We are planning a complete interior remodel and addition and wanted to get your opinions. In the first floor plan there is an l-shaped island with a butlers pantry to access the dining area. I'm not a huge fan of the l-shaped island. Using this floor plan I was thinking of building a banquette along the walls of the butlers pantry.

For design #2, I love having the large rectangular island centered with the great room and prefer this pantry so nobody will walk through and see all my stuff. I would extend the pantry to be the same depth of the nook. However, I'm not sure about the main sink area. Do you think it would feel too crowded in the nook with the main sink? I do not want to have the main sink on the island because I don't want my drying rack to be an eyesore.

My husband prefers the location of the kitchen in design 1 since we would have a better view of our kids when playing in the yard. Which do you think is the better design? Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated. TIA