I assume your Butler’s pantry leads directly to the dining room, is that correct? So you have decided to do away with the breakfast nook altogether?

It impresses me how much room hallways take up. I wish you could eliminate it entirely for the dining room. But for the entry to the primary bedroom you would be able to do so.

I like your cooking alcove. It is very period appropriate. I think you’re on to something!

Thanks Eam! Yes the butlers pantry current leads into the dining room. I know the floor plan says breakfast nook but the room feels like it should be a color drenched butlers pantry which will house primarily our dinner drinks :) but we have thought about including a little cafe table in there for like a coffee (amazing window in there) or two comfy armchairs flanking the window.

You have so much space to work with, so that’s awesome!

Finally someone who actually has a true ”Butler’s Pantry” located between the kitchen and formal dining room. It sound like a lovely space with the windows and a small cafe table in there.

We would all love to see more of your historical home! It helps so much to see actual photos of the home in it’s “as is“ state.

I love that you want to restore the kitchen back to fit the home’s original style.

What an exciting project!

Rebunky - Thank you! I am so excited as well. I will take photos to share this week when I get back. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on the kitchen layout I would love them!

What do you anticipate storing in your pantry vs in your kitchen cabinets? Walking through the butler's pantry to get to your regular pantry does not seem like a good idea to me if you are using it to store everyday items.

Although I find drink fridges frivolous, I'd be inclined to pop one into the end of your island or into a shallow set of base cabinets along the staircase so you can move the fridge closer to the range and keep people out of the kitchen.

While I appreciate the desire for a focal point, it feels a bit antithetical to an old home where kitchens were more utilitarian. Plan your space based on functional layout instead. I'm sure if you select beautiful finishes that mesh with the history of your home, the details will be far more aesthetically enveloping and wonderful than a wow-ing focal point.

I'm curious what @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC and @JAN MOYER come back with.

While not everyone's taste, I appreciate Jessica Helgerson's approach to kitchens that she designs for historical homes. They are certainly contemporary kitchens, but they mesh well with the scale and vibe of the home. Her ranges and hoods are eye catching but their placement seems based on the best flow for the kitchen rather than on having a focal point.

Kendrah - yes those are the two concerns I have as well when I think about flow. All those kitchens you posted I love! I want a well thought out kitchen with the right finishes. I just want to make sure I have enough light and countertop space. With a toddler and hopefully another on the way, we pile up the dirty dishes and do a lot of hand washing so initially I was worried about the sink on the inland and having enough prep space on the island but maybe it would work. So perhaps it is range on outer wall - fridge to the right - wall oven/micro to the left and sink in the island. And windows flank the range. Can you tell I have thought a lot about this?? :)

I'm curious what you handwash and why. I'm a huge advocate for dishwashing everything whenever possible and purchasing dishwasher safe items. It saves loads of time and counterspace.

Fair point - I cook a lot so any pot/pan, blender, food processor, sharp knives, cutting boards, wood spoons, and then wine glasses to make more room in the dishwasher because the wine glasses take up so much space! We do run a full dishwasher almost daily!

No knives ever in the DW. I oftn run mine 2 x a day if I am busy . Get rid of all the plastic stuff it seems eveyone uses when they hav kids so much is not eve meant for more that the stuff that came inti Then all the other stuff goes in the DW including pans not much need for hand wash honestly . cutting boards good wash down same for wooden spoons so maybe less of those . or clean as you go. So you will have abutlers pantry what do you plan touse it for. I lke anice oantry but I prefer to not have to leave my work area to access it and in this case trhough the butlers pantry to the actual pantry . I think you need tofigure out which is more important and aslo thr trip from car to pantry . I lied in a home with a butlers pantry and my MOM had all her dishes and glass ware in thta space with a nice counter to work on to figure out place settings theat was all that was in there she cooked and serveed out of the kitchen . You ahve to analyze how you use the spaces . You have small DR so how many is the usual for a dinner party / I often get my clients ,who want things I do not think they need , to just count the steps to make a simple pasta and salad dinner . How mant rips to the pantry how \many stepd to fill apot drain a pot make sauce and a salad . That is small dinner to do bet those trips to the pantry through the butlers will make you think twice . I see so much wasted space in the home layout . As for light you have windows make them bigger and honestly a good part of the day is spent in the space when the sun is not bright so always good lighting is a must I love lots of light diferent levels of light and all LED 4000K As you found out cabinet salespeople only want to sell cabinets .

You aren't going to like this, but I strongly recommend you move into the house and live there for a while before doing this renovation. The dining room is a *long* way from the kitchen for everyday meals. I'm not convinced the need for 'natural light' is really worth a major redo, and most historic houses I've been invited to that have additions aren't particularly concerned about matching the rest of the house.

BTW, I agree you need lessons in running a dishwasher. Cast iron and carbon steel knives don't go in the dishwasher here. Almost *everything* else does. Wine glasses (stemless - highly recommend) cutting boards, plastic everything - it all gets shoved it.

Can you say more about your light needs and this room. Where are the windows currently positioned and do you just want to enlarge them? What direction do they face, what is the view, and will this bring in a lot more light?

Is your goal to get the sink out of the island or are you ok with leaving it there?

How often do you eat in the dining room? Does it feel a far distance to you to carry food in or to have to jump up to grab more water or a bottle of ketchup? How often do you imagine yourself eating in there with two little kids in the house? Will it be an everyday dining room? Will you add casual eating space to the family room? (Am I correct in assuming that the current butler pantry used to be the kitchen in this home?)

I cook a lot too. We are only a household of 2 and we load a full dishwasher daily. It is more environmentally friendly than handwashing, saves time, and save counter space. I put all my pots and pans, food processor parts, plastic cutting boards, and wine glasses in the dishwasher. Cast iron and good knives are all we hand wash.

Can you post pics of the room too? I'd like to see it.

Hi! What an exciting project! I second the suggestion of moving into the house first. You may find you want to change more things than just the kitchen/pantry areas. We’re about to renovate our kitchen and I cannot wait to get our sink/DW off our island! For context, my kids are now 5 and 7.

However, we have our microwave under our island and I love that location for it. Tucked out of sight and the kids can use it. Easy to lock it when they were younger.

Thank you so much everyone! Your comments sparked a convo with DH - we are going to not let clean items pile up and will prescribe to 2x dishwashing!

Here are responses to your questions:

Dining: We currently live in a much smaller house so our formal dining room is our only dining space. For this new house, my idea was to put in a banquette eating area next to the kitchen and then of course the island (with a seat on the short side and 2-3 on the longer side). So formal dining will likely not be used for a few years until kiddos are older and we have our dinner parties again.

Butlers Pantry: my plan is that this is where we will store all our liquor, wine/cocktail glasses (we have tons), espresso machine, our under cabinet wine fridge, some antique dessert plates I have collected, Moroccan tea glasses.

Windows: will post pics soon - the space is darker than one would expect given the current slider on the far side of the great room and the windows. Kitchen windows face east and the neighbors house…so not the best view. If I keep the range on the wall I would like to elongate the windows and not have “bars” all the way down so it feels less like jail bars :).

Living In it first: I would normally give the same advice…we aren’t able to fully move in until March so with the time, I thought working on projects would make sense. We have our full list of wants but prioritizing and budgeting for different phases - kitchen came in on top. My honest worry is that if we don’t start now, we won’t end up doing it and I have lived in my current house for 15 years with an amazing kitchen design that was never executed. But of course I want to do the right thing and not pay for something twice. Yes - I think this was the old kitchen.

The new kitchen is not our style and the placement of sink and stove (DH cleans while I cook) is not great (our butts get very close and not in a great way :) ). I have never had a walk in pantry - but definitely want to include shallow shelves for canned goods so things don’t get lost!! I love my current pantry for food in my kitchen - I can store a lot but I can see everything!

Thanks again for your layout suggestions!

I have never liked sinks or stoves in the island. The island should be table height to use as a prep area and be a better level for stirring in bowls, and chopping. Stay away from any modern items, and go with real wood. Modern does not go with old houses - glad you agree. To stay with the period of the house, no sink or stove in an island, and use a table or low cabinet as the island - check out a salvage or antique store for pieces for the center. No bar stools as they are too modern and uncomfortable to sit in.

Love the butler pantry. Try to find some 100 year old antique cabinets for that area.

Think about not drinking wine - it is extremely unhealthy and then no need for wine glasses!

Love the current layout/floorplan of the house.

Here are some pictures!!

We would like to bring the stained trim back to the addition and will be painting/wallpapering. Living room will get true built-in low bookcases stained to match trim. Also in the dining room, we would like to replace the molding the previous owner added with wainscotting . I plan to remove the closet in the butlers pantry to allow for more cabinets - uppers and lowers as well as include floor to ceiling built-in bookcases on window side to have a mini library. Plan currently is to do inset cabinets in butlers and kitchen. Also thinking of stealing the closets in the dining room and hall for the pantry.

Agree ^ hard to imagine redoing that space ahead of living in the home and figuring what works/what doesn't

we lived in our old home about 7 years before we moved the kitchen - we had toddlers and it was not ideal for sure, but the kitchen had a crazy layout and was t.i.n.y - no way would I go through all of the disruption, stress and expense if I had your kitchen but that’s just me (it seems like it would be a fun project but the disruption and $$$$$ made it not fun, at least for me)

I guess I'm not in the 'well designed' camp. Frig up against the wall, back-to-back range and sink/dw, expanse of unused counter to the right of the range. All are miscues in a large space. A measured floorplan is the first step in this project consideration.

Too much rush!

To plan a kitchen (with little kid/s), and expect a banquette slammed in will do the trick? No way. You aren't going to starve in that kitchen, no matter how many times you butt fannies. It also sound like you may need TWO dishwashers and USE them.. Live with it a year! The kitchen you want and plan, isn't getting done WELL by March 2026, anyway: ) You'd be lucky to plan it by then.

I'd put a lot of thought into all of that living floor,........life with a future two kids under age 5, 6, 7 etc; their toys, junk

Before I worried on creamy cabinetry and cocktail glasses.

I'd find the best interior designer in the area, one with a PRO kd in her back pocket. One with a super contractor on speed dial before I did one darn thing. Make a pro TEAM.

Dan1888 I said well equipped, not designed. Worth living in.

Yes to all above re hiring an amazing interior designer, living there first and two dishwasher

Jan Moyer - thank you so much for chiming in! I have always respected your opinion on these forums. To your point, I want it done well and don’t want to rush forward with something just to get it done.

For the first few years I imagine the area next to the kitchen to be filled with kid toys, toddler helpers pulled up to the island, and many meals eaten at the island and dining room. The banquette isn’t meant to solve anything but as I thought longer term what might look right in that back corner of the great room, that is what came to mind. I won’t be buying anything until I can feel it out a bit more - never had a great room so not sure what we are going to want/need.

Thankfully, I found a great interior designer who is currently helping me with paint, wallpaper, etc. I got a plan from her KD but was not impressed. I also believe I found a great contractor - we are in contact and he is very familiar with the house - tried to buy the original house actually but lost to the previous owner and then was asked to bid on the remodel but did not bid because he did not agree with the owners choices. I will pick his brain for KDs as well. I met with one KD highly reviewed from Houzz but it felt more like a cabinet pitch. Her suggestion was similar to my second drawing but she removed the windows for uppers.

The KD I used before who I love is totally MIA so was hoping to get some ideas/direction from this group as a starting point.

So I am working on building that great team!

Dan1888 - thanks for sharing your opinion - happy to hear that this is not well designed for the big space. At least my reaction to the space is not totally out of bounds. Yes, it is definitely livable and I wish it was a total disaster - would make redoing it much easier! If we do end up changing it, I will either reuse cabinets in an ADU or donate them to Habitat.

Regarding two dishwashers - has anyone used drawers before? If we decide to go with two, would those be good to consider in addition to the normal one? I thought the ability to do smaller loads could be great but never had one before.