Hi ! Thanks for the shout Boundsgreener ! I've had a look at this ... My first reaction was to add another pole to balance it up - tried that - wasn't that much of an improvement ! So thought I'd try this instead - opens the room up somewhat - leaves a children's play area with plenty of storage - but can be part of the room too ( ok it means tidying up rather than shutting the door - sorry !) but think this could work ? Island worktop in composite will best hide the seems around the support column ... If you buy an extending table there will be plenty of room for big family dinners too ! [ marketing note - this is an example of the sketch consult service OnePlan provide... We happily provided this for free to this Houzzer, on this occasion . Normal rates would be £35 p/h. Full CAD images available too, at either an hourly rate or fixed room rate. We are freelance concept planners, selling only design !]

An L shaped design sounds fine to me and I think it's practicality will outweigh concerns about it dominating. I agree a soft white is nicer in an older property and a more modern look than gloss but I don't agree that a painted finish is better with young ones as it can chip- I would look for a laminate door which despite being perceived to be lower quality will likely stand up to rough treatment

Do you need a second full bathroom. I'd change to a shower room with a cloakroom / storage area. Go lengthwise. Change also the Kitchen to where the second living area is. Swap the second living area to living / dining. Much nicer to sit and relax over looking the garden. I don't know what type of flooring you currently have in the dining room. If it's floorboards then you should be able to have the kitchen left and plumb out to the right under the floor. Obviously if it's concrete this won't work and you'd have to have a further shuffle about! I presume also that you can't just fit in a toilet under the stairs as the meters are preventing this? ( I know that moving those can cost a fortune! ) Opening the front door and being able to see front to back makes the house seem a lot larger. So, yes I'd sacrifice the layout of the bathroom if a larger square bathroom is not needed. If you can't plumb the water drainage from the kitchen across from left to right then you are better off with this type of layout. Personally I think you suffer from lack of counter space even with a long island, but it's do'able with careful planning. Plus, I also think it's odd having two living areas back to back. I'd take the advice of a builder and see if you can sort out the plumbing. Go for the first plan with the bigger kitchen in the middle and the living / dining area at the back. Good luck!

I would suggest handing the FF the other way - aesthetically looks better paired with the pantry that way - and allows you to open both to see what needs to be restocked or to decide what to cook etc. Also for aesthetics, have the drawers either side of cooker both three drawers and the odd one other side of pillar as a two.