It is currently at 9 ft which I think is too much.

Why too much? Why would you not want the opening and be considering a doorway instead?

Your kitchen plan needs work (lots of work) as well.

Laying out furniture to scale in the spaces may help you determine what you need and what you do not need.

Have a kitchen designer help you with your kitchen.

Moving the doors to the exterior from the great room to the eating area may give you more flexibility in furniture layout.

We do want an opening and not a doorway. I'm just not sure how wide the opening should be.

And please tell me the problems with the kitchen. We wanted the peninsula to be a flat surface with no sink. I'm open to changing pretty much anything other than that.

Yes, that kitchen is a total non starter.

For the opening, examine the psychology behind the whole. It appears that you want a really informal eating experience, open to the kitchen’s mess and clutter, so what kind of connection between eating and family gathering do you envision? A family room is informal, and you’re planning an informal eating. Why do you feel the need for more of a wall between the two?

The “old style” of having the more formal and “always presentable” away areas of the living and dining room be the areas for invited guests has almost gone away in all but the largest homes. But people still aren’t sure about how to create a special occasion formality out of built as casual areas.

This issue is about your living goals. That has to be examined before the design can respond to those goals.

My husband wants the rooms more divided to help alleviate noise from the kitchen while he is in the family room. Our last home was open and he hated it.

Then you might consider creating walls from the kitchen to the eating area, and leave the family/dining with the wider cased opening. The social and gathering functions for those are similar. The food prep space is primarily a work space in that type of plan, rather than open to the gathering spaces.

Are you building or planning this house? If planning, consider posting the entire plan for review in a new thread.

I agree that the kitchen needs to be reworked! Do you really want your dishwasher behind you when at the sink?

Can you be at the sink with the dishwasher open?

36" is not a large opening. It will look and feel like a doorway.

There are many ways to get a closed concept feeling (with a decent kitchen layout, without routing traffic through the kitchen). Just for example, see below. Mudroom is through the doorway at the bottom of the kitchen, and fridge and pantry are on the edge, so only the cook needs to get into the main cooking space. Note how the hallways have 36" cased openings. The openings between the rooms were 6'. I was concerned that they would be too small, actually - but I wanted the pocket doors.

Also, this plan was designed to the lot limits; otherwise I would have wanted all the rooms to have their long walls on the exterior for more windows.

Honestly? The Kitchen really does need work.

First, the "Eating Area" and the peninsula: As it is, you cannot fit seating at the peninsula. You need 60" b/w the table in the "Eating Area" and the edge of the peninsula (I assume you want seats at the peninsula). At best, you have only 50", and that assumes your table is only 36" from the "top" window wall.

The aisle b/w the range and the peninsula is much too narrow...it's only 32" and it should be at least 48", with more better since it's in the direct path b/w the Mudroom & the Eating Area & Screened Porch.

The distance b/w the range and sink is too far - it's 11'6" and it should be no more than 9'

The DW is going to be awkward to use and it's in the middle of the Prep Zone in the peninsula.

Here's what I mean...read all the notes, there's more info on the image.

(That 36" b/w the table and window walls is the minimum aisle width - 44" would be better.)

I think the following threads will help you understand what we're talking about. They're the Kitchen Design Best Practices/Guidelines from the Kitchens FAQs:

• Work Zones, What Are They?: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500762/faq-kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they
• Aisles Widths, Seating Overhangs, etc.: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500771/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc
• Storage Planning: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500787/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage
• Ice.Water.Stone.Fire: a humorous discussion of Kitchen design: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first

I would consider:

• Switching the Kitchen and Eating Area
• Eliminating the 9' doorway altogether
• Increasing the doorway that's currently to the left of the ovens to 6' or more...now that it's the Eating Area doorway, sound/clutter from the Kitchen shouldn't be an issue
• Moving the door to the Screened Porch closer to the Safe Room door

You still may not be able to fit everything b/c of some of the same limitations (e.g., the length b/w the Mudroom wall and the window wall on the opposite end of the space). I'd have to work with it to see if you could not get what you want.

However, I have to ask...if your table is so close, do you really need seating at the peninsula? Maybe just have one or two seats instead of whole line with diner-style seating (where diners are sitting like ducks in a row so they don't have to look at the strangers sitting next to them.)

I don't suppose there's another Dining Room elsewhere that we cannot see b/c the layout isn't the whole floor?

Could you find another plan that might be easier to modify to fit your wants?

Our current kitchen has the dishwasher positioned like you have it on your plan and it’s the worst. its on of the things I’m most looking forward to changing.

Buehl, here's the rest of her floor plan which also needs lots of help.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6140021/house-plan-review#n=33