I can't imagine that putting a door to the DR would be very expensive--it's a DIY project if ANYONE in the family could do it in a weekend. The two houses I've dealt with that had pass thrus to the DR drove me nuts. It would be so much nicer to have a door there! That, and having a 1/2 bath would be absolutely top priorities for me, but the 1/2 bath could add more cost than she might be able to pay for. If you use a small corner sink, the pocket door will be fine. Since she wants electric, I would STRONGLY encourage her to look at the positives of induction, and get a range with an induction top. It is SO much better than regular electric--easier to clean, much safer, absolute and immediate control of temperature, boils water faster, doesn't heat up kitchen, it's energy efficient, etc. My induction cooktop is by far our favorite feature of our kitchen! Even though it cost more than we'd planned on, it was definitely worth it. It's not that difficult to learn how to use. (I'm only a few years younger than she is, and I don't usually like learning how to use new stuff, but this was easy.) Of course, that might mean new pans, but maybe the family could go together for a present of one of the more inexpensive sets that works with induction. Also, you may have the extra expense of running electrical to accommodate the induction, but from a safety standpoint alone, it might be worth it to have the induction. It seems like plan #8 might work best, especially if you switch the double sink with the prep sink. That way, your mother could also use the prep sink (make it a large one) to work with her plants easily, since it would be right by the back door. Also, this end of the kitchen could have her tea materials, beverage cups and glasses for the rest of the family, the MW, toaster oven, and she'd have the large window view and lots of natural light to do these pleasant daily tasks. The double sink under the smaller window would put it, the DW, and the dishes closer to the DR. If she wants more storage, I'd get rid of the curved upper shelves (in one of your plans) by the smaller window, and add 3-6" to each upper cabinet, unless she has lots of knick-knacks that she wants to reach up and dust as she gets older. Obviously, an island would give her more storage than a table. If you make the island 36" w x 48" l, you could have two 24" wide cabinets opposite the range, and a 12" deep "table" overhang on the dog dish side. Anne

I hope this picture helps-- there's an existing part of the house framed that includes the kitchen, table space, and great room and then there's an addition that will include the pantry, butler's pantry and dining room. I've tried to put the old floor plan together with the addition plan in this picture. Ignore the kitchen layout that is shown on here-- that's what the previous owners were going to do. We need a smaller island and room for a skinny harvest table with 6 chairs. We're moving 4 generations into this house, including a great-grandma who would never sit at an island to eat :) I've shortened the wall length of cabinets quite a bit to 16' long and moved the sink into the island to make the 3 spaces possible (kitchen, eating area, family room). Thanks!

We are in the final stages of building our home. It has taken me two solid years of searching for the right person to do my cabinets. I've interviewed several, and I even wasted some money by starting to work with a couple who claimed they were on the same page as I was but who weren't......as by their push for what "they" liked and thought I should have. I stuck to my guns and kept searching. I do not like staggered cabinets but they were continually being pushed on me. They didn't know how to deal with a large vintage style sink I am using. They kept wanting to line all of them up like lawyer office cabinets, crowd my window trim, etc. I gave up and figured I would use metal cabinets and a couple of tables until I found the right person. Finally one Saturday my husband was doing a search to find Conestoga cabinets so we could purchase some and put them in ourselves. By then I had sketched out what I wanted, but still needed a skilled person to figure the dimensions, etc. Well, we found someone. A treasure of a husband and wife team who make custom cabinets. She has an art degree and has considerable experience in restoring vintage kitchens. She saw immediately what I wanted and we are like twins in our thinking. She made sure she understood how I cook. We now only have minor tweaking in a few details and we are ready to start work. The reason for my long winded story here is to encourage you to follow your heart no matter how long it takes to find the right person. Do not settle. It can be frustrating, time consuming, and very tiring, but it has been more than worth it. I will get up every day for the rest of my life loving this kitchen. Loving your kitchen will inspire you to cook wonderful things in it. Something you don't love will irritate you the rest of your life. Also, be wary of anyone wanting a chunk of money ahead of even talking to you and starting a design. You have no way of knowing if that person will listen to you and you can work together. It is fair for someone to not release a design you like without compensation, but we have lost several thousand dollars on people who claimed they would design something nice, knew what I wanted, but as soon as the check was cashed they could have cared less. The lady I am working with now never asked for a cent up front. Sandy

Practigal, the DW is one cabinet "south" away from the sink. I have no idea why there is a cabinet between but it's there, marked DW. It's possible the microwave is part of the DO stack. Rascal, do you plan a prep sink in the island? It would make your space more functional and give you a separate prep zone. This way you could have someone prepping, someone else cooking, someone else doing dishes, and someone else baking at the same time and they are all in their own zone. Without a prep sink, people would need to constantly walk over to the sink which adds unnecessary steps to prepping/cooking. And the DW should be right next to the sink.