Prep sink: if you move the cleanup to the bottom wall, you can have a prep sink on the island, which makes more sense. It's closer to where you prep. And nicer for anyone at the island not to have dirty dishes in their faces.

Island: it's a continent. What's your arm span? Can you reach the middle to clean it?

Breakfast nook: move the table closer to the patio doors so you can actually get to the sun porch, laundry, and garage.

Eating: really? Island seating for 6, really far apart; breakfast nook alongside for 6; AND a dining room? I know, the DR will only be used on special occasions, but still.

Flex room: so, what's it to be used as? Guest room? Library? Playroom? Video games? No matter what, the double doors interrupt the living room furniture placement. Can you move the door to opposite the powder room door?

Office: is it for someone who routinely works from home? Because it sure is isolated. If it's just for bill paying and household stuff, it's kind of far away.

Bedroom 4-guest room: make it a single sink, countertop and drawers are more important.

Master suite: consider a swing door on the one closet, it will be easier to close than a pocket door, so you don't see the closet every time you walk in. Even a staged closet isn't much to look at.

It might be nice to have direct access from the pool area to a bathroom with shower and some dressing space.

I'm sure you love symmetry, but you COULD close up the flex closet window, and add an element on the exterior to balance the other windows.

First hand experience here. If that flex space is intended as possible space for aging parent or injured person, it might be best to sacrifice bathroom privacy (& need to rely on a window covering) in favor of a roomy straight shot bath as easier for helper or walker. I think the shower/toilet design here would be irksome and maybe not workable at all. In such a contingency, simple reach-in closets might be preferable prioritization of space. Also note that in my experience very old ones don't need much clothing closet space, but they have ridiculous amount of medical impedimentia, so don't short the shelf space in their area.

Back to the island, I always think that the convenience of island seating is that you can pass plates from the other side of the island. On this one, you'll be sliding them across like beers in an old-time western saloon. And btw, once I did that with a jar of nails to my brother. It didn't end well. I don't THINK that's why he wears glasses . . .

To samarnn's point, NAME the flex space. Exactly how do you plan to use it? That will drive its design.

I'd have bath 2 open to the hallway.

Flex room will be used as a bedroom for out of town family that will stay with prolonged periods of time (3-4 weeks), about once a year. The rest of the time it can be used as a playroom for my young kids, possibly a gym and or library. We’re not sure.
The dining room is used quite frequently, every 2-3 weeks. Also, this is a Georgian style house exterior so symmetry is very important. The challenge is to combine the traditional exterior with a modern interior space...

Here’s the front elevation.

Any reason why your guests can't have the 2nd floor playroom, with a bathroom, as their own suite? It's still near family upstairs, but private, and it's not right off the living room and have toys, easels, or ellipticals in the way. And when they come, the kids still have their space. If they need an elevator or stairlift, well, by all means put one in.

It’s not a bad idea. Currently we plan for the 2nd floor playroom to host video games, puzzles and the rest of the mess we prefer to keep away from the family room. Btw, I do work from home and require a secluded work space.
In the future, we may retire in the flex room (after expanding the right wing of the house)

1. That is a big island. If you choose to have such a large island, make sure you can find countertop material large enough.
2. Locate it where you need it and will use it.
3. The flex space suite looks like leftovers, something that should have been worked out long before "final design review". Private spaces located at the most public facade should be avoided; along with walking through a wet bathroom to get to a clothes closet, large expanses of exterior wall, and double doors from a bedroom leading to a living room.
4. The curved wall is odd. I never liked Jack & Jill bathrooms for privacy and locked door issues. Does the site layout accommodate a first time visitor's trip from their car to the front door?

The second floor is either too secluded for the kids to want to use it, or to close to the office to keep IT secluded. How old are the kids.

There are lots of things I like about the main floor plan except for the flex room. It's lazy planning to say "we'll put a room over there and figure out how to use it later". Make that space the real guest suite or the master suite and apply the same thoughtful planning to the upstairs.

I Like the way the butlers pantry connects the kitchen w the dining room. If you added a doorway between the mudroom and pantry It might be easier to haul in groceries from the garage, and easy access your fridge you have in mudroom.

I can’t make the playroom a guest suit because I don’t have the space for a bathroom and closet. Not to mention the fact the flex room downstairs is intended for in case we won’t be able to climb the stairs any more.
I agree that the flex room area needs to be revamped. It’s too big and may not use the space efficiently. The bath and closet will need to switch.

If you can't climb the stairs anymore, you also won't be able to use the office. You will need an office space downstairs. And the reasons you can't take the stairs will vary, and may affect your use of other areas in the house. But also, you will have a large area upstairs that won't be used or maintained. I know whereof I speak. If you can't take the stairs anymore, move.

On a supportive note, though, I'll share my dad's layout. The library has double doors from the living room as yours does. Then, the guest bath off the front hall (like yours) has the sink and toilet in one room, and the shower through a door. So, when it's just a powder room, there is no shower visible. When it's a guest bath, it can still be a powder room with the guest's shower items and towels behind closed doors. Then, there is a smaller door to the library off the hall. So, the library also doubled as a guest room. Yours could be that way, with a single door (opposite the powder room door) to the flex space (please name it), and modify the baths and closet to have one bathroom.

Now that Dad can't get to his basement office, the library has become his office and no longer functions as a potential guest room, but he does have his Nu-Step in there (and yes, he uses it!)

If that is a sliding door in the eat in area, then the pool folks should use that in order to get to that 3/4 bath.

As for the island - if everything is to scale - that is the size of 3 sofas. I'd rethink that. And I would lose the curve - maybe wrap on corner and do a 4 and 2...

I think that people would be tempted to dance on that island, so if you keep it - make sure it's well supported. ;-)

In the upstairs, I don't think the bathrooms are located efficiently and I am not sure I'd have a guest room jack and jill a bath with one of the kids. Also - I kinda think that bedroom #4 would use the bathroom across the hall. I think I get it - you want pseudo "en suite" access for the current residents and then just have the guests share when they are there - but that's still awkward. But - again - I get it - you want hall access for the office worker, the playroom players, etc - but then the benefit of the ensuite for the bedroom occupants. All without 8000 bathrooms...

Are you sure you want the office sharing a big wall with the playroom?

I notice the washer in both laundry rooms is on the right. This works if you have a top loader but the washer door on front loaders can't be reversed so it is awkward to have the door in the way.

Have you considered moving the bath/closet area to the back of the house and the flex space to the front of the house? seating area/desk for working could go in the little nook that is currently closet. I haven't fleshed this out, but I think it might be a good starting point. I agree with everyone else that as it is, it really looks like the leftovers.

Also, That island is huge. I think cleaning it will be an issue, not to mention it might seem rather out of proportion to the rest of the kitchen. Do you have a good reason for it being so? It seems like it just is there to fill up the the space. You even have a round table only a few feet away- a person at each could reach out and touch each other if they wanted.

Maybe everyone is not like this, but I need my mudroom to be ON THE WAY to the rest of the house. In yours, shoes and coats would be piled in the hallway but not actually in the mudroom. So, my suggestion is to move the entry from the garage so that one has to pass through the mudroom (and its hooks, shoe cubbies, etc) to get in the house.

Also- if you can access the pantry from the mudroom, putting groceries away will be much easier.

Very pretty exterior. I hope you're continuing the brick around the sides and back too?

I'm seeing the kitchen area not getting much natural light since the porch is covered. It will be dark.

The island is way too large. Think about having to clean the middle of it. The only way would be to climb up on top of it. Ideally our arms reach about 30" so the largest an island should be from one point to another is 5'. I would rethink the island as you have it now.

I don't like where your pantry is in relation to where you come into the house.

I don't like where the extra fridge is in relation to your kitchen.

Maybe the solution is to have another door into the pantry from the mudroom?

In fact I would seriously consider vetting your kitchen plan in the kitchen forum. For such a beautiful and nice sized house, I think your kitchen could be a heck of a lot better laid out.

Agree with others too. Do you need a dining room, a breakfast area and seating at the island for 6? That would make the island 12' long as each person ideally needs 2' of space.

I do like the butler's pantry.

The half bath will feel cramped. In fact for such a nice sized house, I think both downstairs powder rooms will feel cramped.

The problem with the mudroom is that when you enter from the garage you then have to turn right to go into the mudroom. Human nature (especially kids) is to take a path of least resistance. What that means is the kitchen table will become the dumping ground instead of the mudroom, unless you're better at training than I was. LOL.

Regarding the flex room. I agree that because of the configuration and what it might possibly be, that the closets first and then the bathroom would be a better layout. If it's being used as a secondary living area, you'll need access to what's in the closets more often than you will the bathroom.

Hi Felix - congratulations on your soon to be new home !

The feedback already received covers most of the areas on the first floor that need a little work. I agree that moving the flex room to the front of the home may solve many of the issues on that side of your design.

On the second floor, the master suite seems to be just a jumble of rooms versus the beautiful, well thought out space a more formal home of this caliber deserves.

I would suggest that you make the two closets one large closet, move the closet doors out of the master foyer area, incorporate a nice focal point on the closet wall that you'll view when you first enter the area, and rework the bath design.

If I'm able to come up with a interesting layout, I'll post it in the next few days.

In the beginning, residential architecture was designed by arranging needed spaces in a functional manner influenced by structural limitations. Certain architectural styles were developed based upon this methodology because the generic layout seemed to work. Colonial Style homes (resembling yours) were developed that way and there were typical room layouts that influenced the structure's massing. In recent history certain people have tried to design new homes by taking the exterior form of an architectural style and convolute the interior spaces to meet contemporary needs and attaching a garage. Thus the difficulty in laying out a flex space/bedroom into what was traditionally part of a parlor and a kitchen addition of a traditional house design style.

It's already been mentioned, but I'm going to 3rd the mudroom advice. That mudroom will NEVER get properly used by your kids, unless you stand there and force them to. Your breakfast table will be where they throw their stuff and their shoes will be kicked off right inside the entrance. I personally love the 2nd floor layout, but there's not much I like about the 1st floor.

Thanks for the all the feedback. A few comments:
1. The island will need to shrink. We like this example: 2. We originally had a door to the pantry that we decided to remove because we were concerned about losing shelf space (there’s already 1 door from the kitchen). 3. We wanted the flex room to face the pool and not the street for better view and privacy. 4. Flex room bathroom and closet will get switched and that entire area will need to be revamped. 5. The mud room entrance comments were interesting. Where else would you position the door? 6. My wife and I need our own closets for a happy marriage... :-) 7. Yes, mixing between traditional exterior and a modern interior is hard... 8. I’ll need to double check the natural lighting in the kitchen. All the windows in that areas face east but with the porch roof it may not be enough.

The island is too big. You'll have trouble finding a slab that will work in all one piece and there will be a whole lot of unused space you can't get to on top and down below.

Definitely scale down the island. As it is, it looks like a tumor.

Just move the garage entry down so you can go through the mudroom to get to the kitchen.

Whoever designed that island never had to clean one that size. I can see you — or more likely, your wife) lying flat on the counter trying to clean that spilled syrup in the center... I'm not a big fan of double islands, but in this case it would make more sense.

Post your kitchen in the kitchen forum and let them help you come up with a layout that works better.

I actually like a lot of about your plan except the kitchen. The semi round island just doesn't go and the layout can definitely be improved.

The kitchen is terrible!

i would like to see double doors on the dining room so it can be used as a first-floor away room. The breakfast nook doesn’t function as shown. It can have a rectangular table, though, with no other seating.

I would make the first floor master bath easy to turn ADA by flipping the toilet wall.

Others have covered everything else.