Do you have a floor plan you can post with dimensions? The plans posted give a good idea what you are looking for, but it's all about space size. Would love to help.

Thank you! I added the blueprint we have and you can see in that version there was a peninsula versus an island. I thinkt the island was part of a 90s kitchen renovation.

The most obvious seems to be a huge push into the formal dining room, use the living room as dining.

Can't be read well enough, and doesn't matter. Get a Pro team together, an architect, a pro Kitchen designer and the bank : )

You want open concept but don't tell us what problem that will solve. Is the kitchen too small to cook in--more storage or counter space needed? Or do you want the open look just to have the openness? You definitely need to work with a kitchen designer as I see little chance that tearing down walls will realize your dream. If you must have open concept, then buy a different house.

I see an island, a kitchen table and a dining table all with seating. Are all three really necessary? The original floor plan with the peninsula was better as the non-cooks are out of the way of those cooking.

If I had to boil the problem down to a few things it would be the lack of overall space when all of us are in the kitchen. We run into each other and are constantly in the way of one another. The fridge, stove, sink area with the island are tight. The pantry and the trash are in that area too, so that would be the most problematic area.

I do agree the island is the problem, however that is where I do all of the chopping and prepping for meals--not enough usable counter space on either side of the stove.

The other problem is that when we do have guests, which is often with 4 teenage kids plus our friends, there just isn't enough room for us to all be in the kitchen, and let's face it, that's where everyone gathers! I always try to get people to come into the the family or living room but people love hanging in a kitchen.

I agree, we probably should just move if having more kitchen space is important to us. But we do love our house so posted hoping someone out there could see a solution that I couldn't see. Thanks, everyone!

Have you considered bumping out the nook? It won’t make the plan open but it would give you more space.

You will see it when you don't crowd source. You have a big house, with a smallish kitchen a big living room, and a very generous dining room right next to the too small kitchen

There is no way, from a small blurry jpeg, to say: Just do this.

Kitchens take money. They mean permits, and more than that before anything a very solid plan!

Call an interior designer - a good one. They virtually always have an architect, a pro KD, a contractor as well on speed dial, I certainly do.

Think about what your budget would be.

Room labels are just that. Labels. You have all kinds of space, just not where you want it.

Houzz can address a lot of issues, kitchens included. That doesn't mean every single kitchen: ) Get some help, investigate. think about what the dream kitchen is. collect some inspo pics.

Just on a quick look at the plans, I think having two dining spaces right next to each other is a problem. You might open up the space between the kitchen and the dining room, and have one eating area, then use the current kitchen and nook as the work area.

But I agree that you need a good kitchen designer who can really take a look at your wants and needs, as well as the space, and create something that will fit your family and budget.

I think it takes a large and specifically designed kitchen to create a “ kitchen space” where 8 or so people can “ gather” comfortably, if you mean IN the kitchen. even that concept has different iterations such as large spaces with large islands, vs central farm table in a large space, etc. Even many bigger houses don’t have such a kitchen , because it’s not been designed well.

Do you need/want/use a formal dining room. With that large family room do you need a large living room or would a smaller living room suffice.

Take the wall down between the kitchen and dining room. Move the wall between the dining room and living room down to where the lower kitchen wall is and then go to town with all that space. Include an informal dining area where the table runs up and down near the left side wall rather than sideways. Your living room will be about 13'x15' (I think) but nice for a quiet adult space and put French Doors in separating it from the rest of the space to give privacy and quiet.. Leave the walls up to the family room.

But, if you want a formal dining room then this doesn't work. If more space is needed that's the way to go because I suspect that a family room is more valuable space than a formal dining room with 4 teens and friends and you don't want to take space from that area.

One thing that was learned through covid was that walls were necessary in homes so leave the wall between dining room and living room with the potential to have it closedoff with french doors and leave the walls up between the kitchen and family room to control the amt of noise throughout the space.

We had a house where the kitchen was too small for the size of house and had to do some expensive (moving exterior walls) to equalize out the spaces.

ETA - in the nook put a little table with a couple of chairs for people (Grandparentss?) to sit and watch all the action or for coffee in the morning.

Thank you to everyone for your comments and ideas! You've given me a lot to think about.

I'm leaning toward getting rid of the island, possibly bringing back the peninsula and opening up the wall between the kitchen and the dining room so we have one main seating area instead of three separate spaces. Thinking more about my goals for the kitchen it really is about the usability and ability to function for 6+ people AND the being able to gather comfortably to visit/chat/hang out. I think getting rid of the island and opening up to the dining room will accomplish that.

Next step, finding the right professionals to help me make this a reality!

I apologize if the blueprints aren't clear for some...they look blurry to me too until I click on them and then they are in focus and clear to read.

You can search on Houzz in your area, you can ask friends who have done work in their own home.

The best is often to first get the interior designer - not just a decorator, and on your site. That person has the trades. You will find a team approach gets you the best result, no matter the style you may want within the expanded space.

As to your print ? It's clear to read the layout, rooms, not the tinier dimensions of all the rooms, the walls, the windows etc.: ) and the kitchen in detail of same inches.

Just a thought: your children are teen agers by the time a project like this gets designed etc then built could be a few years so your needs will change again.

Every problem can be solved by throwing money at it. Sometimes a whole lot of money and tearing the house down and starting over with a better overall layout. That's not needed here, because the house can live well for a small 2 person family. But, it doesn't live well for your family. So. How many hundreds of thousands do you want to spend solving a problem in that box? It will be less stressful to add those hundreds of thousands to the sale price of your house, and move into that home that is larger for living space, bedroom space, and kitchen space.

I need a tos cale floor plan without all the stuff in it just the floor plan I like kitchens open to DRs not to LRS but I can barely read the plan you posted so graph paper to scale show every window and doorway and whaere those lead every measurement clearly marked the post here in a comment in jpeg format DO NOT start another post You will get lots of good free advice take what you want from that and leave the rest.

Couldn't tell you in terms of expanding or relocating the kitchen without the upper floor plan....structural implications

Tried to send a sketch I drew, but it wouldn't come through. What I'd do -- if you're going with a full-fledged remodel -- is

- Do away with the breakfast table.

- Do away with the two doors on the sides of the breakfast table.

- Push the kitchen into the bay window area ... make it a U shape or a G shape. it might be open to the family room and dining room, or it might be closed off. It might have island /peninsula seating projecting into these two rooms, or it might not.

- Create a hallway (with new doors) in the area that now holds the kitchen and the range. This'll keep all your traffic on the edge of the kitchen.

agree i like the original penninsula better - seems easier to keep clean up and fridge use at front of kitchen and leave room for cooks in back. also just is a barrier to keep people out of your way! if you opened to diningroom you may be able to have stools there. without major rearrangement this isn’t going to be a house with a huge kitchen, but perhaps a nice efficient kitchen that lets you cook and others gather in the nook/DR out of your hair!

Originally, I thought it would be the right design to make the existing family room the new kitchen (being next to the garage) and push everything towards the formal living room, reallocating the areas, but after seeing the floor plan, I changed my mind.

With the way we live these days, it's rare we require a formal dining room. Make the dining room comfortable for everyday use. You probably don't need two dining tables right next to each other, but need a better working kitchen.

Consider raising the window sills in the bay window and locating counters for the sink on center of the bay, a stovetop to the left and the fridge on the right. No overhead cabinets.

The area of the existing kitchen to be a baking/coffee bar area and double/triple wall oven, with a sink, dishwasher and under counter fridge and upper cabinets. I love to bake and have everything in one place. The counters in this area to be white carrara marble, for rolling out that dough!

The bottom left of the plan to be full height 18" deep pantry.

The center island could be an unusual counter in a "racetrack oval" and a wonderful light fixture overhead, additional cabinets and microwave underneath and room for barstools.

Move the entry openings to the family room and the dining room (clearing 5'-4" +-,) to accommodate the cooking area. If you don't do much catered entertaining, remove the door to the dining room and close up the pass thru from the kitchen to the family room.

This will double the kitchen space and make all the areas have better accessibility. Getting cramped in that "U" must drive you crazy!

One method is to call the best design build firm in your area.. That firm should have an independent kitchen designer on a speed dial.. A good one. Not just a cabinet source..... a designer.

That would at least give you an idea of what is possible, will address the structural underpinnings etc. and produce some possible solutions, and plan. A far better route than the "maybe this, maybe that" of this thread. You'd need those other folks anyway: ) along with permits plumbing, electrical etc.