To start all base cabinets should be drawers if at all possible as for the rest I have no idea without a to scale floor plan of the new kitchen space you are palnning and how that relates to the rest of the house . We exchanged a DR and kitchen space in our MCM ranch and I love it but it took planning and of course plumbing issues .BTW any drawer less than 30" wide is too small for pots and pan storage I would suggest you get an independant kitchen designer who also is an interior designer so that this change is done right.

The cooktop is 36” wide, pots/pans below. The floor plan attached includes dimensions that may help understand scale. Thanks!

This new double-kitchen trend is so much space devoted to cooking and eating. So much more space than serious cooking actually requires. Two partial kitchens, one of which will still be dark and cramped. Two seating areas, one of which is uncomfortable island seating. Unless there's a second living area space not shown in your picture, it seems out of scale with the home.

If you're committed to this idea, I would put the dining table immediately behind the island, in what I assume is your living room area. And then put the living room at the front, where you've sketched the dining table.

ETA: put your flatware drawer where you're planning your knifeblock. Otherwise emptying a clean load of dishes requires hiking across the show kitchen, behind the cook at the range.

Yes, there is a living room just above the one shown. It’s a multi level so the room not shown is 2x the size of the one off the formal kitchen. It’s the one we use most frequently, and the smaller one is more formal sitting area with no tv.

Good tip on flatware location. Thanks

It's a good idea to open up the kitchen - the existing one is really small, but I don't think this is the best way to do it. It looks like you would have two disjointed spaces aftewards. If I were looking at this house to buy I would wonder why this was done and would feel compelled to do another remodel. If you are remodeling a kitchen without having to move any appliances I think it's fine to do it without a KD, but this is much more radical and I feel you need to seek professional assistance. This is going to be a very expensive project in any case, so getting it right is important. You might even want to start with an architect and then polish the design with a KD. Some architects aren't brillant KDs.

Ok. A bigger living room helps make this plan a bit more logical. You have comfy entertaining seating proportional to the cooking and dining areas.

I'd love to see one unified kitchen, where every task area is in a light welcoming space. For the design you have, I would work towards this by moving the fridge over to the patio slider side of the kitchen, with a microwave drawer nearby on the island. Then I would remove the wall between the DW and the open kitchen. That would help in several ways: 1) scullery gets a little more light; 2) more open flexible countertop space for the dishwasher and the cook; 3) easier for helper guests to see where to find dishes, or where to bring back dirty dishes. And I would use glass doors on the glassware and dishes cupboard. Again for a lighter feeling and to help guests locate items.

Another option might be to put the freezer column near the slider, and put the fridge where you have the freezer column. That puts the fridge near both sinks, to let both areas be prep zones when you need them. And a snacker can easily grab a plate, a cold food, and then take it all to a microwave on that side of the island, and still stay mostly out of the work zone.

Not the best way to show it, but the screen shot attached shows the kitchen on the far left, the lower level living room not shown in the original floor plan on the right.

Where do plan to do prep work? Next to which sink? IMHO, that’s where the knife drawer should be.