I iron my clothes every morning as well. There may be no choice as to have the laundry room as is and just find somewhere to put it neatly. I've seen large cabinets that hold ironing boards, brooms, mops, etc., but I don't think there's room for that either. Hopefully, we can discuss our options with the builder this week. That's too funny about your not making the turn. I haven't even thought about that.....this is our first garage. My husband wanted to add an attached storage building (for mower), so at least he will probably get use out of the door. I was unsure at first, but the builder is making it to look like part of the house with shingles and a window, so I think it will look nice. I didn't want it to stick out like a sore thumb... We have to make the final decisions regarding the laundry room or anything that will change the exterior. I'm hoping we can do that this week so that that they can started with the footing/foundation. We just got the permit from the city on Friday. How about you and where are you from by the way?

The problem with cabinets over a pass-through or peninsula is not just the "view" when seated - it's also when standing. Most people are ripping out these cabinets when they remodel. To make it "user friendly", they have to be mounted high enough so the tallest person in your family (or among close friends/frequent visitors) can stand and look through the space w/o having to duck. If you try to talk to someone on the other side, you will also have to duck to talk to them. My advice: Don't do it! Oh, and I would make the counter all one height on both sides. If the counter will be 36" (counter-height) high on the kitchen side, make the entire counter 36" high so you have a large enough surface for that homework you mentioned and for extra workspace when needed for large projects. When counters are two levels, the usable surface depth on the higher level is usually too shallow to make it really usable for much more than leaning on arms or for placing a drink glass. If you plan for homework, I would want a surface at least 24" deep, maybe more. I know my kids take up more than 24" of depth when doing homework on our peninsula...closer to 30" or 36".

How great that you're considering a pass-through. It's a real shame that style trends killed them off so completely (just a long temporarily, I'm sure) because they can be a great way of practically having it all. I also have no idea where my favorite tear-out is. The home, though, is warm-elegant-traditional in style, and the pass-through isn't particularly large but is handsomely framed to create a great view into a gorgeous kitchen room (rich red walls and creamy white cabs). No counter on the outside so people can just stroll by and look in, and the kitchen side has shutters that can be closed for privacy as the mess builds up during parties, etc. The biggest reason this feature looks so great from the outside, though, is that a focal point is centered in the view created, either a window to a green garden or the stove and hood. Can't remember, but the quality of the view created was key.

Whether to do a passthrough, half-wall, or full wall all depends on how you want the two rooms to feel and function (both separately and together). So, I cannot tell you what will work best. However, my brother recently renovated his kitchen (nearly finished) and changed a full wall to a half wall between his kitchen and dining room. He tends towards more informal gatherings and he wanted to help the small closed-off kitchen feel larger and more open to the house. He does not like upper cabinets and with the remodel was able to acquire additional lower cabinets to make up for the lost storage. He has no stools on the dining room side of the half wall, though the granite does cover the top of the half wall. (In fact, the dining room is simply too narrow to accommodate a table and chairs and counter seating.) His new kitchen feels very open and light (the dining room is on a corner and light floods in from two large windows) and he is extremely happy with the result. Your inspiration picture is very lovely. The detailing on the window is beautiful and could probably be duplicated through wood trim on a pass-through if you would be interested.