I'm sorry but your uploads are too small to read and they're sideways.

Let me try again! It wont let me load a pdf so I had to convert them to jpg

In the photo you shared there were only chairs on the outside of the table, not the kitchen side. In your architect’s plan there are chairs on the inside. This would drive me batty, get in the way, and make it difficult to use the table as a work surface. Do you have somewhere to store six chairs so they’re only in the walkway when needed. If not I’d avoid that option, even if it is very cool looking.

We had a table as an island in a condo after college. It was awful. The issue is tables aren't counter height, so you have to bend over if you want to use it as prep space. And if it was counter height, it would be too high for normal seating. So from personal experience, I'm telling you to scrap that table/island idea. Just get an extending table.

Your architect probably isn’t “too slow” he’s probably being conservative given this isn’t really that realistic of a project. Your insurance will not pay for wholesale rearrangement of your house. So where is the extra 200K going to come from to do it?

A lot will depend on how you cook, and how you arrange the actual counter prep, cooking and clean up space as to whether the table is practical. Definitely chairs on both sides, and it doesn't sound like you have the storage space for half when not in use.

The table mostly won't be useful for prepping, although currently I like sitting DOWN at my dining table to do close at hand repetitive work such as stuffing grape leaves, making Vietnamese summer rolls, and the like. (Bad knees here). Decorating cookies would fall into the same category.

I'd bring the kitchen to the Kitchen Forum.

This is very long kitchen to run back and forth, and all of the chairs on the way will make table not useful for every day dining. I wouldn't want to have diner with just my family on the table with 15 chairs... I think you need to put smaller table in front of kitchen with chairs on back and storage below and another table in bay window area that you can move together for party time.

I'm a little confused by where a guest enters the home. If it's the entry next to the library then I would ditch the plan that has guests enter through the library and into the kitchen.

I have a structural concern. It appears you're taking out a bearing wall to open up the kitchen. While removing bearing walls can be done it's not easy. This is an excessively long distance to try to free span.

I agree with Summit Studio Architects about routing traffic from the entry to the kitchen through the library.

Looking at your plan, the only way to public spaces from the entry is through private spaces. This wasn't uncommon in older homes but you have an easy way to fix that and I would. Besides, wouldn't you rather company entering your home sees the bank of windows across the back of your home instead of a wall? I would. It will also make your entry more light-filled.

I see a sun room listed on one of the plans. Is that space you currently have or a wished-for add-on? If the former, I'd move the kitchen to that space and make the space where the kitchen is currently planned the dining room. That space is generous enough that you can add a mudroom where the proposed carport door is. You can add a door to the library if you want your kids to stash their backpacks in that room or you can add benches and storage for shoes, coats and backpacks in the mudroom.

How often do you entertain your entire family of 15 people? More than 1x a week? Weekly? Monthly? If it's on a regular basis, I can see the need to keep the large table set up so that you don't have to drag table leaves out all the time. But if the majority of the time only your immediate family will be sitting at the table, that long table is going to seem overwhelming. Kinda like the scene in the first Batman movie with Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger seated at opposite ends of a very long table (that reference dates me, lol.)

I'm also curious how you're going to support the 2nd story across that very long span. That beam is going to cost a pretty penny!

(Sorry to hear that you suffered through Hurricane Harvey. Wishing you a better year ahead.)

Thank you! If you look there are 2 plans. The plan 2B is the odd one that blocks access to the bathroom.. The Plan 2A is the one I prefer of the plans. I told the architect I didn't want that large of a table I preferred something with leaves or 2 tables I could put together, but have not heard back from him. The plan shows a beam added across, but I am not opposed to leaving columns, etc. The reason I hired an architect is I was uncertain which walls are load bearing. I do not have a sun room, and don't really think that the placement he shows will work as it would block my circular driveway. My current floor plan has a small mud room with a closet, I was sacrificing the mud room for the library/office room. If you look at the original floor plan there is a door in the mud room and then the main entrance to the house. We really never use the front door just the side door through the mud room. I just am not sure what to do with the space, in the current floor plan, the kitchen is in the middle and I have these 2 small areas on either side. The dining room is too small and the breakfast area is small with no natural light and just so many traffic patterns (because we come in and walk through to the hallway) we just used it as an entry area. Trying to find a good solution.

Also, if you look at my existing space, the entrance is into a narrow dark hallway. I really don't like it. Which is why I wondered if it would be better to open up the mud room, closet, hallway, into a larger room.

I like damiarains plan. We have a large dining room, and we like to host large family gatherings (about 15 people) and we just put card tables at the end of the dining room table. If it is a lot of people it goes into the living room.

While I love to the look in the picture, I just don't think the plan with the big table in the kitchen is very practical...it gives you everything in a long line with a big island/table to walk around everytime you need to leave the kitchen

We've been down with the flu and I haven't checked in! Damiarain, your entry area is more what I had in mind eliminating the hallway and making more of an L shape for the kitchen. But, it would not work to make an office out of the dining room. The living/dining room are open and flow into each other, and the entire back wall has matching windows. I don't want to block off that space. Also, the kitchen doesn't really have windows so blocking off the dining windows would make the kitchen super dark. We previously had an mud room and I was hoping to just make that area larger and turn into a library/entry area at the back there. Also, there is a traffic pattern that basically runs down the hallway from the bathroom towards the back door and then across to the steps, so extending the table horizontally blocks things, it really needs to go vertically, which was my thought for taking out the island.

Question: Do you need separate office and library or could these functions be combined in one space? If they could, that opens more possibilities.

Oh I definitely just one one office / library space!!! I don't need 2!! I was thinking 1 office/entry/library.

Post your EXISTING plan please. And give a ballpark estimate for budget you are working with. This is all pie in the sky otherwise.

My existing floor plan is posted twice- at the top and in the comments. It says existing floor plan. There's no walls or appliances in the space now just studs. My budget cap is 200 K. I am in Houston and building costs are low- I only paid 200K for my house and I had contractor quotes before the flood of 50K for kitchen remodel so I think I am good on budget.

I played off of Damiarain's version but moved the dining area to the bay window. You can either have the bay window a separate window seat, or a ledge or have it banquet seating for the table. When you have your large soiree's you can pull the table away from the window and extend it into the family room.

What I like about Damiarain's plan is the kitchen is a lot more functional. Plus you now have a true entry with lots of closet space for clothing, or it can be divided into a broom closet and coat closet, or???

I also added windows on either side of the cooktop. If the view next door is not good, you can always make them high windows to just let in light. I did the same with adding 2 windows on the "dining room" wall and a window in what would be the "mudroom"

Like others have suggested, this kitchen works much better than the one you think you might want for all the reasons stated. This L shaped kitchen allows for more than one person to work at the same time and allows for good flow in and out of the kitchen area.

Here is one more flipping the library and the "mudroom". This now allows the "mudroom" to also house a pantry/hooks for coats/etc near the kitchen. The library is back where you originally had it.

I would keep the "home office" and use it as an away room, or a crafts room or ???

Additionally, now in the kitchen you would have room for a prep sink on the perimeter.

In either of cpartists versions, what about making the under stair storage the pantry?

I like cpartists plans....it's important to show furniture arrangements as you could easily have a table that expands from the everyday arrangement by the bay window to into the family room for more seating when you have large groups. The key is to design the furniture arrangement in the family room to accommodate this with minimal furniture moving.

I really appreciate the feedback. cpartist, where you have the table is exactly where my table is now. It does not really work extending into the family room because it blocks access to the doors to the outside. I was trying to find something that worked better. This is the reason why I was looking for a way to remove the island and use a table instead of an island that could then be extended. I need a way to the dining table to extend vertically instead of horizontally. I tried to show the traffic patterns on this. It is basically a traffic corridor from the back door to the bathroom and then along the side to the stairs. The rectangles are my couches.

Here's another sketch I found of my original floor plan.

You mention hosting dinners for your family (~15 people) - I guess I was picturing like my fam, where it’s every few months we all get together, and the dining situation is kind of make shift and awkward, but my aunt and uncle (who always host) otherwise have the house arranged in a sensible manner for themselves - like, they don’t leave a table for 20 set up all the time.

Maybe you could clarify? Cuz I’m feeling like you can either have seating for 15 all the time but a worse everyday layout, or a better everyday layout that can be made to work for 15... but it depends on what you need =)

damiarain, I don't want to have a giant table for 15 set up all the time. That isn't practical, and I didn't like that humongous table my architect sent me. BUT, I do want there to be some way I can set up a large table for everyone, or two smaller tables for everyone. I think most women want to set a table with pretty dishes and a tablecloth for the holidays. Right now my dining room is only wide enough for a table that seats 6. I can't extend it easily without blocking the back door (and we're in the south, people go outside, I have a deck) or moving all my living room furniture. There has to be a way to make a layout that works for everyday and entertaining. That was why my original thought was to eliminate the island, and use a table in the kitchen. I liked the pictures I found of that. My kids tend to stand in the kitchen with me and eat anyway. I could also do a counter height table that doubles as an island, a moveable island that can be wheeled out of the way to extend a table, an island with seating that a table could be pushed against, etc. But I don't really want a table that has to extend into the family room- I have that now and don't like it.

Move the back door to the living room or make it a sliding door.

Then make the island a bit smaller and when you have company you angle the dining table like so. Now you're technically not blocking the door to the outside but when you don't have guests, your house is set up for family.

Will it be a bit tight? Absolutely but who cares when it's family?

thinkdesignlive, my laundry is upstairs. But I really don't like the hallway and would love to eliminate it. It seems like a waste of space and is ugly, very narrow, and dark. My thought has always been to just enter into a large combo library/entry area. I like the idea of a space right off the kitchen where the kids can do homework, etc. And I think I misunderstood your question earlier- the space on the left side is my husband's office :-) It's sort of a separate mother-in-law quarters space. I used to have my office in the spare bedroom but we both have elderly ill parents and are wanting to keep that available as a spare bedroom in case it is needed.

How low are your bay windows? Could the kitchen be moved to the back there and incorporate them, so the dining room could be extended vertically down to take over some of the breakfast room space?

That budget is an extra 200K in addition to your insurance money, right? Because insurance will not pay for upgrades.

What about adding a second set of doors at the end of the family room window wall? You’d take out a window, but I like the symmetry of doors at each end, and then the three windows in the dining room would match the three in the family room.

cpartlist's last plan opens the hallway with placement of the mudroom midway down the hall. Combine that with thinkdesignlive's suggestion of a round table (take advantage of that bay window!) and rectangular table as a moveable kitchen island for the best of both worlds. The island could be moved together with the round table for large gatherings or used separately. Or as Kristin's says, add another door to the deck.

Long ago we had a large bay like yours in the kitchen. Put a curved sofa in it with a coffee table. Great for visiting while cooking. Just food for thought as we did have a separate large dining room.