May we have a hand drawn sketch of the opening with the step down that include measurements?

Could you reconfigure the island so instead of an island it connects the cabinet end with the chair to the cabinet end on the wall (with some type of gate or little door)? Then you would still have all the countertop from the island and the cabinets plus unobstructed views into living room and hallway.

Half wall or open railing and baby gate sounds like the simplest solution.

I need a to scale floor plan this seems to be huge opening . Draw the plan on graph paper every widow doorway and where those lead . Every measurement clearly marked. Posted here in jpeg format in a comment DO NOT start another post

What about this? If you section it off with the doors you can still put up a child safety gate. With the glass French doors it will still feel open and you will be able to see the fireplace and living room from the kitchen. To section it off, a pillar or small corner wall on that corner step down is being suggested in order to hand the doors. You will also need a header for the doors. Just a thought. Congratulations on your new home. Best Wishes to you and yours. MAE

I will get measurements. Thank you for the ideas. To clarify, we beed access blocked up from the kitchen. Our daughter can go in and out of the family room or down the hall. We only need access to the kitchen cut off for her for safety reasons. We need access to the kitchen ourselves.

can you make a passage from hallway direct to family room, and wall off the passage from family room to kitchen?

Build a wall where this pink line is and put a door somewhere in the wall. It can be a half or full wall, a half or full door, partial glass wall - whatever. But would the lines of this wall solve your problem of keeping her out of the kitchen but accessing the family room from both hallways?

"We initially thought to build a half wall up to the step into the family room and then close it off with a baby gate, but that doesn't allow for ease of access for us from the hall. "

Walling off the kitchen is NOT going to allow you ease of access to the kitchen. That is the whole point - to make the kitchen not easily accessible. I don't see how you can make it easily accessible for you but not for your daughter.

Suggest you hire a local designer and contractor for this project.

I would guess you still want visual access to the Family Room and Stair. Extend a portion of full wall which also hides the Powder Room, then partial half-wall with temporary gate.

What level or kinds of special needs needs to be addressed? By that I mean, is your child able to open doors, deal with locks? You could do the half wall, and instead of a baby gate do a dutch door so it has the use of a regular door and can be locked if needed. And a door looks a bit nicer than a gate IMO. Especially if it is going to be blocked for a while. I don't know how long you need to block access, You could do a double door if you needed to be able to have it open wider than a regular door width for things. Or as an alternative, you could possibly do pocket door in your half wall to slide back when you need it open.

Is there visual orientation to deal with? As in if your child can see it they wil go for it, and perhaps a full wall instead of a half wall might be needed. I don't know what the childs mobility is, or potential to get taller to see/reach over a half wall in the future.

I think it would be very helpful if you made a quick sketch of the floor plan of the rooms here on the first floor. It's actually a bit difficult to visualize exactly what to do with only having the photos.

Since you aren't asking for assistance with furniture layout/redesign of kitchen - maybe you don't need a scaled drawing that includes measurements for every wall/window/doorway/opening/fireplace/etc. as typically would be needed in order to receive design advice/assistance. However, a floor plan would be very helpful - if you don't have one handy, just take 10-15 minutes to draw one out.

There is so much talent on this forum that I'm sure you will receive several additional ideas to consider.

My husband sketched this during the home inspection today…let me know if more is needed. Thank you all so much for your ideas!

Is this a temporary barrier, for a few years, for life?

lifelong care

Then half walls and baby gates are out. Solid wall and lockable door, maybe using a keypad or fingerprint lock for convenience.

I'm so sorry , this appears a daunting challenge.

"My husband sketched this during the home inspection today…let me know if more is needed."

It seems maybe , given the demands of the child and a lifelong situation? A different type of home may have been better.

Get an architect, please? Some things can't be perfectly addressed here

If the house is fairly new, and it appears so? There may be the actual interior framing plan lurking ( ask the realtor to ask the homeowners) or once closed, you can usually get a copy from the town even if a small fee.

Your sketch is inadequate for good advice, You need the entire kitchen /family/hallway ,all the walls, windows etc, feet and inches for everything on graph paper, and 1/4 inch to a foot scale. You're also not showing the living and dining room, which may be better for your daughter when minimal supervision is required? And easier to close off from this more open family area without "ruining" that quality?

Barring walls, have you considered ways to essentially "child proof" the kitchen? Certainly a stove and fridge would be concerns. But cupboards can be locked as with toddlers....and knives etc out of reach. It's a bit confusing as it seems adult supervision would be needed 24/7 no matter what walls in place?

It also seems....that simply adding some wall and french doors to the family room, and providing her adequate supervision when needing the powder room or hallway access would be effective?

Concern for safety with fireplace and stairs. So much to consider. Again, please consult with a local contractor and architect. You will need to do that no matter what in order to get permits if you need to have them build any walls or structures. They will be able to help you much better than we can because we cannot see the actual site with the different angles and slopes of the ceiling/roof. We wish you the very best and hope that you find answers that will work for you and your daughter. Best wishes.

I'd do as little as possible that is permanent at the back kitchen and family room.

We don't know what compromises the daughter medically, but it could turn out that a year in the house leads to a re listing and even a custom build . Sometimes, life is just harsh.

I 'd try other attractive solutions if at all possible , and we haven't seen the front foyer area of the house . We're spinning wheels - the op hasn't been back in a while.

Instead of a solid partial wall, consider an open wrought iron railingto retain your view of the room, and air circulation. Walls can be climbed as your child gets older. You can integrate a "gate" at the appropriate place to blend with the iron railing.

Sorry for the delay. I’ve added more images. The stairs in the back will have a gate. The fireplace is not a concern. We have used child locks etc and can get knob covers and a lock for the oven. She has very quick hands and can get anything and everything which is why it is safest to cut off access to the kitchen. she will love running down the hall to the family room, back down the hall, to the foyer and into the formal living and dining room which will act as a playroom. Hopefully we find what is best for our family. Thank you all fir the advice.

Truth is there will be no perfection, and I'd like to meet the child or even young woman who can scale a 60"/66" pony wall.

Keep the light , pony wall to that height where needed, and add "gate" - essentially nothing more than short custom doors.......and a digital gate lock. If you need logical placing of trim posts to ceiling? So be it

A good contractor with a very good trim carpenter and be done.: )

It will spare the expense of locking up/unlocking french doors., glass walls and whatever, and retain the light.

It sounds like you need a solution that’s safe, functional, and visually cohesive. How about installing a sliding barn door or a pocket door? This would create a secure barrier but still allow easy access from the hall. Another option is a decorative half-wall with a swinging gate that blends with your home’s style. You could even use glass panels or metal accents for a polished look. Let me know if you’d like to explore more ideas.