Is there 18" of space between the cooktop & wall oven? Highly likely a code requirement.

Not a good plan. It needs a prep sink to function well because the kitchen is oversized, with the island oriented incorrectly. The cooking zone is a disaster, and the pantry is intrusive and bulky for the amount of storage that it will provide. The stacked cabinets are too tall below, too small above, with insufficient crown for such tall ceilings.

Its all off balanced, poorly zoned, with not great workflow. Start over with just the room layout. No pantry. If this is new construction, even leave off the windows until you get better flow of the main players worked out.

Its not a horrible plan. The angle of these pictures trick you into believing that it will look nicely balanced on the cooktop wall. It really won't . The cabinets on the left are 12" deep and the oven cabinet is 24- 27" deep. I would split the wall cabinets to be on each side of the hood. This will give you a better work space around the range and not have everything splattering on the side of the cabinet.

For the walk in pantry - is it truly a walk in or just a deeper closet?

You said this is a draft for a new build. Where are you in the process? While I love a butler's pantry, the entry for that is really in an awkward space for the flow of the kitchen. Imagine you are having a large party, multiple cooks and kitchen helpers. Your guests are hanging around the island and you want them to move off into the dining room. They have to cut through the area where you are working and moving back and forth from sink to stove.

My experience has been that cooks really love when they can go from ref to sink to cooking surface without having to pick everything up and move to another countertop or worry about people crossing their paths.

How do you envision being in this kitchen? How does it compare to what you have now.?

Hopefully we can help!

Thank you Debbi. I do think the angle of the photos is what make is seem off balance, so I've posted the entire main floor plan. Good idea to split the wall cabinets to each side of the hood! It is a walk in pantry with a door swing in so we definitely want to keep it. On flow, most guest will access dinning through great room and foyer, hopefully not the butler pantry. :-)

It looks like you switched the sink and range walls -- correct? With a few tweaks, the original design is better.

Your Cooking Zone is now in a potentially busy traffic path. Yet, this is the work zone that should be the most protected from traffic.

To function effectively as a Prep Zone, the island needs:

• To have a water source with sufficient counterspace (recommended at least 42" or more on one side and at least 18" on the other side)
• The long side should be parallel with the range wall
• Adequate aisles around it so traffic or others working in the Kitchen do not get in each other's way

Also, you really should get the DW drawers out of the only real Prep Zone you have right now (to the right of the sink on the wall).

How much counter space between sink and fridge?

Yes, we switched the range and sink walls because we weren't left with any prep space between the fridge and sink, but more so because I was imagining unloading my dishwasher and putting away everything on the other side since that was where all the cabinetry was (larger wall, plus center island with drawers across). Function is more important than looks (although again I really don't like anything on my center island). I use to cook a lot....but between working full-time and two little kids my gourmet cooking days are on a break ;). I'm dealing with an L shape kitchen with a walk through butler pantry.

Even seeing your floor plan - I still think your plan is ok... Just reposition that cooktop. It would be nice to have a prep sink on the island, but since you want to keep it clean, its just a few more steps in prepping...

I like the original layout, but you'd need a prep sink. Someday (too soon) your little kids will be old enough to help out, and will want to learn to bake, so plan for that now. Dishes can be stored in a wide drawer in the island, and that short side can be used for baking prep. I didn't flip the DW to the right side of the sink, but you might consider it--the DW wouldn't open into passage from the butler pantry, and it would be the same distance from the dish storage drawers.

Is this a custom home or a builder's home? I ask because if custom, I have a few other suggestions for you.

cpartist it is a custom home

Can you post a plan larger? Even in sections would do so I can see the measurements of the rooms and closets.

Also do you realize that how your kitchen is placed will make it dark for working in? Have you considered flipping the kitchen with the breakfast area? When we eat, we look at our food the majority of the time and not outside. To me natural light is more important in a kitchen than in a breakfast area.

One other thought. Do you need 3 eating areas? You have the island, the breakfast nook and the dining room except the dining room is a hike from the kitchen. How often will you actually use the dining room? If a lot, then I'd make it even more accessible to the kitchen for shlepping food back and forth. If only a few times a year for holidays, then I'd consider eliminating it and reconfiguring the kitchen/breakfast area.

cpartist I'll see if I can post larger photos. The breakfast eating area is all windows. The breakfast nook and great room will have lots of natural lighting and look out to a lake. I wouldn't want a kitchen in that space blocking those views. We host the extended family holidays which is why I wanted the extra dining space. For day to day, our family of 4 will eat in the breakfast area.

So except for holidays the dining room won't be used. I'm wondering if there's a way to combine your breakfast room with your dining room instead. As it is your dining room will be a pain to bring food and stuff to/from because of where it is in relation to the kitchen.

Can the stairs be moved? How far along in the process are you?

Another problem I see is how will you get furniture into bedroom 3 with all those tight turns?

Where are you located because I don't see a coat closet in the front hall.

Also note the change I made to the entry to your bedroom. I eliminated one door.

If the dining room is 14*11, and construction costs are $150/SQ ft, and you stay there 25 years, that dining room costs $924/year, not accounting for heating, cooling, or maintenance costs, or for the cost of borrowing money to build the house (which can easily double or triple the cost). Is having dinner there once a year worth $1,000+ each year?

cpartist thank you for the modification you suggested to the Master. We have changed our plan to your suggestion! I can't believe we didn't see this. THANK YOU! The master plan as shown was how we have it today and I wake my husband up every morning going in and out of our bathroom. To answer your question about the coat closet, there is one near the stairs for guests. Yes, we are too far along to move the stairs....and trust me, we've moved it around several times and worked and reworked our plan over the last 6-9 months. We are also limited by our lot. Only small changes from this point on. The kitchen & breakfast area are where I'm trying to determine if there is a better option. I know we have a lot of dining spaces....but what I initially wanted was a small breakfast eating area (to accommodate a round table for 4) for daily family usage and larger dining for entertaining. Well, I ended up with a much larger breakfast eating area.