I think a lot of these next questions come down to who is using the space and what stage of life you are in. There may not be a right or wrong answer, just preference. For example, if kids are using the jack and jill-- then its a great way to get each kid their own vanity area! Score! If it's primarily for your grown children visiting at the same time-- then it's remembering to knock bc you don't have your own bath. Far less enticing. For me, mudroom to manage kid sports gear is a very big deal! We put lockers down one wall and a countertop down the other. For you, maybe its not. I use the office to pay bills, play on the computer and store /use craft supplies. Our "office" is where kids do projects, I drop the mail and we leave "in progress" legos and multiday projects etc. We like being connected and in easy yelling distance to someone watching TV. That would be really different from ones needs who actually work from home. I'm assuming they would prefer to be closed off. Everything to the master bedroom side of the kitchen feels like "private space". Maybe you like it that way-- but to me it feels like a lot of space that isnt' communal. I would want people to feel more ok about using that bathroom and the "office", maybe having more kitchen pantry there, or a better connection to the back yard. I think the hardest part in a remodel is overcoming how you've always lived . I would encourage you to really try to start fresh with a drawing instead of just thinking of moving the walls that are existing. Play with the drawing, rename the spaces--think big!

Could you move the sink and DW over far enough to put a 30" oven in the corner? If that puts the sink off-center to a window, the faucet can be centered on the window, to disguise the asymmetry. Then move the cooktop and hood toward the fridge. (Plan on left.) Ideally, you could add a prep sink to the island, to give you a more compact work triangle, and a more open area as you prep. (Plan on right.) In either plan, if dishes are kept in drawers on the island, facing the DW, they will be out of the prep space between the sink and cooktop.

Hi Buehl, First I want to thank you for commenting. I was actually most excited to get your feedback as I love the deigns you have suggested for others. (no disrespect to other designers as I am impressed by all suggestions on this site - it is such an invaluable tool for home owners). I apologize for the lack of measurements and pictures. We just purchased the house but don't get the keys until mid-January. The lady that owned the house had lived there for about 25 years and because it was so full of her stuff no internal pictures were posted online. I have the kitchen and dining room dimensions of the existing setup which I will add below. Unfortunately I only have approximations for the windows. The kitchen window (smaller 2' window) is above the existing sink. The dining room window (4ft) is only about 3ft off the ground so counters probably wouldn't fit or would just touch. In terms of the about us part: I'll answer your suggested questions below: Please answer the following questions: What are your goals? Would prefer and island and breakfast nook but we are flexible. What is your family composition? 2 Adults with one 20 month daughter and planning for another. How many kitchen workers are there? My wife is the cooking fanatic but I love to take care of breakfast. We would love to bake with the kid(s) in the future. Do you or anyone in your home cook? We enjoy home cooked food and want a fully functional kitchen. How do you see your kitchen used? -- Just for cooking/cleaning up? YES -- Children doing homework while you cook? Great if breakfast nook could double as study area. -- Party place? We do entertain family gatherings about once every month or two typically 8-20) -- Something else? We want the kitchen and family room to function as the main heart of the house. Do you entertain a lot? Mainly informal entertaining. Do you want your kitchen to be a "hang out" place? We want it to be the main hangout spot. Do you have a separate DR? Do you use it frequently? Infrequently? We want the kitchen to be the main eating area and may add a small formal dining area to one end of our large living room if we require it. Would you like to open up the kitchen to adjacent areas? Yes we would like it to flow to the family room. Do you plan to merge two rooms/areas. Yes, ideally we want to use the existing dining to make the kitchen bigger and incorporate the eating area there. Do you have a basement under the Kitchen space? Crawl space. Where are you flexible? Ideally no external structural changes as the house is a beautiful tudor style home that has been well kept on the outside. Internally we are flexible. -- Can windows or doorways change size? Internal doorways can be changed. -- Can windows or doorways be moved or eliminated? Yes as required. -- Can windows be raised/lowered? Ideally, no. -- Does the sink have to be centered under a window? No. -- Does it have to be under a window at all? (Sinks under windows are an old paradigm left over from the pre-Dishwasher days. Today, we spend far, far less time cleaning up; in fact, the majority of our time spent working in the Kitchen today is spent prepping.) No we are flexible. My wife had made a small video clip of our tour of the house. It is extremely poor quality but if it helps I'll add it below.

Can you take some space from the living room? If the stub wall must be 30", you could put a full-height cabinet on the LR side, and extend a peninsula to the point where the door was. If you need a support post for a beam, it could be incorporated into the seating overhang (plan on left). However, if the stub wall can be eliminated, or if only a support post is necessary on the exterior wall, you could extend the peninsula farther into the LR, and make the remainder of the room a dining area. With seating at the peninsula, the nook could be converted to storage and serving. areas (plan on right). Another option (on right), would be to keep the sink under the window and put the fridge on the stair wall. The fridge would be a trek from the range, but adding a sink to the peninsula would give you a better prep space, and the fridge would be more convenient to the FR and new DR. NKBA guidelines New to Kitchens? Read me first.