Hi - My husband & I are building a home with a modern, open ,slightly ranch feel... The kitchen is a good size but the great room is very large (we have 10' ceilings) with lots of large windows. I want to bring the island length further into the great room to tie the two rooms together BUT everyone who I have shown what I wanted to do is opposed due to it cuts across a hallway. Attached is the design my husband did (ignore the colors, we are still deciding on the cabinets), the counter top is going to be concrete so it can be any shape/ color that we want. My theory is that when I bring groceries from the garage I have a spot to set them directly from the hallway, bringing food from the pantry I would be able to set it down without turning a corner and walking further. Plus we aren't really putting a dinning table and I want more space to entertain and prepare food. As it sits now there is a 4' gap between L counters and island. The island is 5' wide & 10' long as is in the drawing. The only thing we can change at this point is the island.