Oops - I forgot to post the blank kitchen template. Is there anything else I can post to make suggestions easier?
Thanks again!

Todd

This post was edited by mickds on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 9:26

I'm not one of the talented folks here. Just an interested beginner. My idea may not work at all.

I would want those sliders clear for access and a better view. I don't know if there's enough space for the table where I put it but I really think clearing those sliders will be so much more pleasant.

I am excited to finally get a prep sink in my own kitchen. The sink seems to be the area where congestion and jockeying for its use cause the most problems in our own kitchen. YMMV. So I gave you a prep sink in the island and moved the range closer to the fridge. This gives you a small prep/cook zone.

I moved the clean-up sink and DW to the end of the counter run to give you a separate zone for that activity. I don't like how the DW would block that section of aisle when open but people can access the kitchen from the fridge side so it might not be too much problem.

I wish I had erased that corner and made it a regular 90 degree turn. There's no need for that type of angled corner without an appliance there.

{{gwi:2135454}}

Open up the wall to the dining room so the kitchen can take over the breakfast area. Eat all of your meals in the dining room. Every day. Without that, you don't have enough space to significantly improve the layout.

Something like this.

Can you be more specific about your goals, by "maximizing the space," are you looking for more storage, more counter space, etc? In other words, what is lacking in your current space?

Thanks for all the ideas so far they are excellent.

When you question it how I want to "maximize the space" I guess I do need to be more specific. We would like to keep the dining room a separate area as we enjoyed formal dining during the holidays and when people are over. However we want an intimate area for just our family to eat in the kitchen.

I was questioning whether we could put in a very large island that includes an eating area for a family of four, or move to a smaller table to the side of the sliders to keep access to the main sliding door available. That was my thought for removing the wall between the kitchen and family room. It kept it in an intimate area but open concept.

does anyone have any ideas on how to incorporate a large island in the center of the space that would include seating. Perhaps an additional cabinet to the left of the sliders would be able to fit in that would push the island or table a little bit towards the family room?

Thanks again for the help!

Kitchen island dining does not make for good conversation. Most islands result in a linear seating design. We don't face one another and can't see each other when we talk.

I think you will run into this problem with your design. That is why it was suggested that you might want to do family meals in the dining room. The family can face one another. This doesn't mean that you can't have eating space on the island counter. It will just be space for one, two or maybe three. More spaces and you are dining in a bar.

Reconsider the suggestion about the dining room. I understand you want to save the space for family events. But, the most important family event is the evening meal.

I grew up in an old house that didn't have space to eat in the kitchen. We did have a kitchen bar where one or two of us could eat. Kitchen's of that era house were for servants. We didn't have servant's, but we did dine at my mother's Chippendale dining room table every evening. It fostered good manners and sociability.

Doing this will give you a much more satisfactory plan.

I grew up in a house with a dining room right next to the kitchen and a round table squeezed into a kitchen nook. The dining room was only used at holidays and maybe 2-3 other times a year when my mother inexplicably decided we would have dinner there.

Looking back decades later, I wonder why we didn't eat in the dining room. It was bigger. It had better lighting. It was more comfortable. And it was only 2 steps from the kitchen.

The house I live in currently has an island. It's fine for snacks and quick meals. It's not comfortable to sit at for very long long though. Or have a conversation because everyone is sitting in a line-diner style. And aesthetically...it's view is of the kitchen sink. How's that for ambiance? lol.

I played with funky's layout and came up with this.

ðsland is 51 x 79,5 (1,5 o/h for cabs included,) Long side: 15 o/h, 21 sink, 42 cabs (could be 27 drawers and 15 trash at the end so cleanup can use the trash as well). Across DW you can have a 24" wide, 15 deep cab.

MW in a tall cab next to slider and there can be shallow (12-15" deep) pantry cabs b/w the slider and the window.

If you have 45" b/w the island and the sink wall part of prep sink and prep area would be in front of the fridge, so I think it would be good to leave 42-45" b/w the fridge and the island. (assuming that fridge will be 36 and range 28 deep).

Editted to add missing words. Also, for trash you may want to consider a GWer, beaglesdoitbetter's trash cab that has opening on 2 sides.

This post was edited by sena01 on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 20:35

I like how you expanded and improved my idea, Sena!

Just want to say that I agree with the idea of dining in the dining room when you can. I wish we had done that more when our kids were growing up. Between sports, band, karate, dance, piano...oh, my, it was hard to get everybody at the table at the same time. But I wish on the nights when we did eat together that we had done that more. So I'm just nudging to do that sometimes, even if it isn't every dinner. .