It is just that this is a large and costly project and getting ideas from a pro is not a bad suggestion, but you will be far ahead of the game if you have done your homework before hiring someone to design the space. The first thing I always do is determine my budget. I live in a world where I can't just get anything I want, so I need to know what I can spend and what is reasonable to spend before I start a project. The second thing I do is figure out my pain points prioritize them. I don't have enough cabinets, the cabinets I have are not accessible, I don't have enough counter space. I don't like the look of the cabinets I have. Then I have to meld the two together to match needs, wants and budget. I generally end with just the needs being met and have to give up on most, not all, of the wants. The other things to consider are how long you plan on being in the space and the ROI of the investment. I own a home that is worth about $200 k. I could completely gut and redo the kitchen and I may be able to get $220 k when I sell. Hmmm - spend $60-$100 k for a $20 k return. Nope. Not doing it. Now for your space. I would first check to see what is going to happen to the floors if I decide to change the footprint of the kitchen. Islands are popular, but not always the best answer. My sister got a huge island in her kitchen and told me just a few weeks ago that if she could design her kitchen again she would not do an island. I had an 8' x 3' peninsula in my last kitchen and it worked. I have never found another kitchen that worked as well as that kitchen did. I can't fit that into my current space and I miss my big open space. My other sister has a two tiered peninsula and it is too tight and no one ever uses the breakfast bar seating. If this were my home, given that I always have a tight budget, I would consider moving the dining area to the kitchen end of the space, keeping the kitchen layout, but changing the counter to a single level and placing a couple of stools that would fit under the counter along the outside edge. I would have a door added to the back of the corner cabinet for better access to the cabinet space. (I hate corner cabinets). If I could make it squared off instead of curved without messing up the floors I may consider that option - straight and possible longer - as long as the area I designated for dining space. I am guessing that the closet in the kitchen is where your furnace is hiding and it isn't just an open space. You can't add anything permanent on that wall and block access to the furnace. You could add a rolling island with a butcher block top on that wall, but the wheels may damage your flooring. I would plan on only moving it when access to the furnace is needed. A bakers rack on that wall would also work. Knowing the exact dimensions would make it easier to determine what could or could not work in the space.

White is not going out IMO. love a white kitchen with enough contrast. I can show you thousands of ideas. But first, what’s your style? What aesthetic are you after? Also, white doesn’t have to be 100% white. We can incorporate lots of woods, blacks, greens, you name it!! I agree regarding moving the cooktop. I might put that on the fridge wall and put the fridge where the double ovens are. But the layout seems decent. How do you feel about it’s functionality?

You have a good footprint for a smaller space. Will you keep this basic layout? You mention the back door being in a bad location. Do you plan to move it or remove it completely, or is it just stuck there and will have to be worked around? We recently also remodeled a small kitchen with the goal of keeping as much storage space as possible. Being empty nesters we did sacrifice a floor to ceiling pantry in favor of a new upper & lower configuration in that corner to increase counter space. We made some minor changes to our cabinetry that resulted in slightly more and much better storage and use of space. Our 34 year old kitchen cabinets had frames that are up interior space and access, shallow drawers that did not go back the full depth of our cabinets. We also had lower cabinets that were black holes and blind corners that made seeing and accessing items further back difficult and painful. Biggest game changer improvements in terms of cabinetry was all frameless cabinets….also, using all full access banks of deep drawers instead of cabinets with interior shelves and doors. Upper cabinets built custom 1” deeper than old cabinets. (You’d be surprised how much difference just an inch can make!) We had a cabinet built around the fridge which allowed for deeper cabinet above, which because a new home for large cutting boards, cooling racks, cookie sheets, griddles, sheet pans, etc. Our silverware drawer is deeper than the old drawer and has a second flatware tray beneath the main divided tray, which slides to access the lower tray. There are a lot of little changes to cabinetry that can make giant improvements to how your space functions! Some are cheap, some are expensive. I recommend having a kitchen designer and/or cabinet company come and see your space, listen to your concerns and do some drawings for you.

Yes, pantry and closet to where the sink is now. Range possibly moving down the wall closer to the living room, to give a little more space between the range and the sink. One reason I like this plan is that your room is a little too wide for an optimal galley layout. That's a big distance to travel between range and sink when you've got a heavy pot of hot water to drain. Swapping the kitchen and nook wouldn't be my first choice either. Altering those windows would be a huge project. And you would lose a lot of wall storage. There's another option that I don't care for, but would be simple and relatively low-cost. You could keep the same layout, but put a cutout in the wall at the kitchen sink so that you get a view to the dining room windows. Even if the wall is load-bearing, that would probably just require a header, not a huge beam, footings, etc.