Just bumping this up in hopes of getting some help. This is a very functional kitchen while cooking. You retrieve from the refrigerator, wash in the sink, prep between sink and stove and serve. Kitchen prep space currently is 27" inches sink to stove. We've managed in the past, but for the remodel, I've enlarged prep space between sink and range to 36" by removing wall side fillers and adjusting the range location to the right. Using a 30" kitchen sink base instead of a 33" sink base would yield another 3" for the major kitchen prep zone (total of 39"). I think a lot of about a separate clean up zone in the pantry. I considered a second DW here, but given the size of the kitchen/pantry in general I couldn't justify it, due in part to concern about what happens when a DW isn't regularly used. Should I consider moving the main DW to the pantry in your opinion? The pantry sink is plumbed for an ice maker which is old and being removed. A garbage disposal would be needed, but doesn't that also mean separate sink venting? Probably the two sinks vent together already? The pantry sink cabinet could easily be changed to 24" w, 8 to 10" deep for cleanup, allowing the balance of the base pantry cabs to be 24" and 24" (I thought of an under counter 24" refrigerator to minimize need for drinks from fridge). I have gone back and forth on this clean up function point. One disadvantage to moving the current DW location is dishes are closer to the cook in the kitchen but not by much. On an aside, in twenty years of raising kids, we never had any problem with the DW next to the kitchen door as we always kept it (the DW door) closed when not being emptied or filled. All advice is welcomed. Thanks. This post was edited by SparklingWater on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 19:43

I don't usually see the need to swap out a fridge for a CD model. If it sticks out and cuts into a walk way I'd do it if I could financially. I would allow extra inches around it (even if a filler is needed) in case a future fridge is wider. the corners - I agree with rhome on being consistent with whichever type you use. I do think the diagonal corners cut into your space - makes it much more difficult to reach into those corners! The upper diagonals put the cab door smack in your face and give too deep of storage- where things are lost in the back. alternate upper corner cabinet - the pantry - I think it's fine and space like that can always be used. you can use the different doors/shelf areas to separate types of items - like canned goods in one, breakfast and other dry goods in another, 1 for baking supplies, 1 for snack items/juice/soda and /or water bottles. Unless you have a definite need for a counter space closer to the dining area I'd keep it as is. I don't think it's too big. doorways - foyer - I don't see the need for a wider doorway there (am I missing something?). will there be a closet in the foyer? DR/LR doorway - that might be a good idea to check out. make sure your table will fit thru the doorway w/seating also. or you might just set up another table in the LR lined up with the doorway. We did that at my sister's for holidays - there was a large archway between her eating area and her LR so we put another table in her LR running up to the archway so both tables were close together. It was a 'T' arrangement. base cabinets - drawers, drawers and more drawers!! why so few drawers? it looks like it'll be a big, beautiful kitchen with lots of cabinets and counter space! I'd put in more lower drawers tho.

I'm offering the following as a devil's advocate. Both positions for your kitchen are viable choices with nice reasons to go each way. That's why you need to draw up all possibilities to consider. If the middle is right for you guys, this will end up reinforcing that decision. Versatility and size? That 15x30 room is looking very, very nice as it is, but the far end is prize square footage with all those exterior walls (light/views in up to 3 directions), and right now you plan to actually dine there very little--pretty but underused. If you put the kitchen down there, that addition would be used as intensively as it deserves to be. The living area for furniture placement would be the same, but it would be more strongly defined. Nevertheless the whole should still appear very spacious because it would still be part of a 15x30 room with kitchen on end and still be open to the north, which would extend additional living activities that direction, instead of east. The dining room might well end up used more for various activities in the middle of the house. In considering this alternative layout, how about a pretty door to the outside from a middle/dining room, French perhaps? And for that matter, are you sure you wouldn't have a door directly out from the kitchen? You have an entry in that end that looks as if it would need some reconfiguring too. Would it enter the middle/dining room? Last night I also thought of one other -- possible -- advantage to switching the kitchen and dining room: the step down. This could be a design asset for a dining room, setting it off as special as viewed from the living room. Since you don't plan to eat there a lot, even with young children you could have a nice rug under the table if you wanted it. You'd take that step mostly on the way back to the children's rooms--longer journeys. For the kitchen, you guys'd be making all the many, many little daily journeys between the living room and kitchen on a level floor. Morning sun in kids' hallway? Have sunshine everywhere and you eliminate the pleasure of entering a sunny room. A dim hallway is often a design asset because it makes the rooms opening off it all the more inviting. I can't see what that cabinet in the hall is, but with a little attention to attractiveness and interest, the hall looks pretty good to me. The only way I could imagine to improve it would be to extend it to come back around on itself -- children love to run in circles. :) As it is now, though, the hall enters a sunny middle room in the mornings, setting that room off really nicely, however it's used.

Doug already knows my views about cooktops on islands. So, I didn't share it when critiquing the original design. My opinion only, but putting a cooking surface on the island is a decision of last resort. Both safety and efficiency are compromised by this type of arrangement. I think the Buehl's idea of using that beautiful front window area for dining is inspired. It would get you and additional 28 sq.ft. in the kitchen. That's not chump change. That front window would be a lovely spot to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the kids. The light would be glorious. Seriously consider moving the kitchen to the rear, moving the dining room to take advantage of the window and sew/craft in the now freed up space in the front of the house, The old dining room in front could be used for a flex room/library/study/extra bedroom for overflow guests/sewing room/home office. Like Doug will tell you, everything is a compromise. Every decision effects another decision. It's just a question of how many comprises you have to make.