Earlier I started a post about lighting suggestions but all the comments were about how the kitchen design is terrible LOL. So, I'm starting a new post to get people's suggestions. Honestly I don't think that there are many options here given our goals and the space we have to work with. But please surprise me! We're planning to order the cabinets this weekend, so there's not too much time before we pull the trigger on the final design.

Old Design: Picture below shows the main floor plan, with kitchen/dining areas in the middle. As you can see, the kitchen was extremely cramped. You could hardly get more than 1 person at a time in there. There's also no room for a dishwasher or standard fridge (current one is 14 cuft.) And, it's very much blocked off from the rest of the house. The dining "room" is a problem area as it's located between the office (or guest bedroom) and the living room, and there's not enough clearance in any direction for it not to be awkward. We may get a smaller table for this area for it to be slightly less awkward.

New Design: We've already removed the wall b/w kitchen and dining areas, and we're working on doing something with the 2 plumbing chases. The main things that we like are that it allows for a standard dishwasher and fridge, opens up the space, and adds seating (or hang out area) via the peninsula. Obviously, it's not a perfect design. We'd love to have more clearance around the stove/fridge, create the kitchen triangle, have a real dining room, have a rectangular space (basement stair is in the way), etc etc... But it just ain't happening in this old house. I included a 3D rendering as well. For the space, I think it looks OK and is a big improvement. You're welcome to disagree :)