The top one, flow is better with the dining area near the windows. However, you may not want the sink in the island, especially since it’s going to be narrower than shown. The island will become the workhorse of the kitchen, the go to for meal prep, eating, homework, etc. You’ll want it free and clear. Good luck, very exciting!

You think no to the sink even if we make it 9’ long? The whole point of opening up the kitchen is so i can be a bit more involved with whats going on in the living room and i am literally always by the sink, so thou that i would be a bit more a part of everything if i have the sink in the island so i can face the rest of the house.

DEFINITELY Option 1 (no contest)

You NEED to make changes though.

Put a prep sink on the island and a cleanup sink at the window. Right now you are wasting all of that wonderful counterspace on the wall. Make use of it!!! Plus the island really isn't big enough for a full size sink (you need minimum 3' next to a sink for prep, and that is insufficient if you cook a lot - I have 5' and wouldn't want less). Free and clear islands don't function well as prep space - the sink makes it function, but a huge sink is too much of a space hog.

Change your aisles to 4'. 3'-5" is NOT enough. You also don't have room to make your island 9'. You need clearance to things. I would actually make it 8' x 4', and make sure you have a decent overhang (we have 4' island with 2' overhang and it's great).

Are you getting a built-in fridge? If not, you need to carefully plan for the space in front of the fridge. Nothing worse than having to close a fridge door to get around it.

Also make sure you have at least 5' from the edge of your island counter to your dining table.

I might also consider taking the linen space in the bedroom and making that into the pantry. 2' is really not big enough to get into for a pantry. You will find that space very cramped. It really won't function as a walk-in. Are you changing some of the bathroom walls as well? Or what is the existing condition? You could inset your fridge (if you get a full depth fridge, push the wall back in the fridge space so it "looks" built in). And then get pull-out pantries.

Hopefully @Jan Moyer will comment. I always love seeing her advice on kitchen layouts.

You're touching a bearing wall so you're going to have a drop beam and it should be considered in your design. unless somehow you can fit that large of a flush beam in the floor structure of the floor above.

I personally wouldn't build in the pantry, there would be plenty of storage if you did a peninsula and at the same time supplementing the cost of that beam and the impact on the room by putting a post. food for thought I guess. I spent all of 20 minutes considering this :)

Without the big pantry which I think was arguably a big waste of decent space you can build in a much nicer master bath suite with a larger shower and it makes your bedroom larger!

Here is just a fast mockup floor to get a convo going, no one will hurt my feelings if they want to have me change things, i really only spent 30 minutes on this total

Option 1 for pantry door, option 2 for sink, with a 4-6 aisle between island and counter. Maybe a prep sink in the island.

Here's an idea with minimal structural changes and combining/tweaking what you have.

Primary change: Move the Linen Closets "up" approx. 12" and claim that space for the Pantry. There's plenty of space for that change in the Master Bathroom.

Pantry...This gives you more room in the Pantry for useable storage as well as maneuvering in the Pantry. (Alternatively, you could add the deeper space on the right for standard base & upper cabinets, if you'd like.) [12"D is the "sweet spot" for pantry storage shelving -- deep enough for all the most over-sized small appliances but not so deep things will get lost. It will fit the largest cereal boxes, blender, bread maker, toaster, food processor, KA stand mixer, etc. That's what I did in my pantry. Although, I did move the KA Mixer to the counter in the Kitchen b/c it was too heavy to lug back & forth.]

I added a 6" x 6" post b/c usually it's needed when eliminating a long load-bearing wall. If it's not needed, then just ignore it, it doesn't affect the layout.

Snack/Coffee Center and Dining Room...It eliminates the "buffet" and replaces it with upper/base cabinetry for more storage and better counterspace for staging dishes/food in the Dining Room. You can create a nice-looking setup for that space by using glass cabinets and/or uppers to the counter and/or paneling for the backsplash area, etc..

If you really want the "buffet" (e.g., if it's a family heirloom or antique), then modify the cabs as necessary. I did this to create a Snack & Coffee/Tea Center that includes a Coffeemaker ("C"), MW Drawer, and Refrigerator Drawers (or a Beverage Ref). Water is nearby on the island. The only drawback is that the freezer is on the other side of the Kitchen. (You could, alternatively, put the MW Drawer b/w the Refrigerator and range, if it's important enough to you.) The Ref drawers would hold creamer, etc., for snacks and coffee and/or tea. One drawer could also hold condiments for the table (e.g., ketchup, butter).

Prep Zones...This layout has 3 potential Prep Zones - two will be the most useful with a third if you really need it. However, the third does not have direct access to water, which is a key component of a successful/functional Prep Zone.

The Primary Prep Zone is in the island. It creates a great work triangle and follows the typical Kitchen workflow of Refrigerator > Sink >Prep Workspace > Range > Cleanup Zone (or, Ice.Water.Stone.Fire) without zone-crossing. This layout also allows several people to work in the Kitchen at the same time -- prepping (2 people), cooking, cleaning up.

Aisles...All aisles provide enough space for multiple people to be working in the Kitchen at the same time. They also provide enough room to maneuver around the table, island, cabinets, and people working in the Kitchen or going in/out the doors on the "bottom" of the Dining Room.

Island...The island seats 4 in a configuration that encourages visiting/conversation. Seating with all seats in a row on one side is like sitting in a diner where lone diners often sit so they don't have to interact with anyone else. The island also has a prep sink and the trash pullout.

Trash pullout...The trash pullout is in the Primary Prep Zone where it's the most useful, but still easily accessible from both the Cooking and Cleanup Zones. (More trash and recyclables are generated when prepping and used for a longer amount of time than any other zone/task.)

Work Zones