I don't see what you are saying, but I am sure I would not want anything in the nook either but a table and chairs. Is this was the Kitchen Designer did? I don't see that peninsula on the drawing. If you don't agree with what you see, time to say no now.

I would help to have a rendering of the installation.

Yikes! I don't think so. How high are the bottom of the nook windows?

Like this?

David Adler House · More Info

What about eliminating the desk area and having the peninsula come out to the left at the end of the run?

Desks are mostly being taken out. Definitely continue the cabinetry in the desk area and have the peninsula there. Also, in a kitchen this size why are you going to do such massive appliances? If your goal is more storage then sacrificing 2 feet of storage for maximum size appliances doesn’t make sense to me.

Another idea would be to put the fridge flush on the end by using part of the pantry then having upper and lower along that whole wall. You'd end up with way more countertop and more cabinet storage and less pantry, but still a good size.

Do you have three lounge areas -- living, family, and fireplace room? Or is the room you have labeled family room technically a formal living room?

As an aside... after years helping folks with kitchen plans on this forum I have come to the conclusion that most bay window breakfast nooks are a curse.

Yes, three lounge areas. The family room is separate from a formal living room in the front of the house. I'd like to incorporate the little fireplace room into the kitchen, either as a sitting area or for the breakfast table. There is also a formal dining room. People are asking me what the fireplace room is actually for, how should I know lol? I picture cozy English kitchens with wingback chairs next to the Aga!

We just came back from Ireland and Scotland, perhaps my house is not quite the same as the lovely manor houses we stayed in!

I'm already feeling cursed with the nook lol.

Do you like a separation between the Kitchen and Family Room?

The kitchen seems quite isolated.

Can you sketch out the whole house floor plan? Just a rough sketch not perfection or dimensions needed. It'll help get a sense for house the rest of the house relates to your kitchen.

It is an unusual floor plan. I think the stairway location is driving a lot of it.

Great space!!!

Definitely no to having a peninsula blocking the alcove! I also thought of putting the peninsula off the refrigerator side - but that would mean you'd have to walk all the way around it to get to the existing walk-in pantry.

Maybe this would work: make the alcove area a window seat (perhaps with open storage underneath for cookbooks, add an island (place it parallel to your stove wall, with a rounded end on the side of the alcove for seating for casual dining), and place two comfy chairs near the fireplace, angled towards the kitchen. You are helping to tie the spaces together with flooring, and can continue to do so with paint color, rugs,LoveIt' and window treatments.

Wowza. That's a whole latta house!

Are you renovating before you move in?

Is there some kind of multi-story turret situation going on with the breakfast nook? If there is not a second floor that shares the same bay window bumpout as the kitchen, I'd bite the bullet and get rid of it now.

So your husband and builder are nuts-I would worry about every single thing they tell you from here on. I like the idea of making the FP area the eating area and expanding the kitchen in to the bay. You would need new windows though which might be weird from the outside, depending. Resist the urge or the KD pressure to put kitchen cabinets in the FP area, and so many FPs are designed wrong-be careful and skeptical of your builder's impulses there too.

Greenfish is correct, they are nuts. Hubs and I just spent a couple hours over there. He backed off the crazy peninsula when I told him it was awful.

We are open to replacing the windows and running cabinetry through out the bay. At this point, I'm not confident in my KD's ability to handle this. Just because he didn't put the breaks on the crazy. I'll look for a professional that is used to working with tricky spaces.

I really appreciate everyones thoughtful ideas. I know a lot of thought went into some responses. So thank you thank you thank you!!!

Good move firing both the hubby and the KD. Now find a real KD instead of an unimaginative cabinet seller. Or this one was more like someone overly imaginative with a fake TV budget ideas of construction budgeting.

Good move!! I agree that all complicit parties (other than husband) should be canned. If the kitchen can extend in to the octagon, you can move the pantry door to be more accessible to the kitchen, too. Glad you are ripping out that "mantle," which is essentially trim with a shelf! I would look in to antique/reclaimed to make a statement. The more common and less interesting choice would be to match it to your kitchen.

Please keep us updated!!

That mantel is made from kitchen cabinet parts. In the family room the panels on the front are actually hinged lol. They open to a 2x4 frame and drywall. I thought it might be dvd storage or something like that. Nope, just cabinet doors on the fireplace!

I'm planning to do a fieldstone surround with a wood mantel in the gathering room. Then fieldstone all the way up to the ceiling in the family room.

The house is in a country setting. With farms on the side and back, wetlands and woods on the other side. Home sits on five acres. There's many stone and brick colonial buildings around us so i figured the flagstone should be appropriate. I didn't care for any of the stone veneers.

Omg!! Kitchen cabinets and counters in the family room are the worst, IMO. But I never thought of such a thing as caninet mantles!!! Stone sounds great, your insects on veneers is good-you are probably picking up on the fact that they are usually laid like patios, with the flat sides facing out (sometimes called "wallpapering stone"), not as they would be if it were a real stone fireplace

Interesting way to use a nook.

Omg just realized this is not the front of the house! All the better, I would SO put the kitchen in to the nook and change out the windows!!

And this I can kinda see:

"On a side note , my hubby is wondering if we can make the Den(what I referred to as formal living room) into a huge closet, part of the master bedroom and closed off from the foyer."

No, just no. Do you really own so many clothes that you need a closet that big in addition to the walk-in closet you already have? Re-organize your existing closet better to hold more. Container Store has their Elfa systems on sale now. We redid all our closets with Elfa. They all hold 50% than they used to with the builder installed closet systems.

You wrote that your dad lives with you. Is this a temporary move or a more permanent arrangement? Do you plan to care for him as he ages or will he move to an assisted living facility at some point? If he will be living with you for a long time, I recommend that you assess which downstairs room you can turn into a bedroom for him and add plans to expand the powder room to be a full bath. Or you add an elevator so that he can go between floors safely.

For instance, if you enclose the DR to convert it to a bedroom, then it would make sense to move the formal DR to the hearth room, eliminating the need for a breakfast nook. If you enlarge the bathroom, you'll need to add additional pantry space elsewhere.

If, however, your dad will move to an assisted care living facility when he begins to have more health issues and/or has mobility issues, you don't have to take the above considerations into account as you design the kitchen.

If you haven't done your big picture plan first, put the kitchen remodel on hold until you have.

Lisa A-

The formal living room will not be hubbys closet! We just need a really good closet company.
The formal living room was a big plus for me, I want an away space. Some place quiet to read or browse while the football game is blaring is definitely needed!
I've cared for my dad for 12 years. He has minor mobility issues but walking and stairs are still going well. The back stair case is good for a chair lift if it becomes necessary. His bedroom has an en suite with walk in shower, another reason we like this house. Beyond that..we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully we won't!
Thank you for such thoughtful responses!!!
We are meeting with a new KD Wednesday evening. I’m very excited!