Working blind, not knowing what walls are loadbearing. Here are some pet peeves about the layout: 1) I hate the opening between dining room and kitchen, which sends through traffic by the sink and presumably DW; 2, hate the stairs coming down right in front of a wall; 3) most of the foyer to me is wasted and down the road I would try to reallocate most of it to the BR; and 4, Not fond of both a breakfast nook and dining room. What I would do: 1) Close current opening between dining room and kitchen to provide a large L-shaped area. 2) Create new opening at extreme left side of that existing wall. 3) Remove part of the wall between laundry area and breakfast nook. End the wall aligned with the stairs so they will be visible from breakfast nook and kitchen. 4) Move fridge (counter depth if possible) to the left of the sink. If space permits, steal a couple of feet from the breakfast nook but ensure there is room for a small table and chairs. 5) By moving the opening between the dining area and kitchen, and relocating the fridge, you now should have room for a decent sized island in the most popular kitchen shape: an L shaped island with a working (no seating) island. The island would be a great landing zone for the pantry and fridge. Given the structural changes, I would use a design-build firm that has a kitchen designer and a civil engineer or architect on board.

HI -- If you are changing the whole kitchen layout then this is what I would do. Leave the fridge where it is but have the pantry cabinet beside . don't have any cabinets on that south wall so you can have your big window or possibly a patio slider or french doors . On the sink window wall have the stove on the left side of the window . Have the microwave in an upper cabinet in the corner to the right of the window . Have a working island ( no overhang with stools ) down the middle with the sink and dishwasher and possibly the microwave if that is better for you . Then upper cabinets in spaces on the window wall and range hood or venting in a cabinet for the stove . You could have a prep sink where the full sink is now or just have all counter space under the window . The same cabinets could continue right into the dining room for more storage . You will need 42 inches of floor space between counter and island . I hope you understand me .

Here's what you could do if you changed the windows: Two Prep Zones: Both Prep Zones have direct water access Both Prep Zones have a nice expanse of workspace next to the sink Both Prep Zones are next to the range Both Prep Zones have at least 43" of prep workspace b/w the range and sink Both Prep Zones are separated from the Cleanup Sink and Dish Storage . Other notes: Wall ovens are protected from traffic and are on the end of the cabinet run with landing space next to them Tray storage (cooling racks, cookie sheets, roasting pans, muffin tins, etc.) is above the ovens. Glass/heavy Casserole dishes can be stored in the drawer beneath the ovens (that's where I store mine). Pot/Pan storage is under the cooktop. If needed, a cabinet on either side could also be used. The Refrigerator is next to the Tea/Coffee & Snack Center, which provides ample landing space for the refrigerator. It's also directly across from both Prep Zones and the Cooking Zone. The Refrigerator is also located near the Garage entrance for ease of putting groceries away. The Snack Center counters provide not just landing space for taking things out, but also a place to put grocery bags while unloading into the Refrigerator. Tea/Coffee & Snack Center is located near both the Refrigerator and Pantry where most snacks come from. It has two 18" swinging doors (swing both ways) that provide a 36-inch entry. They don't have to swing both ways, but I thought they'd be more useful. I debated pocket doors, but they take a greater effort to use and might be a problem when trying to enter the Pantry with your hands full (ingredients or grocery bags). A built-in MW drawer is in the Tea/Coffee & Snack Center next to the refrigerator and out of the way of prepping, cooking, and cleaning up. There's a large step-in pantry across from the Prep & Cooking Zones and next to the Garage entrance, which makes it easy to put groceries away. No walking across the length of the house with heavy grocery bags. The shelves are floor to ceiling on 3 sides. The long back shelves are 12" deep (the "sweet spot" for pantry shelf depth) and the shelves along the sides can be either 12" or 15" deep, your choice. They could also be 18" deep, but at that depth things begin to get lost (experience speaking...my old pantry had 18" deep shelves and things always got lost!) The Cleanup Zone and Dish Storage are next to the Dining Room -- easy access to dishes for setting the table and to counters for dirty dishes when clearing the table. Someone loading/unloading the DW will be out of the way of someone else prepping/cooking Finally, there's a shallow closet for your husband's "new" office where the door used to be. . The aisles are wide enough to accommodate a busy path b/w the Game Room/Garage/Powder Room and the rest of the house. The placement of the doorways, now, are actually beneficial. Traffic is directed away from the primary work zones: Prep, Cooking, Cleanup. Work Zones:

Good question...That space is actually not that big in real life. We'll likely put the 2 chairs with a table in between that we have in the sunroom now. We may end up with a moveable island in the "butler's pantry" -- agree, it's more of an extended kitchen space. But we can reuse the same cabinets so it will be low cost and extra storage since we'll have less in the main kitchen area. Moving the bathroom was deemed to be more than $10k, and creates a lot more complexity in the project. I am intrigued by that idea, but I think that will actually make the house feel smaller since that will create more of a closed off hallway from our utility room.