I would suggest you take out the cabinet that is to the right of the stove and use it elsewhere in the house -- perhaps in the bathroom or dining room with a hutch above it. Then, I would suggest you have someone install a lazy susan cabinet in the corner between the sink counter and the stove, meaning you would move the stove down a bit and have a small cabinet/counter top to the right of the stove. I would suggest you have the cabinets refinished in white and then paint the walls a pastel you like. If you would prefer white walls, then add white-painted crown molding and paint the ceiling a light neutral blue, such as Sherwin Williams Niagara Falls Blue. Then, I would suggest you choose a favorite accent color and use this sparingly in accessories like towels, pot holders, small vases or floral arrangements, and a valence above the triple windows. For a genuine 1940s look, you might have white ceramic square tiles with a rectangular red border installed as a back splash behind and above the stove. If you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest a light color such as white with a beige or light grey vein or striation for some sort of pattern. You might be able to find the same color and design in floor tile OR opt for a wood floor as another poster suggested.

I think the L shape works for the shape of the room. I am not going to consider the appliances etc, personally I do not like a sink in the middle of the Island Bench so I think you have made the right choice there. The only thing that sticks out to me immediately is that your Island looks too small I think you should extend that out to make the end flush with the length of your cabinets on the garage wall side. It looks like you could probably add another meter onto that end, which will add more seating, more storage and to me would appear more balanced.

Thanks for your comments everyone. We've taken your advice (Luke and NH) and changed the island to a rectangle (1200 x 3000). We lose one breakfast bar seat but gain storage and dining room space plus it shortens the distances from the island to the cooktops. It also removes the need for a corner carousel. We're much happier with this result. Dairy_maid, we've done what you suggested and walked through some common tasks. Overall it works reasonably well although we may keep some coffee spoons and butter knives in the scullery drawers for morning toast and coffee. We've also invested in a "silent" rangehood which has the motor on the outside of the house behind the fridge and we've upgraded the scullery sink to one that is 600 x 400 (internal size). Fabrication starts tomorrow. Woohoo. Once again, thanks so much for taking the time to respond. The design has been significantly improved with your input.

If you have lived in England...with washing machine in the kitchen as a normal everyday thing, then I don't think people mind, they probably LOVE having a laundry ! Our front door is basically the laundry sliding door, so I'm putting our laundry into a cupboard so it's hidden, I think it put people off buying the house...entering via laundry. (10 weeks on market, we were the only offer) A pantry ' in a laundry' or vice versa doesn't worry me. My last laundry was in the garage. And big sep pantry in kitchen, I would rather a pantry with machine..than no pantry. A pantry to me is big kudos