It would be possible to put a play corner in the first two drawings but not in alternative 2. I would recommend a corner of storage furniture to corral the toys. I am usually a fan of built-ins but not in this case because eventually the kids will outgrow their toys and you won't need that storage there anymore. The built-in exception would be a window seat under one of those windows on the plans. Some of the storage could be cabinets or bookshelves for bins or toys underneath a window seat. I'm not a fan for toy box style storage because they either become a black hole or the kids throw everything out of them looking for what they want and then do't put the rest of it back. As for the kitchen placement, near to the deck would be best in you like to eat outdoors on the deck or entertain on the deck. We entertain a lot and the kitchen is on the other side of the house from the patio. It's a real pain and a big part of my design brief for the architect was for the kitchen to be next to the patio. I even wanted a pass-through window from the kitchen sink to the patio for ease of clean up but unfortunately I wasn't able to work that out.

cpartist, I like what you did with the spa. I worry that it will make the swimmable portion of the pool to small, though. Maybe I'll throw that question over to the pool forum. In an ideal world we would just make the pool longer, but it's just not possible with the code restrictions. I also agree about the bbq. Going to brainstorm this with our architects when they get back from vacation. I'm leaning towards pushing the pool against the carport (it was there in one iteration of our outdoor space) and moving the outdoor kitchen to the wall along the entry where the outdoor dining table currently is). It would be nice to walk out from the kitchen to the grill. Not sure it's feasible, though. Looking more at the numbers you crunched on the great room, I'm thinking we take another foot back from our overhang (it's currently 9' to provide shade) and give it back to the living room. Then we could have 4' between the dining / living and 5' between the kitchen island and dining table.

Your new LR looks OK--we have a 13.5 x 27' LR, no family room, and it's fine. What jumps out at me are the widths of the kitchen aisles, which are too narrow. I don't think you are accounting for the front counter overhangs on perimeter counter and island, so the work aisle will be further reduced by at least 2". If at all possible, I'd extend the kitchen floor to meet the bottom step in the DR, to add a few inches to the work aisle and to add to the space behind the island seating--but that would take away needed space for the DR. It's a shame the fireplace can't be picked up and moved to the new LR. Even though the work aisle is too narrow, I'm going to make some suggestions to help the function and flow, as the layout's drawn. I would center the range between the windows, using a hood at least 6" wider than the cooktop, to help contain the grease and steam plume, since there are no upper cabinets to provide a capture area. If no make-up air system exists, that will need to be addressed. I would then move the DW to the other end of the island, with dish storage in drawers across the aisle. Trash pull-out on the other end can be shared with all zones. At 22' there should be space for an 11' island, with 8' for four seats (24" minimum per seat). 15" wide upper cabinets can be used for the storage beside the seating, reinforced to help support the counter top, with an apron supporting the 8' span. Make sure the support system is designed before the island is installed. The seating overhang won't be quite as deep as the minimum 15" recommended by the NKBA, so use the thinnest back cover panel available. Since only a small space is available for a tall pantry cabinet, I'd use all drawer bases for extra storage and ease of accessing all space. On the short run, I'd create a coffee/snacks center with a small sink on the shared plumbing wall. A few coffee cups, glasses, and plates can be kept above the sink for convenience, and to keep grazers out of the narrow work aisle. NKBA guidelines New to Kitchens? Read me first.

Although you have a lot of natural light during the day, you need to plan for good kitchen lighting at night. I would put recessed lights in at least the kitchen area, along all the outer areas the the island. Skip island pendents due to your beams, and just use a hanging fixture over your dining table. You can have more ambient light in the living area, with wall sconces built into the storage areas. Add a floor plug so you can have a floor lamp next to the sofa. I don't understand the kitchen at all. Your sink only has one open side, so you're putting dirty and clean dishes in the same place? And the dishwasher seems like it's in the island with the stove? Move the stove to the outer wall so you can have a regular vent, and put the sink in the middle of the island so it's usable. Put the refrigerator on one of the ends of the cabinet run where it's better accessible.