I don't understand the reason for the slanted wall on the fridge wall. Your original floor plan does not have a slanted wall, so why would you take down the dining room wall and then build it on an angle? Its seems like a pantry could be incorporated in this plan without having to have a slanted wall. "***Instead of a range, we plan on a 36" rangetop and microwave/combo wall ovens to the right of the rangetop." This is going to change the look of the range wall and I am not sure how it will look with a wall ovens / mw stacked between hood and window. IF I were you, I would mock this up in your renderings to see how it looks. "If you look at my main floor plan, we are removing the foyer closet and opening up that space for a foyer table of some kind (possible built ins)." As someone who has no closet in the foyer, I dislike this idea. When you have guests, it is nice to have a place to hang coats, etc. (assuming you use mudrm closet for daily use). Unless you live in a warm climate, consider this decision carefully. IMHO, I think your plan to squeeze in a small coat closet that is walled into the kitchen space but opens to the foyer is less than ideal as well. Do you really want a quirky little closet instead of your nice tucked away closet that exists now? If you take out your existing closet will you have the banister for stairway showing? That is the only possible reason I can think that this change could be beneficial. But again, just my opinion. Your layout is somewhat similiar to mine. Where your fridge wall is, my DH wanted to slant the wall as well for optimum tv viewing. I am so glad I won that battle. Good luck. I think you are going to love the openness you your new kitchen.

Doug already knows my views about cooktops on islands. So, I didn't share it when critiquing the original design. My opinion only, but putting a cooking surface on the island is a decision of last resort. Both safety and efficiency are compromised by this type of arrangement. I think the Buehl's idea of using that beautiful front window area for dining is inspired. It would get you and additional 28 sq.ft. in the kitchen. That's not chump change. That front window would be a lovely spot to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the kids. The light would be glorious. Seriously consider moving the kitchen to the rear, moving the dining room to take advantage of the window and sew/craft in the now freed up space in the front of the house, The old dining room in front could be used for a flex room/library/study/extra bedroom for overflow guests/sewing room/home office. Like Doug will tell you, everything is a compromise. Every decision effects another decision. It's just a question of how many comprises you have to make.

First time I’ve seen this thread. When I saw your ”before” pics, I though you really needed strength to get that done. Wow! Great results. Congratulations!

The dimensions are tough to read online. Sorry about that. The dimension between refrigerator and island is 37". I can always make the island less wide (shorten it from 93"), but of course would prefer not to. The measurement on the other side is 36". It is 37" from cooktop to island for Idea 1 (60" deep island), and I think 48" from cooktop to island for Idea 2 (52" deep island). My quandary is which one guides the ultimate decision: aesthetics, functionality, or personal preference. I personally would like the cooktop where the refrigerator is located, so that I have a view when I cook. A friend suggested that if I remove the small tall wall that is located next to the current location of the cooktop (is only 24" deep but is roughly 14 feet tall and 5" wide) then I can have a view of sorts when I cook without moving the cooktop to where the refrigerator is. Aesthetics would say that I center the sink in the middle of the island and center the cooktop on the wall behind the island so that they line up. Looks pretty that way in all the magazines, yet I kind of like not having everything line up like that. That is, locate the sink on one end of the island, and having the refrigerator in the spot where the cooktop is and off center. I don't cook a lot, so from an access standpoint, I use the sink a ton, pantry a ton (pantry will stay located in former kitchen), and refrigerator. Oven sits unused since I do all my baking in the toaster oven. Microwave gets heavy use along with heavy use of the toaster oven, which is why I am putting in a speed oven along with a regular oven. For me, the regular oven is an absolute waste, but there are always the holidays when you might want it. I don't care about resale value, since this is my forever home and will pass it down to family. But I am still putting a regular oven in just because. What did you decide la_la Girl when you laid out your kitchen? Different people value different things, I realize.