It's a bit confusing because we don't have the whole floor plan. With your revision, are you saying you have to go through the family room to get to the kitchen?

Sorry for not adding the whole floor plan.

The hallway beside the staircase is really 'wasted'.

I can't tell from the drawing, but did you block off access from the mudroom to the kitchen? If so, that might be annoying not to have that walk-through when bringing in groceries from the garage. I think that's what Angel18432 was getting at.

Yes that's what I was thinking of doing. Just coz the kitchen was small if I took the breakfast bar out. I will really appreciate other ideas. Thanks a lot

Right, the island should go. And that is fine, because having a table, which can double as a work table, is a very current trend.

I would extend the counter next to the dishwasher toward the patio door so you gain work space and storage. Perhaps a quarter-round or angled piece on the end with shelves below, so you don't make make access to the patio door too tight. Or just cantilever the counter top, and use the space below for pet feeding (assuming you have pets).

Maybe you can make the breakfast bar into "just" an island, and make it narrower. You don't really need a place to sit there, since you'll have a dining table so close.

If you don't have your heart set on both a living room and a family room - you could use the space labeled "family room" as your dining room (it's right off the kitchen), and the entire "living/dining room" as a large living room. Close off some of the large opening between the kitchen and the new dining room. This will make the kitchen much larger, and you can have a lot more storage/prep space. You could even put in a small banquette across from the patio door.

I like the idea of the island converted along with the table. Thanks. With the dimensions of the room and the present island could you please give me a ideal measurement for the island so I can present it to the builder. Much appreciated.

I'm not a professional but it looks like your island could be 3-4 ft wide, and still give you a decent aisle around. You would probably want to figure out what storage you need under and what shape would work best for you and the way you use your kitchen. For example, it looks like the second picture I posted has standard cabinets back to back under it, so that might work-- but then again, you may prefer access doors on the side facing the stove?
Any pros around to jump in on this?

Thank you so much for this idea. The cabinet doors will be opening towards the stove. I can't wait to present this to the builder.

John, Good luck with your house building! It's so exciting to see it come together, isn't it? We are also building a new house, so I have been addicted to this website for a while. This week my focus has been on finding the perfect stove without breaking the whole budget!
I hope you post some pictures of your home when it is complete.

Stove and sink don't usually need to relate, but having the fridge near the sink for offloading and prep is prime to me. Consider putting the fridge where the stove is and vice versa.

Thanks Centaurita. There is a lot work to be done. I'm just preparing for the structural changes now and then the decor. I will definitely post pictures. It would have been great if someone could help me with ideal measurements for the island. This site is great. I love it.

Hi John,
A quick note about our experience: Brigitte and I consistently design between 70-90 kitchens/year (for over 34 years) and have designed thousands of kitchens.....We also design full structural including below-grade foundation plans.....We have 2 Chicagoland locations and a Michigan location which cover the Wisconsin to Indiana borders, N.W. Indiana and S.W. Michigan.....Anyway, you're going to need a far more detailed plan that that to really answer your questions such as space around the island, pass-thru's, etc.....When you get to that point get a kitchen designer that can give you a detailed plan like the one we've attached.....It will dictate precise placement of all elements and assist you tremendously when shopping for cabinetry and tops.....Hope this helps a bit.....John & Brigitte

Hi John and Brigitte. This home that the builder is building for us is within a community and that's all they gave us. The floor plan that I attached is all that we get. And it's up to me to make the changes I need. They don't have any detailed plan for us.

Hi all. What colour hardwood and kitchen cabinets should I use for this space? I was think chocolate brown or medium brown for the family room and Italian walnet cabinets in the kitchen. Would it make the area look small ?