Welcome to the world of kitchen decisions! Phew! Here are a couple of links I found particularly useful in thinking through placements:Ice, Stone, Water, Fire and Other Items of Interest. The refrigerator looks pretty isolated from prep areas in the second layout (I think this is your first photo without changing the dining room wall?). What about putting the fridge on the wall with the cooktop? That would get you Ice, Stone, Water, Fire without retracing steps. You could put the Oven/MW on the wall into the dining room (without changing that wall?) and the pantry in the corner where the fridge is listed? Just one thought. A key question is your style of cooking too. For example, do you use the oven and MW a lot or a little compared to the cooktop?

Can you tell us the dimensions of the kitchen area?

Definetly moving the fridge to wall with cooktop and have thought about pantry where fridge is but like the idea of glass door cabinets and a coffee/bar area there too. Kinda like opening up doorway into dining room, it would still have a little divison. Yes the pictures came out backwards, lol. Also thinking of moving the oven/mirco to other end next to fridge and panty next to wall(?) or would that be too heavy on that end from the view from living room? As far a cooking style, I do use the cooktop more than oven i guess except for holidays.

Great article kitchenchemist, thank you!!

Kitchen is roughly 15 x 11.5