The wall between kitchen & dining room is likely a structural wall, so it probably can't be removed completely, but they should be able to make an opening in it. What if you extended the kitchen into the breakfast nook, with a long island with seating instead of a peninsula, and made an opening into the dining room from the kitchen and made that your breakfast nook?

What will you use the flex room for?

Now's the time to change it. Move the 1/2 bath and closet to where the flex room is on the drawing so you have a larger more rectangular space for the dining/flex room. Does that make sense? Then bath and closet are out of the way.

Interior architect here,
I don't see a problem with the dining room. Because you have that nice flex space, the dining room could always be used for anything such as formal living, music, library, media,etc. my biggest concern is the fact that the first thing you see upon entry is the end of your peninsula in the kitchen. It's current placement is not only aesthetically unpleasant but will give you big trouble when you go to furnish your family room.

Good luck

It's more ideal not having the kitchen visible from the foyer.

Your kitchen as designed is on the small side. If you are looking for ideas, you consider making the kitchen/dining room one large room, mostly kitchen, and use the breakfast room for both formal and informal dining.

I agree, the peninsula sticks out too much into the living space. It restricts you to seating along either wall. Not enough room to float a chair or loveseat.

Flex room will be used as playroom for now , I never thought about that bar area being a problem . But I can see were it would be . Do you all have any suggestions on how to change it ?

I'm thinking about taking out the peninsula and moving out the dishwasher / sink countertops out into the breakfast area . Then putting a island into the kitchen since it will be a lil bigger

Ohhhh flex room = sunroom.

I would strongly encourage you to ditch the pantry. You don't have the luxury of that much space and with three full-height gyp board walls and a door, it's going to look oversized. Remove the proposed peninsula and extend the counter on the sink side. I would not take any more space out of the informal area than that.

I can see where your coming from with the pantry , I'm going to explore that . Here is a lil plan I drew up with an idea , shrinking the breakfast nook and connecting the kitchen and formal dinning area

Nice! would you still have room for a small table in the breakfast area? If so, I wouldn't worry about seating at the island. With breakfast table, peninsula seating, and formal dining room, you would have LOTS of seating.

We are kinda eliminating the breakfast area and just having seating at the peninsula , and island if needed . Then the making the formal dinning into more of an informal eating area

Your new plan looks great. I would have the garage door swing the other way so that it opens into the room and not the windows.

Enjoy!

Thank you , can anyone give me a ballpark on a 3x4 island with a butcher top ? 1000 a fair estimate ?

Another idea.
Easy to make the pantry a regular closet space if you open the kitchen to the dining room. Probably would hold just as much stuff b/c there's less wasted space in the corners and the "walk in" space.

Your cabinet company or builder wouldn't itemize the cost of the island, I don't think. You end up paying more for the finished sides, though.

Sorry for the shadows!

Thank you for the input we need a door from the garage into the home somewhere on that wall where you have cabinets all the way down

Ohh I didn't see that in your revised plan. Then your peninsula makes more sense. I was worried that it would seem like a breakfast table " should " go there. But not if there's a doorway.