My husband and I are looking into renovating our kitchen in the spring. We don't know where to start!

The only thing we do know is that my husband will be gutting the kitchen to the studs in order to better insulate the walls and floor, as it's very cold in the winter time. And adding larger heating ducts behind the area where the fridge is at the moment, to make the rooms upstairs on that side of the house warmer in the winter, as it is it's very cold up in the rooms, or too hot in the summer because the air conditioning does not reach.

Would it be a good thing to switch the fridge to where the food pantry presently is? (on the left of the stove) Would the fridge be too far from the sink? For cleaning vegetables and such? And put the food pantry in the corner where the fridge presently is, this would give more room for the ducts going upstairs.

I was also thinking of making it one big room as we only use the formal dining room 2-3 times/year. The drop leaf table that is in the kitchen on the left has 2 leaves and can seat 8 people comfortably, (we never have larger groups for sit-down dinners) I would leave that table, with leaves down, under the dining room window.

Should be go white or dark cupboards?
Two tone kitchen with dark island and white cupboards or vise versa?
Island or kitchen bar or portable island/kitchen?
Is the area large enough to have an island or a kitchen bar? And where would it go, in the centre of the present kitchen, on the side?

The only antique we would keep, I think, is the large armoire/hutch that is presently in the centre wall in the dining room.
We would do hardwood flooring throughout the downstairs.

Whew, sorry for the long ramble but I feel much better now, having put it down on paper.

So, what do you all think?

Thanks so much for your help

Confused,

I l e n e
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