Is this a new build or are you working with an existing space? Do you have any pics of the current space to share? Might help visualize what you are attempting.

We have a temporary "improvised" solution currently so I have to say it's a new build. I will share some pics in a bit, but please don't laugh. :)

I'm a bit ashamed to share it, but here is the current situation which was only temporary:

The only thing staying from these elements is the fridge, everything else is going out. The room is 4.20 m2.

Btw I've shared the plan of a suggested design in the original post. I've intentionally drew the surrounding rooms in paint so you can see where the doors from the kitchen lead to.

So in the upper right photo door no.1 is the right door and door no.2 is the left door.

I suggest closing door 1 and make the 2nd door opening larger. Also if you can open the hallway from the entry to the family room you should have a nice floor plan.

speaking as someone who has, in a row, door to dining room, door to front hall, door to powder room, window, door to basement, opening to back stairs going up, 4' of counter, window, 3 feet of counter, wide arch, and then a small kitchen on two short walls, i do feel your pain.

i'd work harder at figuring out which items you must have vs a functional house. sometimes you just need to have doorways to other places.

i'm looking at you, 3 giant windows in a row and radiator. there are substitutions for these items. shorter island so an oven stack can go on the wall between the doors...close off window to balcony...rotate the island?

@neonweb2 Unfortunately I cannot as there is a chimney and column right in the corner between the two doors.

@Comwest Construction I was thinking of opening a larger entrance at 2nd door, but we still like the kitchen to be closed style. My wife doesn't like an open kitchen, she's afraid of smell spreading through the living room and she doesn't want guests bothering her while she's cooking. Since she's the one cooking most of the time I must respect that. :) A bigger door at door No.2 can't be installed as there is a radiator in the dining room right on the wall next to it.

@nnigrt you're probably right. Although the kitchen can be accessed through one door only, closing off a door would definitely limit the functionality. We're a young couple and we're planning kids in the years to come. I can't really foresee the need of an access to the hallway right now, but I'm pretty sure it may be necessary in future. One of the options was to close off the balcony door and put the fridge there. This will leave us with a lot of space on the wall with the cabinets. Shortening the island may be necessary though. What kind of substitution is there for the radiator? I'd love to ditch that thing and build cabinets or add a table right next to the wall. I'd love to hear your suggestion for substituting the radiator?

Thanks guys for all your contributions, you're creating a lot of new ideas in my head! I will post the end result here when I'm done with it!

HI -- You don't really have to close any doors off . Get the kitchen out of the corners . On the drawing .. put the main components of the kitchen all on the left wall starting with the fridge and then counter with the stove about in the middle of that wall , and then at the end of that wall near the windows and rad for the wall ovens . Turn the island and have the sink and DW in it across from the stove . This will make the kitchen more of a galley style . Pantry can go in the bottom right corner on drawing . The island will put the stool seating with their backs to the dining room . If you just did a working island with no stool seating because you have the dining room , then the island can be all storage . This means there is nothing on the window wall where the rad is . The doorways can even be opened up more . Door one can be cut back to the left and door two can be cut back on the right . This would be more efficient .

@Kristina this is one of the solutions I'm considering, but the thought of installing a countertop over the radiator is a bit of concerning. Even if it's doable with isolation the wall and somehow bring the heat loss to an acceptable level, the cabinets underneath would be unusable. Can't put any appliances there and you're limited with the stuff you can keep there in winter. But moving the fridge in front of the balcony door is very tempting. The only thing I would need that balcony door is if we put barbecue there which I highly doubt.

@lefty47 I see where are you going with this and it's the most effective and good-looking setup probably! But the issue with this is that there is no way to bring the disposal pipes inside the island. We already have granite tiles floor which I'm hesitant to remove. Otherwise it's a wonderful idea!

HI -- Ok -- here is another way to do this -- you can still have everything the way I said first but... have the sink and DW to the right of the stove ( then plumbing is near the same spot ) with the DW being closest to windows . Now locate the ovens in the bottom right corner where the pantry was said before . Now locate the pantry on the wall between the dining room door and the balcony door . This pantry cabinet could be 12 to 18 inches deep and fill that wall , which is ideal for pantry storage . Only thing is then that the dining room #2 door has to stay that size . This will work just as well if not better . What do you think ?? This will make the island a prep working island with lots of storage .

Hi again guys! We've nailed it down to two choices only, but we still can't decide between them and I desperately need your help now to make the right choice.

1. Close door no. 1

2. Do not close off door no.1 but install big cabinet wall all around it.

This is how it looks like in number one:

And this is how it looks like without closing it:

Obviously the difference is less storage space in the second solution. We think that won't be critical, and we can live without it, but things may become tight. Also solution number one looks better as well.

Any comment or suggestion is highly appreciated! Thanks!

I would close off the door to the dining room. It doesn't look to me as if it would be too long a walk through the hallway. I'm assuming family meals will take place at the island in the kitchen.