Hi Annie, Thanks for your thoughts. Your opinion is valued. Just to clarify, the TV would be in a cabinet a bit like the one below, but with wood painted cabinet in a lighter colour. We are planning on a much smaller TV than pictured too. The electricity and other wires for the TV would go through the floor from the basement below (floor plugs). Powering the TV is not really a challenge, and nor is cord control with the right designed cabinet. [Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by Other Metro Photographers Elad Gonen As per running around the TV, that could be an issue, and maybe it is just plain awkward. My youngest is 8. In general I am striving for a practical design where some seating can see the fireplace and some the TV. We hope to rework a few other versions. Hopefully you will come back and let me know if you like any other other versions better. Is there anything else you dislike about the latest design after my clarification? Any other opinions on the 18:41 version posted today? Thanks for the help! Carol

Option #1 is the better one, but it needs tweaking. Downdrafts suck because they don't suck and there isn't nearly enough room between the sink and the cooktop in #2. It's just a overall bad design. Do you NEED seating in both locations? I would tend to think not. Where is your breakfast area? Your dining room. Pick one area for stools, and do it right. Check your aisle spacing. With seating, you need 48" aisles, or 60" if you have traffic behind that seating. I'd add a prep sink to the island across from the fridge and move the cleanup sink to the peninsula. Put a MW in a base cabinet on the island facing the fridge

Sorry, it's hard to grasp what it is you're asking. Are you asking if a design with an island is better than the one with a peninsula, or vice versa? It would be better to see your layout to better advise. An island set up is not recommended in a narrow space like in the 1st pic. Hard to tell, but it looks like the walkway behind that island is tight & it's a main throughway from the back door. You would never be able to pass by anyone who was sitting at the island.

The painting will be of the barns behind the old farmhouse we moved from. I think we will likely do a canvas without frame. I actually like the height - this is a very long room, with kitchen at one end, dining area in the centre, and great room where the fireplace is at the far end. So I look forward to enjoying the view from my kitchen, where my husband and I spend a lot of time.