I agree that this kitchen is a bit odd. The island is out of the kitchen, and it blocks the way to the dining room! I can't imagine that being functional. I think the dining room is a bit odd too: That is, you have to walk through the kitchen and past another table to reach the dining room.

However, the space is there, and you could build a much better kitchen. I think you should give up the U concept and make it more of an L with an island.

The island is completely useless and the kitchen isn't wide enough for one anyway, which is why it's weirdly located outside the kitchen. Focusing on symmetry exclusively in the kitchen often leads to a loss of function. Plus, a symmetrically designed focal point like a range without any vantage to view that symmetry wastes the effort. There is no viewpoint of the kitchen where something like that will be able to be seen or appreciated. The focal point of that kitchen is the windows with the sink, not the range.

If symmetry in the kitchen is so important to you, I would have thought that the overall houseplan wouldn't appeal to you at all as it lacks balance. Especially with the garage snout protruding off the front like that. I would have thought you would look at something like a traditional center hall Colonial or Foursquare type plan.

There are a lot of doors coming in from the garage with the pantry/powder/mud rooms. You'll be constantly opening & closing to get through there. Pantry is a long way from the kitchen.

What if you change the three car garage into a two car garage...with the third bay on the right side of the house? Then move the powder room, mudroom, etc down a bit and put the kitchen where the dining room is now (against that third garage bay).

You could have it bigger, keep the windows overlooking the back, above the sink, range would be against new garage wall...fridge on end of sink run. The island would now fit and the dining room could combine with the nook space.

The fireplace could be on the back (bottom) wall of the nook/dining space and I'd close off the access to the living room, add french doors and make that a very nice 'away' room.

Just an idea :)

How about:

1) putting the dining room where the café is, and the café where the dining room is? Of course, that would mean the dining room would be windowless: but having it next to the living room might be an advantage.

Or 2) put the dining room where the café is, the café where the kitchen is, and the kitchen where the dining room is.

In either case, you'd probably want to turn the pantry 180 degrees.

The mud room/pantry/powder room area could be configured differently also: it could even enter the house through the kitchen or café.

And 3) for something very different: put the dining room at the front of the house next to the living room. This gives the dining room a window; it also provides a second entrance to the living room, so no need for the awkward corner door next to the basement stairs.

The kitchen and café stay more or less where they are now, while the garage and the mudroom complex move off to the side and perhaps also toward the rear.

The second floor would need major changes, but you have plenty of room there to play with.

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I could move the kitchen to the dining room, I think there would be enough space there to do what I envision. I would make the entrance more open and move the door to the pantry entering from the back wall of the kitchen. That would make the pantry closer to the kitchen and eliminate one door in the mudroom.
The downside, I just don't think I could put the dining room and the cafe all in the same space. It would look like a long room of tables. Also, would it be weird to have the kitchen so far away from the rest of the house.
Below is the original floor plan. I asked the draftsman to move the kitchen because I wanted the window like in my inspiration picture and to add a big island. It's my fault that I didn't communicate properly. I may just go back to the original plan for the kitchen and forget the windows and the farmhouse sink. I would make the island shorter but wider and closer to the range, so that it fits in the L shape. I would also change the entrance into the family room so that the kitchen was centered in the opening to the great room.

Any other suggestions or comments about the rest of the floor plan would be helpful. My husband really wants the three car garage, so I don't want to make it smaller. We won't have a basement so no basement stairs. I'm not sure where the awkward corner is, if anyone sees it could you point it out to me.

Also, here's the elevation. It doesn't look to me like the garage is jutting out too far, but it is hard to tell from a drawing. Any suggestions for the exterior. I kinda wanted more shake on it, but not sure where to put it.

I really like your inspiration picture! Will you get enough light into your kitchen with the original plan? Do you need a dining room and a nook?

Just wondering if you could rework the office/kitchen area into one long kitchen/eating area. Maybe a butler's pantry between the dining room and the kitchen? Can you trim off the nook, so the back is even and brings more light into the space?

These are two of my favorite kitchen pictures :) {{gwi:1407443}}From TV kitchens
{{gwi:1407444}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

I would put the kitchen where the office is and the mudroom area to make it a kitchen and breakfast area with windows to the outside. Then move the garage entry/mudroom and powder room into the interior space (bottom of current kitchen). Then make the nook into the dining room.

This would get you windows in all the rooms where you would be spending time.

Here is a sketch to give you an idea. I ignored windows and dimensions, but should give you a good idea. Puts all the rooms used for longer times on exterior walls so they can have windows.

This post was edited by lyfia on Tue, Jan 21, 14 at 10:52