any chance you can cut a passage in the mudroom where it says cab.[.lower down on the left ].... keep the top opening into breakfast eating area as well. You'll get a straight passage to hallway/living room and points beyond. Then put a 2nd sink and pantry/microwave and storage on this lower zone of kitchen.In effect, you can tighten up the fridge/range and sink areas between island and right wall counter run for the cook.....fewer people will need to "pass through" your kitchen. Of course, there will be other ways to completely redo things.....but if you want the basic location of kitchen in the middle of everything, I think you should deflect traffic and that lower 2nd zone creation seems like it would be a smart move, whichever elements you placed there.

We actually have given some thought to cutting an entrance there and having an "hidden pantry entry" and convert the mud area to the panty and move up the mud room and garage door. Only problem I am worried about is that cuts down on storage and counter space if we do that. Another option is to change the built in oven/microwave into a upright pantry unit and still have the walk-in pantry in the back. This saves steps but it doesn't help with the awkwardness of the layout.

so back up and explain how you got to an"awkward layout". You are embracing an open plan so why don't you take the "core" activities like coming in from garage/cooking/use of seating area on day today basis/half bath location and try to zero in...stuff like mudrooms/pantries/ the placement of counter runs can all be drawn out and upon a basic setup that you like,that isn't awkward.A couple things I would think twice about are 1. a windowless kitchen in the middle 2. in essence 2 hallways coming from garage-that 'back hallway" and then the kitchen is setup like a hallway. 3 the "Wall-less" living room with the one side being the main hall near foyer, another side housing island stools and passage out to mudroom/half bath, and 3rd wall occupied with French doors which implies foot traffic/the last wall is fireplace and solid built ins. Even an open plan living room is well served with some wall scape and possibly recessed areas for conversation/quieter reading nook/or game table/etc. If you want all action/activities front and center and traffic crisscrossing everywhere,it's your choice.It feels what will happen is it will live "small"....some folks might like that.

Awkward layout is not the right word I guess. I don't want the bar stools on the side of the living room. They will be on the end of the bar next to the breakfast area. In our open floor plan now, (see attached photo) we don't have any walls and have 4 bar stools that are rarely used. So I think we will cut those down to two on the end. We just don't want this one to be as open as the one in the picture. The only part that seems a little out of place to me is the distance between the "bottom section" next to dining room and the island. It just seems like there is a lot of floor space in-between. I know it is pushed down there due to the butlers pantry. Maybe it is not as bad as it seems. I haven't been able to see any real world pics of a similar setup so that's why we are cautious. We just want to get it right. Thanks so much for your advice.