Can you check with your school about what the local laws and practices are? Do you need a business license? Do you need a license to call yourself a designer in your state/locality? Some do. Does the school have any policies about students doing work for pay? Do they have guidelines? In general, anyone can call herself a "consultant" and consult on just about anything and charge any amount for it, so long as it isn't a specifically regulated field (e.g., medicine) and you declare the income and follow other laws. As a design student, however, you're trying to build a specific reputation in the place where you live, so you need to be really careful about protecting that. Rhome gave you some very good advice. Tell your client up front that you're a student but that you've done a lot of work and learning the particulars of kitchens outside of your coursework, and sign a paper with them that says that if you design for them that you'll be able to come take pictures during and after their reno for use in your portfolio.

Here's a thought with the walls down. When I got the sink out of the corner, more possibilities opened up. The semi-automatic dishwasher still has a nice view. And doesn't have to step away if another person wants to have a second at the sink. Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA 3D Planner - link good for 5 days

It would be possible to put a play corner in the first two drawings but not in alternative 2. I would recommend a corner of storage furniture to corral the toys. I am usually a fan of built-ins but not in this case because eventually the kids will outgrow their toys and you won't need that storage there anymore. The built-in exception would be a window seat under one of those windows on the plans. Some of the storage could be cabinets or bookshelves for bins or toys underneath a window seat. I'm not a fan for toy box style storage because they either become a black hole or the kids throw everything out of them looking for what they want and then do't put the rest of it back. As for the kitchen placement, near to the deck would be best in you like to eat outdoors on the deck or entertain on the deck. We entertain a lot and the kitchen is on the other side of the house from the patio. It's a real pain and a big part of my design brief for the architect was for the kitchen to be next to the patio. I even wanted a pass-through window from the kitchen sink to the patio for ease of clean up but unfortunately I wasn't able to work that out.

Here is an idea for you. Minimal framing and it would open up the kitchen space: 1. tear out the pantry and the internal walls of the powder room and the powder room sink. 2. Frame in a pocket door and solid wall for the powder room, reorienting the door. 3. change up the sink in the powder room for a very minimal thin sink hung on the wall across from the toilet and change the toilet to a round bowl that takes up less space. 4. Frame in a new wide archway to the dining room that is next to the stairwell 5. eliminate the existing door to the dining room 6. counters along the exterior wall with sink under window and cooktop on exterior wall for venting 7. countertop along dining room wall anchored by a double oven 8. refrigerator and pantry along opposite wall from sink - can make pantry depth of standard depth fridge to save on appliance cost - pantry can be doors with shelves all around or cupboards with pull outs. 9. island with 42" space to sink area and aligned with dining room opening 10. not to worry about work triangle with fridge because island becomes prep space see sketch: