Posted it previously, but reposting per recommendations for more information. The current layout in a fully gutted kitchen below. :

The tricky part is the load bearing wall that we can't shorten. Plus the corner windows that create the "rounded" top left corner start about 24 inches off the floor so you can't just put a countertop across them without bricking up the window. We are getting new windows in the kitchen so not the end of the world, but this is a brick house so more $ to change window sizes. Will mention, the closet is the only one we have for the front (not pictured but right below dining room) and back entrance, so we want to avoid getting rid of it.

We would like a large island since we don't want to build another breakfast nook. My wife also wants a more walk in butlers pantry +/- dry bar in between the kitchen and dining room. There is a vent in the laundry/pantry area, so should be ok for storage. My wife is ok with closing the passage between the kitchen and dinning, but I think it's a bad idea.

Here was our initial leading layout after much deliberation. It would extent the width of the laundry/pantry by 1.5 ft (7.5 width). We would brick up the left most window on the top wall. Although, I just realized we can just shorten the window so a cabinet goes under it, but it would be close to the stove though (not sure if good idea). Btw, it was my idea to put the sink by the window rather than island because I do the dishes most often and I don't like interrupting an island. Each block is 1x1ft btw if you want approximate measurements.

We talked to our contractor and he felt that bricking up a window is a bad idea (we didn't ask about just resizing to be honest). He felt that we are planning too large of a pantry given our kitchen size. He is probably right, we are simple cooks and can't say it is our passion. He recommended something more simple and cheaper. It keeps the pantry/laundry width the same at 6ft, but blocks off the entrance to dinning:

He is probably right about the size. However, I really don't like closing up the extra entrance to dining from kitchen and my wife kind of likes our original layout. We kind of did a mix of the two (although we made the closet smaller and decided to stack the washer and dryer). This saves the pass through, gives my wife that little wet/prep bar before the dining room, and the fridge is in a slightly better spot. However, we are confused about what to do with this empty ~6' 6" x 9' 9" to the left of the kitchen and above the back door.

Love to get some feedback. Thoughts on pantry/laundry size. Thoughts on layout of the 3 options we came up with so far.