This is all such great advice - exactly what I'm looking for! I will be taking each suggestion under consideration while reworking the design. Thank you all so much! Additional comments and suggestions are welcome. Below I've included additional information and answers to questions. If you don't have time to read the detailed version, here's a quick summary: * There will only be 2 adult occupants - no kids * We rarely entertain * We use the kitchen for almost every meal, but we aren't chefs or bakers * The new house will be informal & transitional but the floor plan has axial symmetry in both directions * The ceiling height will be 10 feet * The stone fireplace in the living room will have an arch at the top, but we're not set on using arches in the kitchen * There are large/tall windows in the living room and dining room, so having a window in the kitchen isn't necessary unless it helps the design * The view from a kitchen window will be the side of the neighbor's house * The upper cabinets will be 42" - regretfully we can't afford to go higher * I would like suggestions on 3D kitchen software so I can experiment before asking the kitchen designer to make more changes * I would appreciate any suggestions on 36" wide decorative range hoods that are affordable (if such a thing exists) * We plan to vent the range hood outdoors, but we want to keep the CFM down to avoid makeup air requirements Now for the detailed version: My husband and I will be the only occupants in this house - there are no kids in our future either. We very rarely entertain, but if we do, it's usually limited to 1-2 guests. We make almost every meal in the kitchen, but due to medical dietary restrictions, we often cook different meals, sometimes at different times. We definitely aren't chefs or bakers, but my husband grills outdoors and smokes meat quite often. Our new house will be informal and transitional. However, there is a lot of axial symmetry in the floor plan. For example, you'll notice that the foyer is centered on the fireplace, and windows flank either side of the fireplace. On the horizontal axis, the sofa and TV cabinet will line up with the island. The stone fireplace will be the main focal point in the living room. It will go from floor to ceiling, and there will be a stone arch at the top above the wood mantel. The ceiling height throughout the public area is 10 feet. There will be large windows in the living room and dining room, so it isn't essential to have a window in the kitchen unless it improves the aesthetics. Note that our best view will be looking out the large windows to the back yard - if we include a window in the kitchen, we'll have a fabulous view of the side of the neighbor's house. The cabinets will be mitered flat panel in the center (not slab). From a distance, they look similar to shaker cabinets, but up close they have a more detailed profile. The drawers will be 5-piece as opposed to slab. The plan we've chosen was designed by a local architect for the builder as a stock plan. We are customizing the plan a bit to meet our needs. The kitchen designer has provided 3D perspectives of the previous iterations, but I don't want to ask for additional changes until we have nailed down the design. If there are computer programs that I could use to easily create my own 3D model, I'd appreciate recommendations. As I mentioned earlier, we are on a budget, and we're already stretching to get 42" kitchen cabinets. It would be great if we could afford to stack the cabinets to the ceiling, but it's just not in the cards. We may be able to afford drawer bases instead of doors, but I will need to consult the kitchen designer for pricing. The sink is currently located in the island with a dishwasher on one side and a trash pull-out on the other. A second prep sink would be nice, but we truly don't need it given the way we cook. The range will be a 30-inch slide-in. I feel like a 36" decorative range hood would improve the aesthetics, but I don't think the budget will allow it. If anyone has suggestion on decorative yet affordable range hood options, that would be great. There will be 36" between the refrigerator and the island. We're between houses and living in a rental house that has the same island/fridge configuration, and honestly it hasn't been problematic so far. Given that we have limited space, I'd rather have a longer island than have another foot of clearance on the side of it. We are not set on using arches in the kitchen, but I suppose they would tie in with the stone arch on the fireplace if we do. The main reason for the arch in the kitchen is to dress up the open display cabinet a bit. I don't like clutter, but I do like to have a few places here and there for pottery and artwork, so I'd like to have at least one display cabinet in the kitchen. In the house we just sold, we had a tiny kitchen, so in comparison the new kitchen will seem huge and roomy, and the walk-in pantry is icing on the cake! I don't mind wasting one or two upper cabinets so that I have places to decorate and break up the wall cabinets, but I want any display cabinets to be well placed. In the same vein, I'd prefer not to add another cabinet to the right of the range run so that I have a small piece of wall for artwork. The room behind the refrigerator wall is a laundry room with a mudroom next to it. The extra space in the laundry room will likely be used for some unsightly exercise equipment. Function is very important to me, but my OCD eye also requires that I address what's behind the island very carefully. For my sanity, that small section of wall cabinets directly behind the island either needs to be symmetrical or else there should be nothing but cabinetry behind it so that my eye doesn't perceive an imbalance. I know that's super anal, but that's the way I was built, and now I have to build my new house to accommodate! :) Thanks again everyone - you're all awesome! Please keep the suggestions coming. This post was edited by broken_arrow on Sat, Nov 15, 14 at 17:08

I am amazed by the suggestions I am getting from all of you. I've been stalking for a long time before finally posting, so really I shouldn't be since I have seen what great advice has been given here. homesweethome- The symmetry is something that was bothering us quite a bit. I said "asymmetrical angles" earlier in a post. I guess I was meaning that we didn't want too much symmetry. Also, we like the look of having, for lack of better description, triangles, squares, and rectangles. And even the angles of the gables that might not be the same degree on every one. We plan on using a stone facade. I like the larger and rounder style stone. nicke360- You seemed to see things that have been bothering me with the floorpan and just fixed them. I was feeling like the mudroom area was a waste of space. In a much earlier design, it was a better fit. I wanted an enclosed old school style coat closet. So I can just shut the door if I need to. I was also thinking of having a utility closet in the entry area from the garage and a separate, possibly vented, sports equipment closet. But I think what you have given me is a great jumping off point! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the laundry room connecting to the master closet. I would like a desk area in the kitchen/living for the family computer to go, and a place the kids can work on homework or I can work on bills. Any suggestions on that? The thing inside I am having the biggest problem visualizing is the finished attic space. We want to use floor trusses, and I think that will not make it an actual two-story. Am I correct? I know there will be sloping ceilings and knee walls. I am very ok with that. I like the look and we are not tall people. I don't know how much space up there is actually useable. Thank you for your ideas. Very refreshing. How do I tell what walls will be like regular walls, and which will be knee walls? I will give you a little background. (knew i forgot something) We live in central Utah. We have 2 boys and 1 daughter. Elementary age. The daughter will be getting the attic bedroom. We have jokingly been calling it her "princess suite" -My husband thinks she might not move right up there though. Luckily we have the guest bedroom she can use for a while if she's not wanting to be alone on a floor. The extra living space up there has no real identity yet. Except for the craft room. That's one of my splurges. The boys want to share the large basement bedroom. And when that gets old for them, there is the extra one down there. The laundry space in the basement is just me looking ahead and getting the plumbing roughed in, even though we won't use it right away. The bathroom will be tailored to the boys, hence the urinal. I plan on having quite a bit of tile in that part of the bathroom for easy clean up. Storage: I need lots of storage. I tend to keep "stuff" and need a designated place to put it. I am trying to curb my hoarding ways, but I know my limitations as well. That is why I want useful areas on each level to have space so I can be organized. I also mentioned the sports equipment storage. We are a baseball family already and my husband is the coach, so we have more than the normal share of equipment that needs to be easily accessible on a regular basis. I guess the garage could probably handle that. I thank you all again for a fresh perspective. A new set of eyes has helped me to see some changes that could be made for the better.

I would probably go with white and ideally run the one on the left (left as facing the house) down the edge of the home and extended out behind/ under the deck. The one on the right I would also do white with a rain chain either into a plant like you suggested or a rain catcher. It is definitely a poor design the way it is currently. I cannot believe they left it like that. But your house does look fantastic.

Thank you so much everyone. This is so helpful! The window would be on the wall nearest to the outdoor stairs down. It is facing south to the backyard and woods behind the house. But after seeing Mark Bishak’s comment and photos I don’t think I have any room for a window. It looks like there will be a lost of wasted space because of all the corners I have.