First of all, the wall between the kitchen and great room is load bearing. Some portion of it will need to remain, or intrude into the hallway. And costs will go up because you may need some steel there. It's already spec'd at a really big beam to carry the weight of the existing opening. Removing the wall isn't going to be a $1.98 change. And it leaves you without a lot of wall space for all the things that need wall space in a kitchen. Therefore, I'd get rid of that opening to the hall in favor of having it be more wall space. Second, if the width of the kitchen is the 12 and change, then obviously, the other leg is at least 2' shorter, if not more. This is taking the original blueprints in order to be sure of what will work in the space. It leaves a stub of a wall to the one side of the fridge (gotta make sure that it's no more than 30" if you're gonna use a standard depth, or 24" if you're gonna use a cabinet depth. This gives you all you want, just maybe not in the orientation that you want it. But, unless you switch plans entirely (my recommendation) this is about as good as you can get.

You have a tremendous advantage in living with this basic layout already, but I'd suggest drawing it carefully to scale anyway. Also, that will help spur thoughts that might be useful on this side. What sort of things will be stored in the non-pullout 24" deep cabinet? Have you given any thought to putting in a window on the stove wall since it's on the exterior? Something low below the cabinets, or high, above? Has DH had the opportunity to fondle soapstone yet? :) BTW, you're showing the same dining space also, so it's safe to assume it's also working very well for you. Do you have a table for two against the wall, or? Is there room to bring in a comfy chair for relaxing and chatting with the cook? I like your idea of bookcases backing the counter. Since books are one of my very favorite mood creators and decorations, I'd do glass doors there.

I can't imagine that putting a door to the DR would be very expensive--it's a DIY project if ANYONE in the family could do it in a weekend. The two houses I've dealt with that had pass thrus to the DR drove me nuts. It would be so much nicer to have a door there! That, and having a 1/2 bath would be absolutely top priorities for me, but the 1/2 bath could add more cost than she might be able to pay for. If you use a small corner sink, the pocket door will be fine. Since she wants electric, I would STRONGLY encourage her to look at the positives of induction, and get a range with an induction top. It is SO much better than regular electric--easier to clean, much safer, absolute and immediate control of temperature, boils water faster, doesn't heat up kitchen, it's energy efficient, etc. My induction cooktop is by far our favorite feature of our kitchen! Even though it cost more than we'd planned on, it was definitely worth it. It's not that difficult to learn how to use. (I'm only a few years younger than she is, and I don't usually like learning how to use new stuff, but this was easy.) Of course, that might mean new pans, but maybe the family could go together for a present of one of the more inexpensive sets that works with induction. Also, you may have the extra expense of running electrical to accommodate the induction, but from a safety standpoint alone, it might be worth it to have the induction. It seems like plan #8 might work best, especially if you switch the double sink with the prep sink. That way, your mother could also use the prep sink (make it a large one) to work with her plants easily, since it would be right by the back door. Also, this end of the kitchen could have her tea materials, beverage cups and glasses for the rest of the family, the MW, toaster oven, and she'd have the large window view and lots of natural light to do these pleasant daily tasks. The double sink under the smaller window would put it, the DW, and the dishes closer to the DR. If she wants more storage, I'd get rid of the curved upper shelves (in one of your plans) by the smaller window, and add 3-6" to each upper cabinet, unless she has lots of knick-knacks that she wants to reach up and dust as she gets older. Obviously, an island would give her more storage than a table. If you make the island 36" w x 48" l, you could have two 24" wide cabinets opposite the range, and a 12" deep "table" overhang on the dog dish side. Anne

The previous homeowners made a classic mistake of mixing "earthy" with "fresh" in fixed materials. Maybe they did it for resale, I don't know. But the mistake is there. White kitchen plus white subway tile doesn't look good with travertine(or that granite, for that matter). It's not a question of traditional vs modern; it's just a plainly wrong choice of combining materials. Fixed things should make sense together; if they don't it doesn't matter what style it is or was supposed to be-it will irritate you. I'm not that optimistic about travertine floors-I have them myself in my current home(not everywhere but big entry and kitchen)-I find them much bossier than wood floors. Luckily I prefer warmer palette, so I was able to combine them with wood, and work with them and not against them. I agree with Lily'smom about warmer aqua, it will work; aqua by itself is on the warmer side of blues. But it won't be enough to tie everything together. The materials are fighting each other. You'll need-eventually- to change either the countertop, or the backsplash. (The backsplash you're probably loving more; but it's easier to change) The question is: after you spend your time and money tweaking here and there-will you arrive to the feeling of the house you're after? I'd make a plan. What bothers you the most? And I'd start slowly changing it. In our new house, the owners put a newer kitchen, probably for resale because it was like a sore thumb. It didn't make any sense with the rest of thehouse. I thought for days how to tweak it until I understood that whatever I do-it won't be a good solution. It was a wrong plan for the home, and a wrong style for the home. Fortunately (or not LOL) we had to abate tons of asbestos, literally gutting the house..was psychologically easier to decide to put in a new kitchen, because the old one had to come down off the walls anyway. You can start small, taking doors of the upper cabinets, painting the lowers aqua..btw I'd paint the uppers aqua too. Painting walls if you don't like the current color(even though it's cool), seeing how it all comes together. Or you can decide the floors or the granite boss you around too much-and start with that. In which case I'd start with the granite)) Much smaller surface to tackle. And harder to work around, than travertine.. This house is traditional..you can't make it into a completely different house. But you can translate a different feel. It takes planning, time, and money(or less money and lot of work if you DIY a lot)