Wow, it was so nice at the end of my work day to see so many responses. Thanks everybody for your creativity. @robotropolis: Thank you very much for taking the time to both draw up my plan on graph paper and to find a creative solution for the layout. I like where you placed the fridge and stove, and the banquet area under the new generous window is lovely. Unfortunately, we are unable to move the two doorways as they are also in load bearing walls. The areas marked dining room and great room are part of an addition we did many years ago. Also, the old nub wall measuring 2 feet 9 inch also must stay. @debark and others: Sadly, I am not in a position to consider taking down any of those inconvenient load bearing walls. My DH is firmly against even getting a quote on it as he doesn't feel the kitchen should need that much renovating as it is good enough space for him (can you guess who makes most of the meals in our home?), @Peke: Yes sadly all the walls you circled in pink as well as the walls in the south side between kitchen areas and great room/dining room have to stay as is. My current small kitchen is on the right hand area marked kitchen space (west side). The east side marked also kitchen space is currently used for a desk and a bit of seating viewed through opening cut-out (sort of like a ticket booth LOL). This east side area marked kitchen space used to be a dining room prior to building our addition 20+ years ago. Lisa_a I love what you have drawn up too. Sadly, it will need changes to accommodate those load bearing walls. I particularly like that shallow pantry idea. Do you think we could just have the seating on the either side of the window cut-out. Those seated can be seen from the cut-out (not as nice as what you have drawn, but still a thought. Good point about the molding around those two south door ways. I will be sure to account for those lost inches as the door ways have French doors on the that swing into the kitchen. Everyone, Anymore ideas that work with keeping those unfortunately load bearing walls as DH is not budging on that position? I appreciate everyone's help. Julie

Keep it as a "tucked away seating area" for what purpose? Usually I like breakfast nooks but that one looks so small as to be unusable. Have you used it? If you really want to keep it, I would attach the table to the wall because there doesn't seem to be space for two sets of knees around the end of that table end. I think I would turn that space into a wonderful walk in the pantry. Doing that would give you space such that you could get rid of a lot of the upper cabinets in the kitchen and not have the whole thing feel so crowded. If you move the stove to an outside wall, you will have to move the sink. If it's a gas stove it's a plumbing job the same as moving the sink would be.

Natural light to your left when working is great -- unless it creates a glare on your computer screen. Not a fan of tv in bedroom ... but to each his own. Would keep it across from the foot of the bed if it stays. A pair of matching bed side tables would be worth considering -- or, since your bedroom is your home office -- where you keep your computer -- consider a pair of wood filing cabinets in a finish similar to your other wood furnishings to use as bedside tables. http://dragonflyashland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/exciting-file-cabinet-wood-solid-wood-filing-cabinet-short-wooden-locking-file-cabinet-drawer-2-drawer.jpg http://dragonflyashland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/appealing-file-cabinets-target-file-cabinets-costco-short-wood-file-cabinet-drawer-2-drawer.jpg

It's been several days since I have posted, but that is because I have been giving these ideas much thought and have been talking to many professionals. What is your style? Do you have pics saved in an idea book of the look you are going for? This is an excellent question. I have looked at thousands of pictures of kitchens, and I haven't seen one that I can say, "That's exactly what I'm going for." So, to best answer your question, I'll show you the materials I'd like to use: ginger maple shaker fronts, white solid surface counter, "oak" LVP flooring, "painted" backsplash tile, and, if I keep some wall on both sides dividing the kitchen and dining room, I'd put the blue paint in the kitchen, yellow above the chair rail and the blue below in the dining room, and yellow on the walls of the rest of the main floor. So I'm not sure what you'd call it - transitional? Although I am very excited about being able to see and chat with people at the dining table while I am cleaning up in the kitchen, I think I do prefer having the more traditional mental division between kitchen and dining room with even just stub walls, and I do like the chair rail, if I am able to keep a bit of wall on the sides. Maybe that is the very definition of transitional? But practical matters of the small house and large family and a limited budget must be considered above my personal preferences. Although the contractor said "it doesn't cost that much to reduce the bulkhead," "it doesn't cost that much to move the sliding glass door," and "it doesn't cost that much to move pipes for the clean-up sink," all of it together - with the cabinet vendor that he uses - did cost much. He just came out this afternoon to do some measurements and discuss ways to reduce cost. This plan below is what I discussed with him: (1) Instead of messing with the bulkhead at all, keeping the wall only as far as the depth of the bulkhead (about 23"), but then have little to no wall on the other side. I can't have 23" on the other side for symmetry, because that wouldn't leave enough room to walk around people seated at the table, but I'm hoping that would look fine if we put cabinets up to the ceiling in the corner where the bulkhead is. He liked this idea a lot, because you just don't know what's in there. (BTW, I offered to pay him to open it up and see, but he won't open it up to have a look, or do any work at all, until a full contract is signed, first payment given, and cabinets ordered.) He did warn, however, that the cost of the cabinets and counter there will probably cost about the same as what he was including for reducing the bulkhead - so this solution does give more storage, it doesn't actually save any money. (2) Instead of a sliding glass door, put in a 30" standard door using the opening for the existing window in the dining room. A sliding door would be much better than a swinging door that hits those seated at the table, but it will be rare that we have people seated while others are going in and out, so I'll do it if it saves a lot of $$. He loved this idea, and said it would save me about $1000, but when I asked about what he'd recommend about the HVAC register that is currently on he floor in front of the window, he said it would be too costly to move it, and I should just leave it. It seems the register plate would get kicked up and rusted with traffic in and out, so I am not sure how good of a solution this is, after all. (3) I thought having a pantry closet with shelves and doors would save money over the cost of cabinets and countertop in that alcove, but he said the labor to put the shelves, doors and drywall would be more, so I'll go back to the cabinets. (4) Lose the second dishwasher. If I have a prep sink, it won't be so bad having one dishwasher with dishes piling up in the clean-up sink. As you can see below, I'm concerned about clearances and flow; losing the dishwasher will cut the cost some but also will give better clearances if I have to keep the 23" of wall below the bulkhead. I played with a few designs with two dishwashers and only one sink, but none of them seemed to work nearly as well as this one. Bbtrix - the range is centered in this design :-) and I'd love to know if you think if the stub wall that would stick out about 6" would still create a strange divide between the dishwasher and door, now that the dishwasher and door are much further away from each other. He liked this idea, but it still requires moving pipes, so let's hope that "doesn't cost that much." (5) I've fallen in love with the white solid surface countertops and the painted backsplash I pictured above, but I may just have to go to laminate countertops with the 4" backsplash if that saves thousands of dollars. He recommended granite over laminate or solid surface. Many granites are beautiful, but my countertops are primarily a work surface that functions better if it is light-colored and simple, and I find granite dark and very busy, and the few granites that are lighter in color seem to stain easily. I've heard laminates have come a long way, I just liked solid surface more because it's more reparable, doesn't have seams, the integrated sink, and I like the soft feel of it - maybe that's not worth the extra $$. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and has been liking my comments - I warned in my subject line that this would be a challenge, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into!