I have a split style home with a planned layout similar to your last one on 3/31. Looks similar except I have about an extra 6' in the length (kitchen to DR) as well as no door to the garage on that side. I think ideagirl2 has good ideas. You will want an opening on either end for easy access into the kitchen or DR side. If the basement is unfinished, then swapping the steps might be a practical solution. A contractor can order a prefabricated set of steps to put in. If the closet in the hall is basically useless then this might be a good idea. Since its a ranch, then you should be able to flip it since there isn't another set of steps going up to a second story where then it would be impossible to flip them. However, this would mean you could not overlay another staircase on top of this one to expand for a second floor one day. You then would have to add another staircase somewhere else in the house and loose space. Moving the utilities can be expensive and it can affect headroom or remodeling plans for the basement. It depends where the waste lines are located in the home more then anything, since they need pitch from the sink to the waste stack. If that waste stack is located where the steps are then the pipe will have to drop below the floor joists below, since they will run front to back, and you will loose headroom. Not a big deal if this ends up in a utility area. Does the garage run all the way front to back? If so I would do the following to the plan noted above. 1) Move the garage doorway more to where the table is on the LR side. Thus, the door would start roughly where the table ends need the opening between the LR & DR. You then will be flipping the DR table and the door. This way when you come in from the garage you can enter into the LR or walk through the kitchen with Groceries. I would make the back window a sliding door. So the table is looking out the sliding door. It will make the room feel much bigger. I am putting in a nice 10' 4 panel sliding glass door for this very reason. If in fact no furniture could be placed between the right side of the fireplace and the wall as you drew it, my last recommendation is more structural and one I am grappling with now in my own home. That would be to make the opening even wider between the LR and DR table area. If you look at your pic you posted of the fireplace. I would take that opening and open the fireplace side all the way to the wall. This will make it more open and feel less cramped. You could even have them cut the ceiling joists and put the beam up so that you have a flat ceiling in the opening. This is what I am contemplating now. You then can see the fireplace for the DR table and the kitchen area, when facing the peninsula. You also can extend a table out into the LR if you have larger company at holiday times.

Not sure where the fridge is in this layout. If counter-depth, I'm assuming it'll be at least 48" wide, and will then occupy good chunk of real estate. If std. depth fridge, I don't see it indicated and it would have an impact on transit routes. Suggest keeping island as-drawn to keep access to wall of cabinets and butler's pantry as open as possible. Agree with many above comments you should ditch built-in seating, especially if this is the only dining space you'll have. You might also want to consider orienting a longer dining table 90 degrees, so as to be placed like the island. Looks like the side walls may be longer than the back wall?? If using drawers for dishes, make sure you opt for full extension, soft close undermount slides that are fastened to a cabinet back MORE than 1/4" thick. The weight of a stack of dinner plates alone can cause attachment to cabinet back to fail. Never mind failure of the slide itself. You'll want slides with static load rating of at least 125 lbs. and dynamic load rating of at least 75 lbs. Check to see if you have those options for attachment and load. Flipping pantry won't accomplish much unless doorway is moved. If doorway gets moved, small run of cabinets on outside corner of pantry will be lost. I suggest you consider a framed entry (no door) to pantry, and eliminate lost space for allowance of door swing. I also think location of the fridge would be a huge factor in assessing orientation of the island.

So, I took a look..and I do have some concerns, especially if you try to fit a 48"D island into your space. Your space just isn't wide enough to have that deep an island + decent aisles + space to move around the island. Even a 41.5"D island is marginal. A few things have to be taken into account in your design: (1) You definitely need to have enough room for multiple cooks: "We're a family of four. Two kids, one 5 and one 10. Wife and I both love to cook and share the responsibility equally. Kids will also help out in the kitchen and our oldest loves to bake by herself." This means your aisles really need to be a minimum of 48". It also means you need to have more than one place to prep and, preferably, a water source in at least two locations so you're not fighting over the sink. (Add in someone trying to cleanup or load/unload the DW while others are prepping/cooking, and you're asking for trouble -- especially when your kids are in preteen + teen! (Trust me on this!) (2) Busy traffic in the Kitchen. The Kitchen is in the middle of the path between the Family Room and the Dining Room and, I think, between the entrance (far left) and the rest of the house -- including the stairs that I assume go upstairs to the bedrooms. That area is going to be busy. So, You need adequate aisles to allow considerable traffic + table seating and considerable traffic + island seating. Do not skimp on aisle space (or seating space)! You need a minim of 48" between the island and anything behind the seats (e.g., the stairs). More would be better, but your Kitchen isn't deep enough. (3) Island configuration: Since you need the minimum aisle widths (48") around the island, you cannot fit a 48" deep island. Instead, have a 3 seats along the back and one on the side. Is it ideal, no, but it's better than most I've seen. Your island is then 41.5" deep: 1.5" counter overhang in the front + 24" deep base cabinet + 1" decorative door/end panel on the back of the base cabinets + 15" seating overhang = 41.5" In addition, each seats need 24" of linear space, so only one seat will fit on the 41.5" long side --and-- you cannot overlap seats on a corner, so even skimping on linear space won't work. For 3 seats, that means you need 72" (6'). Your minimum island needs to be 72"W x 41.5"D For your Kitchen size: From what I was able to calculate, it appears the longest part of your Kitchen is no more than 116" + 71" + 19.5" = 206.5" [Note: The 19.5" measurement might not be right, I had to base it on what I saw elsewhere b/c a couple of key measurements were missing on your layout.] The stairs encroach on that, so where the island ends, it's a bit less than 149" The minimum space you need is: 25.5" + 48" + 41.5" = 115" and then add in 33" to accommodate the needed the space b/w the stairs and island = 148" [Why 33" and not 48"? This can be a bit complicated...the stairs are on a diagonal, so a straight line measurement doesn't work. Instead, I had to work with rotated lines to calculate what was necessary to accommodate a 48-inch aisle. If it's too complicated or I didn't explain it well, don't worry about it...you'll see the results in the layouts.] . Layouts.... With all of the above in mind, I came up with two layouts -- I like #1 the best b/c I think it gives you the best functionality, more workspace, and a more open feel. Both have two Prep Zones: (1) in the island with a prep sink and (2) on the perimeter b/w the cleanup sink and range. As you can see, Layout #1 has more space b/w the range and cleanup sink. The sink run of counters and cabinets are 3" deeper than standard. This gives you more storage (especially dish storage) and and deeper workspace. It also pulls the sink 3" farther from the window and window sill so you can easily fit any faucet, clean behind it easier, and minimize window splashing -- without being too far from the window to open it. The base cabinets are 27" deep (If you cannot get deeper base cabinets or they're too expensive, pull standard depth base cabinets (24"D) out from the wall 3" when they're installed.) The upper cabinets are 15" deep (Most lines now offer 15" deep uppers for a reasonable price) The deeper uppers also provide better storage for deeper items like platters or large dinner plates. The counter is 28.5" deep The deeper cabinets & counter also allow you to have a Dish Hutch. A Dish Hutch has a lot more storage than a standard base + upper setup. The upper goes down to the counter and, allows you to utilize the entire height for dishes, glasses, etc. In your layout, it's a 27" wide Dish Hutch. (That means you have an additional 27"W x 18" tall x 15"D = 7,290 cubic inches (about 4.2 cubic feet) of storage.) Other items: The island has a prep sink so the island can function as a Prep Zone (key Prep Zone items are water and counterspace). There's still plenty of open space for baking, doing homework, science projects, crafts, wrapping gifts, etc. The island also seats four people comfortably. Dish storage and the Cleanup Zone are outside the Prep and Cooking Zones -- allowing you to have multiple people working in the Kitchen -- prepping, cooking, baking, cleaning up, unloading the DW, setting the table, etc. -- without getting in each others' way. The MW is on the long counter at the "bottom" of the Kitchen. That space also makes a nice Snack/Tea/Coffee Center and, if necessary, a "tertiary" Prep Zone. While there isn't direct access to water, it can be used in a pinch for prepping. That long space also has additional storage space for pantry items or other needs. I suggest building up the half-wall b/w the Family Room and the Kitchen to at least 42" tall to allow a bit of separation and to block a direct view of the MW (assuming you put it there -- that seems to be the best location. It's at a usable height and has room around it for landing space. The both have a full-height 18" pullout pantry and, in front of the furnace exhaust bumpout, a full-height shelved pantry cabinet 18"W x 9"D. A lot will fit in that 9" deep pantry cabinet! Layout #2 has a 9" Utility cabinet (or another pantry cabinet). The Dining Room In Layout #1 has a partial banquette style -- one long side and one short side are in the corner. The other seats are chairs. It easily seats up to 6. If you have leaves, you might be able to squeeze in a couple more seats, but only if/when really needed b/c it will create aisle/traffic issues. There is plenty of space around the table for seat access. This layout allows you to move the Refrigerator to the other side of the furnace exhaust bumpout. This frees up space to the right for needed counterspace. (This is the primary reason I prefer this layout. It's worth losing the 9" wide utility cabinet -- at least to me.) In Layout #2, the Refrigerator will not fit on the left of the furnace exhaust bumpout, so the amount of counterspace around the range is significantly reduced. To fit the table, there are minimal aisles on the left (36") and top (35"). However, they are not "through aisles", so they should be OK. You'll have to do a bit of squeezing, but with only 4 people, it won't be bad. The important aisles are wide enough. Here they are: Layout #1: Layout #1's Zone Map: . . Layout #2 Layout #2's Zone Map:

@jolly_lin in our last house we had a sink on the perimeter with no window above it. I hated it and would not ever choose that option. I'd either want to look up and out into the open space or out a window while at the sink. In our renovation we moved the sink to the island. In our current house it is on the perimeter under a window and we have a large island with nothing but countertop. I do love having a big island for prep (and LOVE my sink under the window) but honestly I only use half of the island for prep so having a sink in it on one side wouldn't be an issue. It actually would be easier prepping next to a sink to just push all the scraps over into the sink (disposal) or garbage that would inevitably be next to the sink.