The island is large enough to have a good zone of safety around the cooking zone, but not large enough to serve as the prep zone. Your prep zone in this layout will be the corner between your fridge and DW. And that would be fine for many people. If you want to prep and socialize with visitors at the same time, then this isn't a layout that will work for that and you'd need to move the cooking zone off of the island and put a sink there so that you'd prep facing out into the room.

Whatever you decide, I'd make the entry to the pantry in the hall adjacent so that you could extend the cabinets down all the way to that hall and move the fridge down further to make access easier from the great room. That will also give you a good place for a MW next to the fridge.

I'd personally also prefer a peninsula for some separation between the kitchen and dining room while still remaining open for the connection. I'd also prefer the cooking zone to be off of the island so that it would b easier and cheaper (and more effectively) vented to the exterior straight through the wall. Flank it with some windows to make it a focal point from the great room.

We had a peninsula separating the kitchen and dining in the kitchen we just tore out. I am looking forward to not having to walk all the way around it every time I forgot the ketchup or the forks etc. It will be nice to have a nice straight shot from the table to the kitchen.

What was nice about it was that it kept the kitchen mess from view of the table (it had a raised bar).

Thanks for the great ideas and feedback @greendesigns and @eieio-5.

Would it be a mistake to put the range/hood in the corner? (on the pantry side/not the dining side) I don't want to lose the window by switching the sink & range. Then maybe a micro drawer, warmer oven, prep sink, storage and seating at the island? Am I deluding myself thinking that I won't miss the cabinet space because the pantry is so large?

I was also thinking that the island could be a bit bigger. Say, 10' X 5' to 6' instead of 8'X4'.

What an amazing space, love the open concept.
I dislike having a range in the island, much rather against a wall with proper backsplash and vent.... not sure where you can configure it out of the island. I am sure someone with more experience can chime in.

newhouse - 5' on the island short side will not be reachable for wiping off without walking around it. Just in case that matters I thought I'd mention it. I think 4' is about perfect if you are going rectangular. I'd stick with 8 x 4 but 10 x 4 is nice too if you have the room.

I have a similar dilemma in what I am contemplating with the pantry - glad to see Greendesigns opinion. Accessing from the kitchen really does take a bite out of the real estate.

For a similar layout and flow check out mpagmom's and babs711's finished kitchens. They do not have the cooktop in the island and I think you could move yours to the perimeter too. I think the dimensions on both are quite similar to your own.

mpagmom:
Similar home layout - with prep sink no pantry though
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg081655119382.html

babs711:
Kitchen/dining/Family room layout but similar kitchen dimensions, no prep sink but there is a pantry
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0700250325725.html

Sorry can't figure out how to add TWO links. Just one. I am very visual so I thought maybe looking at these spaces might help you too.

Ok. Here is what I came up with based on all your great advice. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks @Autumn.4 for pointing me to the finished pic's. They were really helpful. I'm glad you pointed out the 5' reach issue. I hadn't thought about that.

@ratrem I saw your finished kitchen too. Love it!

@Greendesigns, I tried to talk my husband into moving the pantry door to the hall. no go. It is an entry hall and the wall is one of the few art walls in the house.

8' isn't enough room for dining unless you are doing a banquette. A banquette will suck for everyday eating. The dining area needs to be larger no matter what you do. This plan is more than a little suspect overall if it has stupid errors like that and the ridiculous space wasting pantry access on it. You should post it on the Building a Home forum here to get more layout on it's overall feedback.

The last layout is a total no go. The little short legs are useless and the pantry door has to go around the corner if you want a usable kitchen. If your husband won't agree to that, then have him sign off that he'll be the sole cook in this kitchen. It's an extremely poor layout. And trying to cram a 48" range into it only makes it worse. Putting the range on the back wall flanked by windows DOES work, but you still need to reclaim that wasted pantry space back for the kitchen and the dining area needs to grow for everything to work. That would be non-negotiable for me. Do you want a house that's frustrating to live in, but looks pretty? Or do you want a functional house where you have to find a more creative way of hanging your art?

why don't you run the great room and dining zone across the back....enter the home...great room straight ahead...center the fireplace on the back wall and dining zone off to the right rear near the patio door. The little study can go in the space you are calling dining with french doors or whatever separation it needs.

What if you moved the pantry door around the corner but used a sliding door (barn door style) that you could actually mount artwork to? That would make a huge difference for usable space in the kitchen, and would still give your husband a pretty feature wall.

There is no storage here if you put a second dishwasher in.....everything will have to go in the pantry. I agree that the 48" range is too big, especially there on that short wall.

Nancy