One quick thought I had is flip the laundry and pantry. Then also make access to the laundry from the master bedroom. You could have 2 doors into the laundry... no??

remodelfla: the whole laundry/ pantry area will be reconfigured. I was planning on having a large mudroom/laundry/ pantry type of space inbetween the kitchen and garage area. And If I move the master bath to the interior wall I could have an doorway connecting the master closet to laundry which would be great for one of my most detested chores, lol.

How do you feel about turning the island into a peninsula? You would add the width of the aisle (42"?), and have the corner for elbow room. The blind corner could be accessed from the DR side.

The island in your inspiration pic is gorgeous, but except for a visual barrier, seating, and/or serving, it seems like a lot of wasted counter space--upper level is too high for comfortable prepping, chopping, etc. You don't want seating--how often would you use it for serving? I admit--it would be wonderful for parties!

Personally, I'd try to get the fridge on the wall where the stove is drawn, put the stove on the outside wall, where venting would be easier, and have the alcove where the fridge is drawn, as pantry, wall ovens, small counter for extra sink, and snack station. That would give you a U-shape kitchen--the door from garage and hallway could be moved closer to the bottom wall to eke out a little more space.

Edited to remove extra word.

This post was edited by mama_goose on Sat, May 11, 13 at 8:57

Just had another thought (which always happens as soon as I hit submit). My peninsula idea is based on the assumption that the most-used entry is from the garage--the pantries and fridge would be in a good location.

If traffic is coming from the backyard/deck, the peninsula will be a barrier. A small under-counter fridge could be put in the blind corner space, to hold drinks and condiments for the convenience of the BBQ crowd, as well as those in the DR.

mama goose: I do like the peninsula idea. It would allow the kitchen to stay somewhat smaller and possibly allow for a better work zone. It would be a barrier when grilling, but I dont think it would be that big of a deal. I do like the idea of a raised counter to obscure the kitchen mess, not sure how a two level peninsula would look?

Also, I'm not sure how a peninsula might change the feel of things. Previously I really wanted both a formal dining room with a fairly closed off kitchen and a small nook (possibly just a banquette). Unable to find a plan with all of that, I moved in to this plan. And while it just has one eating space (which i like for efficiency- why devote two spaces in the house to eating?) it still has a formal dining room feel vs and eat in kitchen. I'm worried that a peninsula might make it more like and eat in kitchen, which I desperately want to avoid. The large island was kind of symmetrical to the dining room, which seemed more formal or something.

I'll have to ponder the peninsula vs island some more.

houzz has some pictures (linked below), including this lovely example, which I think I posted for someone else recently--it looks very familiar.

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[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Denver Design-build Classic Homeworks

You could continue the upper level around the exposed corner, much like your island inspiration, to block the view of the sink from the LR. The counter overhang could be shortened to just a ledge. Also, the arch creates another separation between the rooms, possibly preserving the feeling of a formal DR.

Here is a link that might be useful: [houzz/two-tiered peninsulae ;)[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/two-tiered-kitchen-peninsula-phbr0lbl-bl~l_78202)