Designed new house to have cabinets above the w/d; clothes rod runs between two cabinet sets. Old washer was located under one cabinet on the right and dryer is under the clothes rod area. Folding table is to the left of dryer. Older machines that we moved in worked great. Washer has now died died. Bought a new Whirlpool Cabrio HE top loader washer (with glass top) and new dryer to match. Units were delivered yesterday and the washer lid now hits the bottom of the cabinets. Not only is the washer taller but the lid is wider measured back to front. We had measured the widths to make sure they fit the opening but didn't think about the height. You may also want to consider the new styles of front loaders with pedestals to make sure they fit under cabinets. We may try to switch the locations of the washer and dryer so that washer opens under clothes rod; would solve the lid problem but put the dryer further away from the folding table.

I can understand you wanting to expand your eating area and I don't think it would be odd to walk into the eating area. Alot of homes have a backdoor or garage door that opens up into the kitchen/eating area. What I would be concerned about is losing your laundry room. Are you planning on living here long term - ie forever? If not, then potentially you could affect your resale value and make your home harder to sell. But, if you have a closet area that would work well for a "laundry area", it's doable. Do you have a basement? Could you put the laundry in the basement? Also keep in mind that full size stackables will take up alot of room - they're over 27" deep. Compact stackables don't hold alot of laundry, so if you have a large family you might be sorry with the extra loads you'll have to do.

I would sell what you have and buy a stackable front loader pair. In a bathroom, unless there's a vent to the outside, it might be necessary to get a non-vented dryer. The 24" European front loaders like Bosch AXXIS as well as some American brand (I think my sister has a Frigidaire) are made to go into small spaces. Most brands have some type of stacking frame. I've had that stacked set up with a non-vented Bosch pair in a closet and it works very well. Relocating controls on an existing appliance isn't a sensible option.

You might wish to post this in the laundry forum.