I wouldn't take out the fireplace - you have plenty of room to work with and enough to still have a sitting area -- at least a coffee nook by the fireplace even with the kitchen over on that side. Depending on how much you want to move things around the dining table could even go by the fireplace and the reading/sitting area by the deck. If the lighting is flexible, you could even change that seasonally. A fireplace adds warmth and charm to a room. They add value to a house. You are not in a situation where the room is just too small to have a fireplace and still live in the room. If anything, I would make sure the fireplace is an important part of your thought process and planning -- not an afterthought. It does seem to be an afterthought in some of these ideas, and that can make it awkward. My suggestion: put down the pencil and paper, the markers and even the blue tape for a day or two. Stop drawing. Take some time to think about what you really need, both now and over the next 10 years or more. Aren't your boys about to be taking off or at least not home more than they are home (if not already)? If not, I would think losing living space would not be good because there would be a greater demand for separate living spaces for kids and adults. And that daughter of yours is not likely to be doing homework at the kitchen counter much longer. I'm sure you went through this with your boys to at least some degree, so you should understand when I say that your daughter is about to start thinking your are the dumbest, most unreasonable person on the planet (at least some of the time) and want to spend her time in her room, talking to her friends, experimenting with hair, nails and makeup, etc. What I'm trying to get at is that you need to make sure you think forward ten years and plan for those rather than the last ten years. I don't mean plan an empty-nester kitchen because they are still around and in 10 years time may be bringing spouses and grandbabies around. Or you could decide this isn't where you want to be when daughter goes off to college and you start thinking about resale in 5 years. Do you host extended family or teen groups now? Just meals or other activities? You still want a functional and flexible space. I'm just wondering if you are giving up too much living space just for the sake of having an island. I don't see that having an island is gaining that much for all that you have to give up to get it. You're not gaining function. Most of what you gain is aisles. That doesn't work for me. I want breathing room, but I want function and usable space -- in the kitchen and in my living spaces. My suggestion would be to put down the pencil, pens and paper and walk away for at least a day or two. Think about what you need and use now and how it is likely to change. After you think a bit, pick up the pencil, resist the urge to sketch layouts and just list your priorities, in order, for your kitchen and your home as a whole. What is it that you must have and what would be nice but not essential. What is just a dream? Then keep that list in mind when you start to consider your layout options. To me, it sounds like the island is a would like or a dream, but not a must have -- but it seems to be driving all the options. The island seems to play into your desire to have more than one traffic path, but may not be essential to it. I keep wondering if you might have an option to rework the basement stairs and open up the DR to the kitchen and give yourself more traffic options. I can't tell that from what you've posted, and for many people it would be cost prohibitive, but for you, it might not be that frightening and it might be easier than moving your kitchen across the way, tearing up a basement bedroom you are happy with, etc. Just thinking out loud hear, and in between several interruptions at that. I hope you get some of what I'm trying to get at. Either way, keep at it. This is the most important part of a reno -- thinking, planning, researching, analyzing and thinking some more. It costs the least and will gain you the most in the long run. Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Hi cotehele, i'll take pictures tonight when i get home. We did some research/word of mouth to find a good source for lumber (i think searching for lumber mill is a good start). Here is what our experience was like...we were really trying to cut costs (nearing the end and over budget! :) so we went right to the SOURCE of the wood (rather than a retail establishment/middleman). We drove about 40 minutes outside chicago to a guy who does milling. We knew we weren't in chicago anymore when our arrival was greeted by 20-30 large hens/roosters who surrounded our truck. After determining that they were probably not a threat (i'm a city girl... who knows :) we were able to find some lovely black walnut with lots of color variations/interest. We picked out our boards ourselves and for an additional 25. the guy at the mill planed them and cut the one side to make it straight (he called it "glue ready") We had a local carpenter put them together and I've been waterloxing them myself. I'll post some pics later b

I'm sorry, I'd like to help you but your plans are difficult to read. Since you are planning on doing Ikea boxes, could you possibly use their planner to show the room dimensions and post the result here? That would help us to help you immensely! In the mean time, (this is all from looking at your renderings, not the diagrams, which I cannot see well enough) I would suggest getting rid of the tall shelves that block your view of the rear door. I would hope that door has some glass to it to let in light, and if not, consider replacing it with one that does. I would center the range between the two windows on the back wall as a focal point, and use cabinetry to the counter to the right of the second window to create a "hutch" type of storage. Put the sink on the peninsula, and again, place cabinetry on the wall on the left, facing outward towards the peninsula. Again, take it all the way to the counter in order to maximize storage. Maybe use glass to keep it less of a visual barrier. That could be your main dish storage area, and if you did an appliance garage under it instead of another cabinet, you could store your coffee maker and toaster there. I'd use a smaller sink, and that would leave the peninsula as the social center of your prep.

Hi, Shelley. I live 10 miles from my Ikea, and I spent a LOT of time to-ing and fro-ing to the store before and during our reno. I thoroughly inspected the store displays before I took the plunge. Once I saw all the advantages of frameless cabs, I was hooked. My husband was skeptical, but he is very happy with the result. I love my Ikea cabinets. I am very happy with the quality, and do feel like they will last. The cab interior is made of particle board, which some folks avoid, but it was not an issue for me. All the hardware is made by Blum. The warranty is for 25 years, so Ikea stands behind their product. I love all the storage options Ikea has, and I really liked the transparency of their pricing. I would say that I paid about a third to forty percent of what a mid-grade cabinet with all the bells and whistles would have cost. I assembled the cabinets myself (which I enjoyed, once I got the hang of it), and edgebanded them, which eliminated any contrast between the doors/drawers and the interior birch boxes. We used a contractor to install the cabs, and his carpenter did a great job. The skill of the carpenter can make quite a difference to how well these cabs look installed, but I think that applies to any cab. Lots of people install their own Ikea cabs with terrific results. I think it would be really tough to take on an Ikea kitchen when you live so far away. Ikea is not known for high-touch customer service-- that is partly why you save so much. I might consider it myself, but only because I've gone through the learning curve of doing one kitchen. I'm honestly not sure if Ikea would drop ship an order. They do deliver stuff, but I think that you have to go to the store to purchase. I schlepped everything home in my SUV. The delivery charges add up and eat into your savings. Maybe go with another ready-to-assemble company, like Scherr's, that is used to shipping orders? At one point I was considering putting Scherr's doors on Ikea boxes. They have a good reputation and were nice to deal with. Only problem I had was that their turn-around time on sample doors was about 3 weeks-- and I could see that it might take a few iterations to get the door you like. They have drawings of the doors on their web site but there is no substitute for seeing a door in person. One last thing-- Ikea has a planner you can download, and make a 3d drawing of your kitchen. The planner will price out all the cabs for you. That can be a good baseline to use as you look at other cabinet companies. Good luck!