Forget the work triangle. Think instead of work zones. When we cook in the kitchen we normally take food out of the fridge (ice), move it to the sink to wash it, (water), then move it next to the sink on the counter to prep it (stone) and finally we move the cut up and prepped food to the cooktop (fire) to cook it. So plan a kitchen with the idea of Ice, Water, Stone, Fire.

Additionally you don't want to be crossing zones. So you don't want to have to cross through cooking to get to the Ice for example.

I wanted to show you how your island is creating a barrier and how your space doesn't follow the Ice, water, stone, fire but I can't seem to download your image.

Thanks for responding! I am not sure how to solve the image issue. Can you download this one?

Have you considered arranging the rooms like this? You'd have a much better indoor/outdoor feeling by putting the kitchen in the sunroom, adding a back door straight back from the stairs and hallway, you could have huge windows in the dining room so you can enjoy more light and view.

Interesting idea Benjesbride - kind of obvious in fact. I hadn't thought of that because we need a play room of some kind for the kids and the sun room is the only option for that short-term; and my bigger expansion ideas have all had a family room located where you suggest the kitchen goes. But definitely food for thought!

A family room could logically go here in the pink. Maybe with the addition of a mudroom and powder.

Thanks for the suggestion benjesbride! We would like both the kitchen and future fam rm to have windows onto the back yard - which is a beautiful 1 acre expanse with southeastern exposure. In our long term plan we would turn the existing LR into a formal dining room, something like below (still tinkering) with a new family entrance somewhere in the new mud/laundry area. One of the appeals of the floor plan I originally posted is that we could do it as a stand-alone project that both ties in nicely to the existing sunroom/deck (which allows for much needed kid play space), but also ties in well with the longer-term plan for a larger family room/mud/laundry area. So in addition to your thoughtful suggestions about alternative room configurations I would also love ideas on whether/how to make the plan I posted more workable.

Does the bay have to be angled? You could square it off, keeping the windows, and even have space for another exterior door. (Or a longer banquette and table.) In this plan I moved the clean-up zone to the other wall, and kept prep and cooking on the left wall. When entering with groceries, the end of the island can be the drop zone, and groceries stowed on one side or the other.

There is a window over the sink, in case you want to monitor the playroom, and dishes are in the island across from the DW. The DW can be loaded or unloaded, or the table set, without a helper needing to enter the prep and cooking zones. The disadvantage is that you need to take prep and cooking vessels and utensils around the island to the clean-up zone. (Or slide them across the counter until ready to clean up, then walk around.)

The MW drawer could be put there the prep sink is drawn, and the sink moved down, if you want the MW closer to the fridge.

The big problems I see are: you have to walk through your primary prep space to get to the dining area, you're essentially turning kitchen into a hallway rather than a destination. Your island is a large barrier. (green shows traffic pattern, blue shows work flow)

It seems like you may have seen an inspiration photo and you want to recreate it in your house, but I don't think it's the best use of your space. The banquette kind of kills your view. Sitting in it's most comfortable seats, you'll have your back to the view. Any island chandeliers/pendants will further block the view outside. Is your family the kind that will keep the island totally clear? Otherwise, an island with stuff on it will further detract from your view.

When renovating our house, I evaluated the view from points in my new floor plan. My priority was that when people walk into our house and look ahead-bam- there's the mountain straight ahead, framed by a large window. Maybe that's something for you to try. What do you want people to see when they walk in? Does that matter to you?

Are you working with a designer? It sounds like you have a beautiful property and big ideas. There's a big opportunity here for something amazing or something short sighted.

I took a closer look at your inspiration photo. The fridge is on the end of the island. If you don't care about seeing the backyard from the front room, this might be a more functional layout in your house and your kitchen will be open to your future great room. However, it's a longer hike between main floor bedrooms and upstairs bedrooms.

Benjesbride, I like your suggestion except for what I fear will make the already kind of cramped LR even tighter in the short run (it's currently 14x14 of useable space (14x16 including fireplace & built-ins). Your suggestion would make that room effectively 12x14 which isn't bad as a future DR size but would feel tight as a LR in the short run.

Mamagoose, great ideas as well! I do wonder about the traffic to the banquette in any of your scenarios b/c it seems either the prep/cook or cleanup zones would have to be traversed.

What do you both think of the version below, where I moved the fridge next to the banquette? I take the earlier point about really thinking through what's important regarding the view to the yard, so I'm not sure what I think of blocking part of the wall with the fridge. I tried to compensate with a larger window over the sink and a possible skylight. BUT it would make for a better ice-water-stone-fire flow, right? And I think it would make traffic to the banquette area a bit 'cleaner' - wouldn't interfere with prep/cook/clean areas. And the bev ctr/snacking/hanging out can all be done on the right side of the island/banquette area.

"Is your family the kind that will keep the island totally clear?
Otherwise, an island with stuff on it will further detract from your
view."

Yes, in between meal prep we are fairly good about cleanup/putting clutter away. STILL, though, our kid's preschool art projects have to go somewhere when they first get home, so rather than fight that reality and not have any drop zone for that stuff (thus dumping it on the island), I'm thinking to just acknowledge it and contain it with a command ctr where we can have a drawer just for those art projects.

"When renovating our house, I evaluated the view from points in my new
floor plan. My priority was that when people walk into our house and
look ahead-bam- there's the mountain straight ahead, framed by a large
window. Maybe that's something for you to try. What do you want people
to see when they walk in? Does that matter to you?"

Great question for me to talk through w/ my husband. I have been thinking much more about connections to the back yard. We do a lot of grilling and hopefully backyard dining in the summer months; I like the banquette near that "action" as a way of feeling more connected to the outdoors.

"Are you working with a designer? It sounds like you have a beautiful
property and big ideas. There's a big opportunity here for something
amazing or something short sighted."

Not yet but not opposed to it. I am not sure if we need an architect, or a design-build firm, or just a contractor, or... ?

I don't have a clear grasp on the dimensions you're dealing with in your house, but I'm going to take one more run at the kitchen in the corner suggestion... It depends on your property and views, but I think having the dining room and family room open onto a deck with big patio doors would "bring the outdoors in." The kitchen is still near all those windows and the doors. Also, if you have plans to expand the main floor with a master suite on the back of the house, you could extend the deck to the left so the master can access it too.

We had a banquette at our last house and although they're cozy, it's not practical to have seating for more than two on the bench seat--otherwise someone has to get out to let thepeople in the middle out. Ours also backed up against a window to our backyard and I honestly don't think you'll feel any more a part of the outdoors than if you're at a dining table facing out. You'll likely feel less-so because you're facing the kitchen.

Course with your last version you really don't need the prep sink. In fact if you want that version you'd be better with a larger sink I think. Here's a version that eliminates the prep sink. Easy run from fridge, to sink to prep to stove.

If you want to keep the prep sink and separate clean up sink, then I would definitely consider mama's first plan.

Or if you prefer your plan with the fridge on the end, you could do the prep sink where you have the cleanup sink and put the clean up sink on the island. That's what I'm doing.

I wouldn't put the fridge that deep into the kitchen. It would be nice for when you're grilling and eating outdoors, but I'd put it on the other end, convenient for anyone who wants to access it any time, without walking through the cooking zone. In cpartist's last plan I'd flip the left wall, which should also make venting easier:

I see the wisdom in what mama goose and cpartist are suggesting, layout wise w/ fridge and range on same wall w/ fridge up "top". I've never really liked having sink/stovetop in an island so I've resisted that, but maybe I need to weigh out how much of a priority that is. Hmm. I am also partly persuaded on the cons of a banquette setup. Here's yet another incarnation, that has fridge and range as suggested by you guys (with prep sink), but now with a corner sink w/ windows and an eat-in area instead of a banquette. The bump-out seems to be getting bigger and bigger...

I like that! Even though it wastes a bit of storage space, I think a corner sink, with windows on both sides, is pretty. Great location for the dishes, too.

I think I'd change the door swing, so that it's easier for someone to walk through the right side aisle when entering, and leaves more room for opening past 90°.

I haven't properly read everything so pardon any repeat, but you do know you don't have to have a rectangular table in your banquette, right? :P A table can absolutely be made to fit that oddball shape so that every seat can reach the table!

(Your inspiration picture is all about looks and not so much function. We can do better!)

I'm personally no fan of corner sinks. Lots of wasted space in the angles. What if you go with a round table and banquet seating? This would give you two good prep spaces. The one on the island and a secondary one next to the clean up sink.