Number 1 uses a lot of space for circulation between the garage, guest wing and the rest of the floor plan. It also creates a number of awkward angled spaces at the intersection. On the exterior, depending on lot siting, it could look like a garage with an attached house, rather than house with attached garage. #2 seems a bit simpler in layout although it's still a bit convoluted and some of the room adjacencies are strange, with the service part of the house and the kitchen at opposite ends. As far as the TV goes, it could go in the built ins next to the fireplace rather than directly over. In either plan a lot of the furniture is going to have to float in the living areas, so furniture arrangement won't be simple, and table lamps will be a problem.

The problem / challenge I realized with the earlier layout with symmetric high uppers over sink is that actually it wasn't symmetric over the sink. There is a light right in front of the sink and then the notch would be off center of the light in the ceiling-- at this point I can't change the lighting. (horrible electrician experience, but that's another story). If we make the cabinet on the right wood over glass then it really wants to be wider. This then makes the notch narrower and throws off the geometry. Our other contender was to do a double-upper over the fridge and then put a regular vert in the corner which could be a blind corner if we want, like this: (I put some glass/steel above the sink--this might be an alternate color tile, or something else... or nothing...) DW prefers either an all wood or all glass cabinet over dish washer so we can put 2 shelves in it, as this will be for cups and mugs. She thinks it would look funny to have a shelf inside 1/3 of the way up the cabinet with a split wood/glass door. Also, she (and our architect) didn't really like the single vert cabinet in the corner of the run. Same views, single vert at end, with shiny stuff: Our architect says this view is misleading, in that your eyes will never just see the one wall. So the end of peninsula view is probably the most telling: The rendering is also probably misleading because we have been thinking of using obscure glass, which is not nearly as shiny as this shows. The app just doesn't have a good texture to simulate that. I think I like it better overall with the single vert at the end-- it's a bit less busy, a bit calmer? I would like it maybe a bit more with the single vert a bit wider and the double upper on the same wall a bit narrower, but I want to keep the single vert to be really close to the height of the wood cabinet to its left (now it's 1 inch wider). Between the corner and the double upper there is 3" filler, plenty to allow the door to swing up and not hit handles on the adjacent corner cabinet next to the range. I could maybe increase this another inch and reduce that cabinet by an inch and then make the vert 1 inch wider, but that's about it. Another option would be to make the vert door all glass--but then it would be the only one like that.

Now that I zoom in the window, I see what you mean. Hard to tell since the plan shows a box, pic looks flat, and there's no interior shot. How to deal with it? Maybe leave that window as it is; The former front door could be a round or octagonal window, which would suit the house, and not put the stair hall on display lol! What I ment by recessed front door is, that part is stepped back from the front build line. Your "photoshop" looked like it was all even across the front on my screen, maybe it's must my screen (or eyes). Either way, I think it's a great idea :) I like some protection for a front door, and I suspect that the front door as originally built is right at the permitted build line, and adding an overhang wouldn't be allowed. So where you suggest it allows for an overhang of some kind, even if it's just a pergola.

They both have pros/cons. Wood will expand and contract more. FULL MDF will chip and dent more. CENTER PANEL MDF probably the best of both worlds but you will still get some separation in the door frame (and more so with mitre doors). If you are not hard on your cabinets and don't have little kids...then consider the full MDF. I have only done one full MDF kitchens and we did have a chipped door to replace...but the installer hit it hard! It likely wouldve needed a replacement with the maple wood too. So, I don't have a lot of experience with the performance of full MDF doors yet. I am looking forward to hearing what other pros and homeowners have experienced!