Re. septic, we recently had the property surveyed, and have spoken with the town sanitarian, so we know what we have to do in that regard (addition to the side = too close to neighbor's property; we have an acre & most of it is in the back). Great point about "tunnel-like" if the fridge is there, hadn't considered that. Yesterday, I tried to start all over again taking everyone's feedback into consideration. Harder than a Rubic's cube! Am now thinking it makes sense to shorten the addition wall jutting out on the left from 3' to 2' (would definitely need support post/wall somewhere in the middle), put the dining room table a few feet out from the left side picture window (if you look at our current layout, it's really just moving it a few feet fwd, wouldn't feel like it's right in the middle of the living room, and I'm flexible with what the living room furniture would consist of - know I could make that work). That leaves an open run from the left living room area to the addition to adjoin a second table for company, but now the peninsula doesn't work - too close to the table/s. Also, move the desk area to the back right wall side of the addition where I had proposed the dining rooom table, and put a pantry cabinet or closet where the desk proposal is instead (I do like the desk that way more in back of the house). Major problem now is that the kitchen seems to be getting too small again?! Revised kitchen layout proposal??? I'd be happy to keep the sink and range generally where they are now (DW is to left of sink); do want to see into the addition while at the sink - that run of counter could be half wall with support post/wall near middle (but lose upper cabinets unless have thick header with small high cabinets above), or it could be full wall with pass through window-like opening above sink. However if the window is too small it doesn't look right, but the bigger it is, the more upper cabinets are lost; move the fridge anywhere it makes sense; would love an island - a peninsula seems more realistic - main function as a serving buffet with a couple stools on the far side; and although I see the benefits of a prep sink, I've never had one - am willing to do without. I've been working on this for 4 months now; can't believe how hard it is! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks! Yes, we are considering the option to increase the slider door size to blend the inside and outside. However, given our climate, there is only about 4 months of indoor/outdoor time in a given year... So we may not get full value in this type of investment. Thanks for your revision to the plan... Will mull it over with my wife and see what she thinks.

@Dana ugh. i just wrote a long posting that got deleted due to tech error. Here are photos of the cabinetry. the one with the hood is more representative of the color -- yes it is Cotton (one shade down looked too dingy for me in my kitchen lighting). The other photo of my refrigerator surround/cabinetry is where you can most easily see the color difference. The cabinet color on left, is slightly different from the finsihed end panel on right. It's subtle but a detail oriented person like me would notice. Also, overall, when you look at the kitchen, it makes it seem slightly less polished because my eye "reads" it as slightly different. If you're not picky, it might do fine for you. Personally, I find the Cotton too bright of a white. my walls are ben Moore simply white, which I absolutely love as I feel it is a bright white shade but slightly warm so it gives a cozy bright warm feeling as opposed to the very white of the Cotton (leans towards blue undertones). the ben moore simply white color does not feel "dirty" or drab at all. it looks very white but just takes the "edge" off the super white shade that is evident in the Cotton. i forgot to mention that because the cabinets are full overlay, you have to be careful when a cabinet is placed over something that needs more clearance. the typical clearance of the door/drawers is only 1/16" to produce a 1/8" reveal. this became a problem for my above the refrigerator cabinet and my cabinet guy did not order it right which was super frustrating. Harmoni could also not get my tall cabinet right which had a built in oven and microwave cubby. I paid $200 for a piece of wooden frame for a microwave cubby and they couldn't even attach it or space it properly. it was super frustrating. Also beware -- I ordered expensive crown molding specifically to match the cabinetry because I was having such a difficult time with the finish, but yet again, I don't feel that it matches exactly to the cabinet doors or finished end panels. hope this helps. good luck. I would never ever buy this cabinetry again, personally, after my experience. I did not find the service up to par, but that may be with all manufacturers. I felt that the retailer and Harmoni promises a lot of things (more customization, nice hard finish, etc.) but I do not feel they lived up to those promises in the end, and it was those promises that I based my decision on. let me know if this helps. I just want to help someone else who may be as particular as I am to avoid this huge mistake.

Thanks, luckyblueeye – I think that’s the best solution for the black hole if I were to keep this design. herbflavor - I wish we had that kind of space! Karenseb, we thought about moving the coat closet forward a bit, but it would really close off the stairs, since the wall on the other side of the stairs goes all the way down to the landing. Thanks to everyone for shaking me out of my “island brain.” My original design included a peninsula, similar to what Sophie describes, but I've always wanted an island, so I kept trying to fit one into this space. Here’s the current layout. Note it says "primary entrance" next to the garage. That's because everyone in this area inexplicably has 2 front doors. We're considering closing this off to allow for a better furniture layout in the family room. And here's a quick sketch of what I had for my original plan. I was planning on stacked drawers and an upper with the microwave next to the fridge, but I guess I should try to fit a pull-out pantry cabinet there instead?