward doing the storage on the backside of the island - not worth the hassle of accessing or not enough leg room when sitting.

The yellow and orange areas don't line up because I can move the wall behind the orange area (it's a stairwell) but I can push into the bathroom. I could make the orange area only have 12'' deep storage and line up with the yellow counter but 12'' probably isn't deep enough (well, I know it wouldn't hold my large crockpot - haven't measured other things yet).

Your baking area seems awkward. It's far from a fridge (do you make muffins with eggs, butter, milk, etc?), and not convenient to a sink (anything with flour will make a mess in my house). Do you need convenience to a cooktop when you bake? (I'd hate to be sauteeing apples for a pie, while trying to roll out a crust--the ovens and cooktop are not convenient to each other at all). If you are doing basic yeast breads -- mostly flour, water, yeast, then you may be OK.

I had a 15 inch counter on one side of my range in my first kitchen plan, trying to maximize the counter space between sink and tove, but my DH insisted on a minimum of 18 inches on each side. It was a great call. I ended up with 18 inch uppers on either side of my micro-hood: They don't hold as much "stuff" as I expected, so make sure to lay out the items you want to store in a 15 inch cabinet and see if it's realistic. Are you doing frameless cabs? That will help.

I'm sorry...This seems quite disjointed and spread out. The baking area is awkwardly out of the loop and far from the sink, as Janet already said. I'm not sure the island fits in the space. I'm more into function than appearance, but it seems weird that it goes partly behind the wall and seemingly into the breakfast room...And the curve on the overhang will really bring attention to that, since it give the island a center and symmetry which will be not centered from anywhere. I hope that makes sense.

I have to admit that the color blocking is distracting from more clearly evaluating the layout and I'm not totally clear on where you are (existing) and where you are going...What's new and what's moving. I keep scrolling back and forth to figure it out, but without the bathroom labeled and any details in the existing kitchen, it's hard to tell what you're accomplishing.

I'm not very good at this stuff but a couple of suggestions without moving stuff all over the place:

Put the desk in the keeping room and free up that area for counter space.

With little ones you will probably be doing some baking and where you have it now by the ovens is very awkward - it isn't near a sink or fridge (as mentioned). Put it where you plan on putting the MW and toaster - you can have a counter and some baking supplies with , it looks like, 5' of counter and it's near the sink and fridge.
Put the MW and toaster over by the double ovens and maybe make that corner a snack center as well - maybe an undercounter fridge which will be great when kids are older.
The pantry will then be in between the baking center and the snack center which tends to store a lot of things necessary for both.

On the island - what is BK? , those 2 squares at the ends?
I know breeze said your overhang was 12" but is it not 24"? It doesn't look like you have anything backing onto the sink/DW etc? I would get rid of the curve to give the area a feeling of spaciousness.

You appear to be trying to fit to many "things" into your space. You are planning on being in your home (it sounds like) for a long time and raising kids from baby-stage to adult stage so it is imperative that you look at function, traffic paths and ease of movement before looking at form.

Perhaps I should start over with a new post. Maybe I will. But to answer your question Rhome - Here is my existing kitchen and the surrounding rooms. I'll work on drawing a more clear layout on graph paper with all dimensions and dark lines.

Basically, the remodel must include a keeping room, island, breakfast room, cubbies (like you'd see in a mudroom), a desk and all the regular appliances. So, what would you do to make this work?

Janet, Rhome, Blfenton - I don't bake much but currently this is where I already bake. For the most part, I get everything I need from the fridge before I start. Baking will probably also happen on the island but the cabinets in the corner would "store" the baking stuff.

Blfenton - "BK" is supposed to be "Bookcase" but apparently I was tired last night when I added it. I would thinking about doing storage on the back side of the island but am not going to do it.

In all honesty, I probably just need to make the addition another foot or two but then it is even longer and puts more distance from the fridge and the existing part of the kitchen. The fridge is where it is so it doesn't block traffic flow and it close to the island, cook area, prep area, k.table and still accessible to "outsiders" not working in the kitchen - but yes, it is VERY far from the other side of the kitchen, dbl ovens especially. But does that matter?

Believe it or not, I have thought through a lot of different options (like having the desk in the keeping room but then I can't have cubbies, and it's far from the kitchen table - which I need b/c of little ones) but it is a tricky space - long and narrow. I appreciate all your comments though and certainly need "fresh eyes" to make it the best it can be.

Off to prep dinner. I will check back in later tonight after the kids are in bed!

short on time - haven't read other posts - but quickly:

is there any possibility of pushing the doorway to the deck out some? you'd lose the bay window tho (part of it). going from close to large section of window to where the aqua/E area starts. opens up keeping room more and gives more light and view into / out of kitchen.

how about moving the 'desk' area to the area in front of PR? use that area you have it in to move fridge down - making more room on either side of stove?

a cabinet jutting out into a run of cabs like that makes for corners that hurt... (tho, you could round them). Seems better space for desk area anyway I think.

pantry - 18" deep is good. mine is 18" deep with built in shelves. If they weren't built in (and I didn't have enough other things to do) I'd make them 11 - 12" deep and put some more shallow shelves running down each side - great for soup cans and skinny things like salad dressing, pickle jars etc. would probably keep a bottom shelf deeper for larger things.
can post a pic of it if you want.

So what is the minimum recommendation for surface area next to the cooktop?

I re-measured tonight and gained about a foot (but I'll lose 6'' of that in exterior wall I bet) so I only really gain 6'' but that can bring the side of the cooktop to 18'' instead of 15'' (which I agree is too small.) I just thought I could also use the space further to the right as overflow.

NewSouthernBelle- I really like your kitchen space. The overall layout of the dining area, seating area and work area looks great! I know you're in the South, but have you thought about trying to squeeze a little fireplace, into the keeping room space? It's so cozy!

As for the kitchen layout, itself...does the long counter really bump in and out, or is that just from the color coding? (neat idea by the way) I'd be tempted to leave the fridge where it is now and have a counterspace, by the door to the porch. Great place to set up drinks, plates of food, etc. before heading out to the new screened porch. Screened porch and a deck...how wonderful!

I actually like the separate baking area, especially if you move the fridge, since it will be much closer to the ovens. Add a little prep sink (and that cool beverage fridge) maybe even the microwave and it also makes a great beverage/snack area.

The desk area is always tricky, IMHO. It's so easy to become a clutter area, or have it spill over into the cooking or baking zones. Can you incorporate a small desk area by the keeping room space? That might be a possibility.

Overall, I think you're close to a lovely, workable kitchen space that will be great for cooking, baking, entertaining...or just relaxing with a good book and a nice cup of tea :)

Thanks for the encouragement Lavender. The longer countertop in the orange section is "recessed" a foot and then bumps back out with the fridge and the desk turned sideways. The yellow section is a foot further out than the orange countertop b/c I can't take any more space from the powder room.

I had the fridge in the same location as in the current kitchen at one point and I can't remember why I switched it. Maybe to make it closer to the k.table and give a longer section of counter space (b/c of the yellow section of counter tops to the right). But I will put it back there and play around with the layout some more.

I'm guessing that you're bumping out the walls, to make more room for the dining area and island? It might be interesting to see how it looks, with the cabinetry wall more even, leave the island (which I really like) and try a corner banquette with chairs on two sides, for the breakfast table. Just a thought :)

I also like the angled corner, for the door, out to the deck. It's a neat idea and gives you more room for stools at the island. I'm looking forward to seeing your next plan!