This is the 6th plan I've drawn up after realizing the wall is load-bearing. During another sleepless night, I came up with this, which I think is the best of them all. I'm having difficulty with appliance placement and if I could put the stove in front of the window, my problems would be solved!

Please let me know what your ideas are. I really am taking all of your feedback and using it! I don't have visualization skills:(

Why can't you put your range in front of the window?

I don't think you'll be happy with a free-floating post. It will make your house feel like a basement. Can't you just extend the fridge wall all the way down to the post? That might even give you another location for the range.

I would move the fridge down next to the pillar...it can be encased in carpentry of some sort to bury in the cabinetry or add a sheet rock wall to encase it.

Then I would leave 2' then put the stove. That will still leave some counter space on the left side of the stove for work area. Then definitely move the DW back to next to the sink where it belongs...you will hate having to reach across an aisle with dirty dripping dishes.

If your concerned with what to do on the foyer side behind the fridge, put in a built in bookcase...it would look great in that space. Or you can put in a bench for seating.

MJ, I agree the stranded post is unlikely to be pleasing aesthetically or functional. You don't want people running into it, which is likely to happen. I turned at a party and smashed a champagne flute into one once (it was a skinny little thing and should have been painted alarm yellow, not the beige of the walls and carpet).

As suggested, why not bring that wall behind the refrigerator farther down, but just enough to then curve a wall down to encompass the post that would echo the larger arc of the stairs? You could then either continue that wall in a matching curve toward the kitchen side to complete a flat arc or extend it in a flat across the counter/fridge depth to match the line of the rest of the supporting living room wall across the room. Yes, the distance left to walk through is less than desirable, but the area over the steps is visually open and what kind of crowd do you normally have coming through that door anyway? :)

Extending the frige wall: I thought I had to have leave space for traffic flow. That solution solves both problems!

marcolo, I didn't put stove in front of window because I wouldn't be able to put an exhaust fan above. I posted this question last week and people convinced me that I needed to install one.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will draw up another plan using your ideas. Who needs a kitchen designer when you people are available??? Love it!

If I can put a stove in front of the window, this would work. Should the grabage and dishwasher be switched?

I think I like this one. Once again, I wonder if the garbage and dishwasher should be switched? I'm open for more ideas. Thanks again:)

Couple things.

How big are your squares? I confess I'm not the expert on traffic clearances for curved staircases, so you should check that out.

Yes, the DW needs to go next to the sink. But then the trash won't serve for prep. Are you going to have a prep sink in the island? It might help, and then add additional trash for cooking scraps.

You could also scootch the sink to the right and put the DW on the left. Best to keep DW loading and unloading and steaming and whatnot out of your prep area.

BTW to put a range in front of the window you use an island hood that attaches to the ceiling, not the wall. You have to check that code allows it in your area, and be aware that the window might have to be made inoperable and made of non-combustible materials (i.e., no wood trim on that window on the inside). You also need to consider how to cover the window for privacy--Angie_DIY used stained glass. Can't have curtains over open flame.

However, you may not need to do that anyway.

If expenses are a concern, then avoid moving the sink from underneath it's present window. Put that money that you would have spent doing that into putting a beam to remove the load bearing wall. Just moving the sink down to the other windows only to put a range in front of where the sink is currently makes no sense spacially or economically.

If the goal is to open the kitchen up to the other rooms with a minimal amount of expense, then you should consider leaving some of the wall intact to have a smaller beam. This would actually extend the wall, and force some different traffic patterns such as walking through the dining room to the kitchen from the garage, etc. What this would do though, is drastically reduce the cost of taking down that wall because all of the spans that have the be done from point to point here can be done with smaller dimensional lumber rather than any beams. Smaller and shallower headers mean more visual height, and they mean that a one or two man construction crew can handle the job rather than having to have 5-6 handle the logistics of doing a large beam. And, since the only plumbing addition is a prep sink and you're not moving the cleanup sink, there is savings there as well.

Why do you need the post? We just took out the main load bearing wall in our house. I put in place an 18' long W8 40 steel I beam, and that was overkill- it called for a W8-31. How long is the opening? How thick are the ceiling beams?

marcolo, my squares are 1' each. I will put the sink back in its original position to make the space in front of the big window a prep area. That way the dishwasher is right beside the sink. Thanks.
GreenDesign, I should have marked on the new drawing that we are planning to flip the dining and living rooms, so I don't think that new entrance from the garage would work. Also, in your drawing, does the wall go all the way up to the ceiling at the end of the island between the 2 posts or are they just the 2 posts? Thanks for the suggestion of putting the sink back to its original position.
Emilner, don't you have to have a post to set the beam on? I'm new to this.

Actually, the prep area is between the sink and range. Other counterspace does not really get used to prep, because you need water to prep.

My beam has steel columes buried in the wall on both sides of the room making it an open 17' span.

so, putting the sink in the oringinal spot would not be a good move?

I didn't see your previous post, so not sure what else needs to be considered. There may be ideas here for you. I enjoyed playing with your plan. There are lots of good ideas in this thread. It should be a great kitchen when you sort it out.

I like the idea of having a prep sink in the island.
If there was no cabinet between the 2 windows, would the backsplash go all the way up the wall?
Thanks for continueing to give ideas:)

Mjher1 - We too started with a post in our design plan. We bumped out an exterior wall, 5 feet. Several people on the forum suggested either a steel beam in the ceiling or an engineered wood beam.

What is upstairs? We had attic space, so didn't mind putting in the LBL (wood) beam, which sticks out upstairs about 6 inches. We were working with an architect and our building inspector required a structural engineer's stamp on the plans.

Here's what ours looks like, it's 3 engineered beams secured together, spanning the room. Good luck!