I am pretty spatially challenged, but I did just wrestle an 11 ft x 11 ft kitchen into something like submission, so I will weigh in here with a few ideas. First, what will dwarf everything else is your fridge. If you could install it so that only the front -- rather than the side as well -- shows from most vantage points, it won't loom as large. So, if you are willing to invest in replacing your windows and moving some plumbing, some variant on this might work: The lower cabinets next to the fridge are pulled out to match its depth. The windows above the sink and DW would be any array similar to those of laurainlincoln (with higher windowsills) or jenwrens (sills to the counter), both of which yield an enviably large area of glass. (Please note that I am pretty vague about the entrance to the kitchen from your 48" hallway. You obviously need a certain entryway width, but it could be achieved in several ways by messing with the fridge wall and the end of the range set of cabinets.) Looking from the DR, people would see the peninsula and either the end of the cabinets flanking the range or, if you prefer, a counterdepth wall. I too took down the wall between my modest kitchen and the DR. My kitchen is very different (yes, I would sell my soul for a lovely run of windows) but from the DR it does show the peninsula and the end of a run of cabinets, with no wall. Your peninsula would be longer and better looking; mine is truncated by a boxed-in chimney and shelves that were added to it to the depth of the countertop. Hope this stimulates the germ of an idea. Cheers. Here is a link that might be useful: laurainlincoln's windows to die for

We DIYd our fireplace/chimney removal. We are not particularly gifted in the ways of DIY either. We did a total gut renovation on the house and our structural engineer confirmed the chimney wasn't supporting the house in any way. The fireplace was pink and huge--maybe 4x7 footprint? Our house is single level with the chimney continuing to the basement. We rented a drop box for the brick and an impact chisel from home depot to remove them. My husband started on the roof and removed brick by brick dropping them down the chimney where I'd gather them in 5 gallon buckets to take to the drop box. In all it took us a weekend and probably $500 in rental fees. The roof was repaired as part of our GCs scope of work in the remodel, so I'm not sure how much that cost, but it was a very simple patch It seems to me that chimney and fireplace removal is totally unskilled labor if it isn't holding up the house. As such, it really shouldn't cost a lot.

Nice kitchen, Not ugly at all ... but a bit dark. On a budget, would not add tile now; instead rip off the old but repair/smooth the wall and paint all but the 4"-6" above the countertop as backsplash, which you could tile to coordinate with the countertop. Another exception to the painted wall might be the stove niche -- you could add a stainless steel panel the width of the stove, beginning just below stove top level and covering all the visible wall above the stove top. You could always add a hood to that later. Like the stove niche suggestion of Hannah Wolfson except would want a stainless steel panel above the stove and would want the electrical wiring for the lights to stay to connect a stove hood later ... so keep lights for now even if you don't add the hood now. Would create at least a countertop level with the top of the stove on each side of the stove. What you put beneath that would depend upon what that white unit left of the stove might be; however, if that white unit is something movable, create a pair of free standing base cabinets with countertops the same height as the stove top. Your kitchen windows do not have brown trim so ... if you want white trim around all your windows and doors and doorway openings, consider scrubbing all the brown trim throughout the house really well before painting them white.

The wall is 14.5'. (BTW, the designer is a friend, so she did a quick sketch up for me to monkey around with- saves her time and me $$- but that's why it doesn't have all the normal labels.) I think it's about 45" between the island and the long countertop, and 40" between the side of the island and the stove. I think the three windows shown in the plan are about the max I can do without sacrificing what storage space I do need. (It will double the amount of window I have now; also, I'm going to chop off a good portion of the never-used back porch and its roof, so that will also increase the amount of light coming through those windows). Some days I feel like I'm wearing a path between the stove and the fridge! But I'm trying to keep in mind how my needs from the kitchen will change in 10 years, as well. By then I may be ordering pizza every night! Thanks so much for your helpful input- it will give me more ideas to discuss with the designer-- in particular arranging things so that the snack zone gets used as intended. I really appreciate it!