Best way to lay out this kitchen

[greencottage]

I'm trying to work out the best way to lay out the kitchen in my new house (not moved yet). I've drawn three possibles, with varying degrees of work.
Can you help?

1. As it is now. Pluses: it has a big pantry. Cheapest option because no building work. Sink is under window.
   

1. Remove pantry wall and turn big window into French doors onto garden. Would be nice to have this flow-through to the garden. On the other hand, as you can see from 1. the dining room and sitting room already flow through onto a garden room extension, so it's not the only inside/outside space. Sink would not be under window. Does this matter?
   

1. Remove pantry wall and move door to utility room. Has the benefits of option 2 but has more room for units. This one has the most building work, and the most cost in units.
   

All three layouts have room for a table and chairs. It's a big room, but I don't think it's wide enough for an island layout (much as I would like this). I want to keep an open, spacious feeling.

[Acer77]

Option 3 looks best to me because you'll have more units - which you'll probably miss if you lose the pantry.
Definitely worth doing the work to have those lovely French doors onto garden!

[Acer77]

Would it be an option to know through the wall into the dining room? If that already has the French doors and table looking out onto garden then it would mean you could have units all the way round the kitchen? Just an idea.....

[Acer77]

*knock through wall

[LumelaMme]

No real suggestion but two things I'd bear in mind:

1. Pantries are bloody awesome. Masses and masses of storage. My mother got rid of hers and regretted it ever after. They vastly reduce the need for actual cupboards in the kitchen.
   
2. Corner units are a total pain in the arse: either you have to get half a ton of stuff out to reach what's at the back, or you have a rotating thing, off which stuff inevitably drops. I hated mine so much that I managed to have none in my new kitchen.

[greencottage]

Yes, I do like the pantry - but it does make the kitchen smaller. Dilemma.
Acer I've thought about knocking through to dining room, but have decided against as I would like to have an informal breakfast/every day eating area as well as a separate dining room.

[Acer77]

In that case option 3 is best - pantries are fabulous but personally I'd rather have French doors...

[5amisnotmorning]

Knock through to dining room and put internal bifold doors in to separate should you choose. Ideally keep pantry but I can't see the drawings too well.

[Koala2]

Would it be a pain to have table and chairs in front of French doors? Is there enough room to access without moving them each time?

[greencottage]

I think there's enough room. The room is 11'10 wide, so if there are units on the rear wall, that takes up 2 feet, leaving nearly 8' width of space for a table and chairs (which takes up probably 4-5 ft width). I don't envisage using the french doors for going in and out much - more just having them open onto a terrace on a nice day. There are other external doors more likely to use.

[greencottage]

Actually, nearly 10 ft, not 8 ft - so plenty of room.