Here is a link to my inspiration - the feel I would like to have is fresh and clean, yet some what traditional and timeless.
http://www.washingtonspaces.com/kabyawards/entrant.php?id=25&roomid=1

Here is current floorplan:

Here is rough sketch of proposed layout:

Here are pics of current kitchen. Golden maple perimeter cabinets and floor must stay. Anything else can be changed.

This bank of cabinets would be moved back about 5 feet

Pic of pottery that will be on display/used in kitchen, with perimeter cabinets, and sample of eggshell island color and Ubatuba.

Questions: The "eggshell" color for the island cabinets seems really white in this pic, should I go a shade "creamier"? I want the island to look like a stand alone piece, and I think there will be so much Ubatuba on perimeter I would like to consider a co-ordinating/contrasting granite for island top....any ideas?

Here is a link that might be useful: inspiration kitchen

Here is link for the style of the proposed new island cabinets, except the color would be a "eggshell" which is a creamy off white. (Worried it might be a bit too white?)
I want the island to be centerpiece and very nice, but perimeter cabinets are quite simple...does this work?
Instead of just the solid eggshell color, would I want to consider a glaze to add some golden tan color to the detail areas? Would that add some interest and pop to my focal point, or take away from the fresh/clean look I want? Would it start to make it look too "matchy" with my golden tan cabinets?

Here is a link that might be useful: proposed Shiloh island cabinet

I'm not going to take the time to figure out how to be gentle -- sorry. For a lot less money, you can buy a new table and chairs. We have one that has a self-contained leaf so that it is smaller and seats 6 or can easily seat 8 opened up, and it isn't that large.

The proposed layout is an example of why more is not better for me. I'm guessing you don't' bake a lot, but with the pantry over on that side of the kitchen too, it will be impossible to do most any kind of work in the kitchen without running around the island. In my view, you would be trading one easily moved or changed barrier for a much larger and fixed one.

Do you use the seating at the island a lot? Would you miss the storage or workspace if the island was gone? It seems a bit small to try to accomplish both tasks, so I'm wondering what it does most for you.

The eggshell is fine. If you go too creamy, I think the paint would look dingy with a light wood like maple. I would not glaze the paint with a natural light wood surface to go wioth it. I like the uba tuba with your maple.

Think about how you use the kitchen and walk through any layout with a variety of tasks in mind -- dinner for the family in a hurry, a large dinner for a crowd, entertaining and trying to get to things with folks standing around that island, baking cookies or a cake and having egg goo on your hands. Make sure you include the things that are good about what you have and try to eliminate anything that would be a pain to work with. Even slight pains can be magnified when repeated and when you are working in a hurry -- which I seem to do a lot of in my kitchen.

lascatx-
Thanks - you gave me some things to think over/review.
My rough sketches aren't totally to scale as far as the "old" table, new island, etc. and I had thought we had a pretty big space to work with, with that mudroom wall removed. The width would be 17'7", the longest wall all the way to the half wall with the family room is 28'9' and the third wall until you hit the bump out of the powder room is about 20'. With banks of cabinets on both sides, the eating part of the island 40", I could still have 5ft walkways on either side of the new island.

The layout of the pantry, refrig, cooktop, sink and work part of island are all staying exactly the same and I've been happy with it for 10 yrs. The current island is in constant use for both food prep and eating. As opposed to the table by the sliding door which is maybe used once a week at most, then only b/c we can't currently seat the whole family at the island! When working in the kitchen, I tend to move long the "bottom" of the U. I don't bake a whole lot, but I keep my "everyday" stuff like flour, oil, sugar, etc in the lazy susan in the corner near the cooktop/sink/island. The only change to the work area is that b/c we are closing off one door from the garage, the micro can move down closer to the pantry and the bottom of the U. My one complaint with the current (top) layout is that the micro is on the complete opposite side of the island.

We knew the space for the table in front of the sliding doors was tight when we moved in so I bought what I thought was a very narrow table yet would still be functional. It is 3 ft.across with two self contained leaves. It still feels tight b/t the powder room wall and table walkway if anyone is over, but worse is trying to go in and out to the deck. We eat almost all of our meals at the island as the three kids come and go with their activities.

Good point about a darker cream color looking dingy. I had the same thoughts about adding a glaze. I am trying to keep in mind my goal of "fresh", but then sometimes I wonder if that means too plain and think I need to add stuff!
Any ideas on a top for the island? I feel like it should have a different top from the perimeter to make it feel more like a seperate piece added later. But, it can't "fight" with the Ubatuba.

I know this is soooo long, so thanks for reading this far.

I think the oven and micro locations are both improved from the current layout.

Will you have a sink in the bar area?

I'm a little worried about how far the seating overlaps into the work area, and I'm assuming if this is the regularly used table, that you won't be having backless stools that will slide under and out of the way....

I would love to see the layout done to accurate scale on graph paper, so we can be sure of clearances,exact orientation of seating to crucial areas of the kitchen, etc.

rhome-
For now, I had thought nix the sink in the bar area. We have one now and only use it to fill with ice and stick a few beers/sodas in it. With a new beverage fridge shouldn't need to do this anymore. My husband is supposed to use that sink to make the coffee...but he won't! He walks over to the big sink, no matter how much I complain. Strange..but I guess I should just be happy that he likes to make the coffee!
However, my father, who will doing all the work except refinishing hardwoods and installing granite, seems to think a large house with a big kitchen should have a second sink "for resale" (we have no plans to move in the forseeable future). Since we have barely used the one we have in 10 years, I don't get it. Perhaps its not in the right spot, or I'm not thinking outside the box on how a second sink would be used. Any thoughts?

Is the seating you are concerned about the three chairs that would be on the sink side of the island? I don't have her scaled plan yet as she is tweaking, but I think the KD had a good 5ft b/t island and cabinets here. I did think about that before she came, and currently 98% of my workspace is between the sink and the cooktop and that side/corner of the island. I rarely spread out any further down than the dishwasher area. If I need more space I tend to take over more of the island. BUT, I am going to take a closer look at the final plans to see exactly where the seating starts in relation to that run of cabinets.

Here is a pic of the VERY fast, off the top of her head drawing she did of new wall with mudroom and doorway removed. The glitch is that they no longer make my exact cabinet door so we need to fill in with a piece from the current island, a beverage fridge and then up top, items that have no door profile.
I like that the bar area is no longer cramped and that the micro is pulled close into the bottom of the U. I considered if the Wall Oven should switch with the micro area, but:
1) There are light switches on that outside pantry wall that we will need to access b/t upper and lower cabinets. Can't do that if wall ovens are there.
2)the bar run seems plenty large now
3) I like the micro more convenient than the Wall Oven
4) This is probably strange, but I think every kitchen NEEDS a "dump" area so at least its all in one spot. I try to tame it with a charging station, a standing file for papers and baskets for keys and other small items.

You have great taste and ideas so I really appreciate your time and thoughts!

The coffee pot is right next to the bar sink and he doesn't use it? I have no answer to that one.

However, the value of a prep sink has to do with its proper location. The one you have now is completely out of the loop. The best place for a 2nd sink in your new plan would be the corner of the island nearest the pantry.

1) Would be useful for washing and prepping veggies on the stove side of the island (and for filling and emptying pots of water for pasta, etc.)

2) in the right location for emptying and draining canned goods retrieved from the pantry, also scrubbing potatoes, etc. that might be stored in the pantry.

3) handy to the microwave for adding water or draining steamed veggies

4) handy for adding water to baking projects and washing sticky or dough-covered hands

5) handy to the bar area.

Very useful from 2 sides of the island...Accessible from inside the work area as well as being useful to others who need a sink but now won't have to invade your kitchen work area. Win-win-win-win-win....

I have a prep sink located similarly and LOVE it. (It's on the corner with the faucet positioned diagonally, so equally accessible from either side.) We use it all the time. Leaves the main sink free for dirty dishes and cleanup activities.

Here's a vote for going creamier with your island top. Your ubatuba is 'warm', and that piece you show in the photograph is 'cool'. Contrasts, as long as they're within the same temperature framework, can look great, so where I think you have a great idea to de-emphasize the island with a lighter color, I'd go a little deeper than what we see here.

I am very excited for you, and very jealous of all the space you have to work with! I love that the garage won't open directly into the kitchen but I'm worried about traffic thru your pantry area. Is there anyway you could incorporate the pantry space into the kitchen and have one door from the mudroom? I'm dreaming big here, but if you slide the bar down to near where the pantry area is you'd have room for a fireplace, which I love in a kitchen (unless of course you guys live down south!
The detail on your island cabinets is lovely. I know you currently have strong colors on the walls, but have you thought of really playing up the island as the focal point by choosing a color? maybe from the beautiful pottery you'll be displaying? If color won't work for you there, then a glaze would certainly give emphasis to all of the the detail.
I agree that placement makes the difference when it comes to second sinks. We almost put ours over on the bar area and I'm so glad we moved it to the long cabinet run between the ovens and the frig, across from the island cooktop. I work from frig to sink to cooktop and all the used pans, dishes, utensils move to the big sink and out of my work zone. The second sink would have been a big ice bucket too, if we'd put it on the bar. Good luck with this project!
~Jeannie

jenise-
When you mention going creamier with the island top...do you mean island cabinets or countertops? That piece in the pic w/the pottery is a sample of the painted island cabinet that is supposed to be "eggshell" but seems to read very white in this picture, which made me think I needed to go creamier. I had picked the eggshell b/c it was so close to the off white in the background of the plate. But maybe I need to go back and think about the next shade darker (ivory) if eggshell is going to come off as such a contrast. What I don't like about my kitchen now is the Artic White solid Corian countertops - I don't want to repeat that!
Here is a link for the cabinets painted color choices.
I would love to be bold enough to have the island be green or yellow, but think I better stick with using color in the paints and fabrics - the more easily replacable items. (Yes, I know, I'm a big chicken!)

I'm still confused about what I should consider for the island countertop. I haven't a clue how one mixes and matches different granites...and then throw in both golden maple cabinets and creamy off white cabinets...oy!

Here is a link that might be useful: cabinet paint choices

Just a quick update...I decided that the "eggshell" is just too blah, and I'm afraid it gets me right back with what I don't like in my current kitchen which is the solid white countertops w/the warm maple.
So, I'm now seriously considering the yellow, willow green, or possibly even the charol (less harsh than the black). Maybe with some glazing, especially if I go with the yellow. See cabinet paint choices link in above post.
Still stumped on a granite to go on the island!