Hi MrsSmith76, Think about cheating space by making elements do double duty. If you could combine your kitchen bench and dining table ([dining/bench 1[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/north-bondi-project-contemporary-dining-room-sydney-phvw-vp~1844895) or [dining/bench 2[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/open-plan-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-sydney-phvw-vp~1440883)) so that the kitchen benchtop and table can serve double duty - extra workspace when you need it, dining when you want it and the potential for using both spaces in a buffet set up when you've got crowds of people. This might allow you to squeeze a cozy lounge area. I've seen bench/table set ups with leaves that you can extend out as well which might be worth thinking about. Also remember that to minimize the amount of kitchen you're going to pinch from other areas you will want to look at maximizing the functionality - think [kickboard drawers[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/modern-kitchen-modern-kitchen-sydney-phvw-vp~2873549), [narrow cabinet pull outs[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/rockwood-colonial-larchmont-traditional-new-york-phvw-vp~25775360), [overhead cabinets to the ceiling[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/lg-house-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-edmonton-phvw-vp~454930). Good luck.

Depending on your budget and how much structural work you want to have done, you could keep most of it the same. But you would loose your meals room. extend your laundry to the door of the meals room, turn your laundry side ways this will give you access to the out side, on the other side of the laundry extend your wall pass the internal door of the meals room to create a walk in pantry, extend kitchen gallery to laundry and pantry, open up internal walls of kitchen to living room and dinning room creating a beautiful Island bench looking into living room. open up external dining room wall for sliding doors to bring the inside out. because there is a walk in pantry there would be no need for upper counters so u could also have a bar at the kitchen window on the outside. Doing it this way you would save a lot of money not having to move plumbing and electrical in the kitchen. You would have to walk through your kitchen to get to laundry though.

Hi Jack, This is a classic case of a "Family room" but they left the traffic lights out! It is a major intersection in the journey thru your home: in any and every direction and as such is very difficult to furnish. Using ribbon or string mark the walk paths needed to rooms past, outside, kitchen etc. You will then have found the largest area for furniture and looking at the pictures it may not be there in front of the fire. A rug will help define the sitting space with couch, two chairs and rocker or the combination that fits and suits you. The usage will change too as little people grow, run, study, have hoards of hungry friends etc! I do hope you have an opportunity to sit and watch the beautiful fire as some stage! "Oh so wonderful sitting absolutely still, I would never budge till spring crept over me windowsill..." Sorry carried away into My Fair Lady!! Does this space need to be a toy area or is that elsewhere? How often is the TV in use here? What other sitting areas in your home? Any requirement for this to be a meals area in the life stages listed above or more? Plenty to think about, including a rug!! Cheers: Have fun! Margot

I took into consideration your new Fridge pantry alcove when I designed your kitchen to get you the max island and still being well placed within the kitchen. If the island isn't attached to the fridge wall you would need to leave a 1m space between them which would reduce the 3m Island as I have shown, the dotted wall shows the length of your kitchen, and how the island fits into that space, you could extend the island further into the dining if you wanted, I can redraw that for you. As I said with both of your plans drawn differently Both OKL and myself had a differnt result