The trend continues to create an open living space where the kitchen is integrated in a way that it’s not only used for cooking but entertaining and interacting with family and friends. Since the kitchen is such a key ingredient to your homes overall design, it should reflect your personal qualities and tastes, but without losing functionality.

Whether you are planning a kitchen remodel or building a kitchen from scratch for your dream home your kitchen floor plans is critical in how efficiently your kitchen space will function for you and your family. For some great examples of innovative kitchen designs you’ll want to explore kitchen floor plans from leading house plan companies like Direct from the Designers, who not only offer detailed floor plans but great photography so you visualize your new kitchen.

Here are three innovative, fabulous  kitchen floor plans fresh from the architects drafting table to inspire the chef in everyone:

This one-story house plan satisfy and delights on all levels, particularly in the kitchen.

Though this is but a single-story home, The Leewright House Plan satisfies and delights on many levels. The exterior has visual appeal with varied rooflines, a mix of materials and graceful traditional lines. The interior is thoughtfully planned for family living. Count among the living spaces a huge great room with sloped, vaulted ceiling, fireplace and built-ins; a media room with double-door access; a private home office; and an outdoor living area with fireplace. There are two dining spaces — a formal dining room with hutch recess and a nook that opens to an outdoor kitchen with built-in grill. Speaking of kitchens, the main one in this home has an island, two sink prep areas, a butler’s pantry connecting it to the formal dining room and a walk-in pantry. Family bedrooms sit to the front of the plan and are joined by a Jack-and-Jill bath. The master suite is on the far right side. Its grand salon has an eleven-foot ceiling, a fireplace, built-ins, a walk-in closet and a superb bath. If you need extra space, there’s a bonus room on an upper level above the garage.

This gorgeous kitchen features an expansive floor plan with kitchen island.

When you enter the courtyard of this two-story home,  you’ll feel like you’ve just entered into the elegant world of Tuscany. The old world charm and craftsmanship are evident as you pass through the tower entryway into the gallery and great room with beamed ceiling and fireplace. There’s a huge open kitchen with breakfast nook, center island and peninsula so you can enjoy casual dining with family and friends. The French doors lead you to an expansive outdoor living space featuring a covered patio, stone floor and fireplace. The second floor features 461 sq. ft to create a unique/flexible space to fit your family needs. Shown as a game room with full bath, this space could easily be converted into another a fourth bedroom or office.

The brilliantly designed kitchen area of this two-story home features a snack lounge, circular dinette and dining area.

This beautiful traditional house plan has great curb appeal and an amazing layout. Soaring to 22 feet, the ceilings in the great room are adorned with decorative beams, recessed lighting and a massive stone fireplace. The brilliantly designed kitchen area, snack lounge, circular dinette and dining area combine functionality and beauty. Separated by decorative columns, the octagonal shaped hearth room creates a feeling of warmth and relaxation. There’s plenty of room to grow with this house, which comes with an optional basement plan featuring a game and recreational room, wet bar, guest room and plenty of additional flexible spaces.

Enjoy their recently updated its collection of best-selling kitchen flloor plans, featuring a wide range of architectural styles and sizes, including homes from their exclusive ENERGY STAR approved house plans collection.

A key element to finding the right house plan is to look for floor plans that offer lots of flexibility. For example, where a bedroom can easily be converted into a home office, nursery or den. You many not think you need it now, but plans that offer optional bonus spaces and basement floor plans are a great asset down the road when you find yourself needing more space for your growing family.

Searching for the perfect house plan can be made easy by browsing through Designers Direct House Plans collection of innovative designs featuring a wide range of architectural styles and unique collections like 3-D, Exclusive and ENERGY STAR house plans.

As you get ready to search for the perfect home plan, you need to evaluate your needs, lifestyle and finances by asking yourself some important questions:

What is your marital status? This will help determine what size home you will need, the amount of flexibility you need from your floor plan and the location of its bedrooms.

Are you an avid cook? Do you enjoy entertaining? If the answer is yes then you’ll want to make sure that you have a large, functional kitchen space. Most new kitchen designs feature designated work zones for preparation, cooking and cleaning. An open floor plan where the kitchen, dining room and great room share the same space makes it easy to socialize, especially if they lead to an outdoor living space.

Will you need extra space for overnight guests? If you have out-of-state family and friends you should consider a house plan with a guest suite or bonus room that can easily be converted in a bedroom.

This Classic Country House Plan features a flexible layout for a small footprint. An expansive front porch opens into a dramatic living area with loft above. Each bedroom has a private bathroom suite, plus there’s plenty of extra storage space in the two-car garage.

Do you have a realistic home building budget? Being realistic about the amount of money you actually can afford to invest in building your new home is key to you enjoying your home. Even if you can afford a larger home now, keep in mind all the expenses that go into operating and maintaining a home this size, especially if your financial situation changes down the road. A well-designed house plan will allow for future expansions and include bonus spaces and basement options so you can easily add more space to your home.

It’s definitely a great idea to purchase a cost estimator (you can get a pretty comprehensive cost-to-build report for around $30) before you buy a house plan to make sure you not only can afford to build your home, but all the yearly utilities, taxes and maintenance bills that go along with owning a home.

Will you need a home office? Whether you work at home or not, you’ll appreciate having a dedicated office in your home so you can keep all your personal finances and projects together.

How important is it to have a master suite? Your bedroom should be the place you go to escape and relax after a long day. It should have all the features you need to pamper yourself like large windows, a sitting area, master bath with spa shower and/or hot tub and huge walk-in closets. While looking at house plans decide whether you want the master suite on the first or second floor or left or right wing of your home.

Do you want an outdoor living space? You can easily extend your home’s living space by incorporating an outdoor living space like a patio, porch, deck, outdoor kitchen and/or living room, sunroom and pool area.

It’s not only natural, but expected that when you find the “perfect” house plan, you’ll want to make some changes to truly personalize your home. Most modifications can be made by your builder directly on the blueprint (called redlining) to minimize costs. For more extensive changes, you’ll want to have the designer or architect make the modifications for you. Look for house plan companies that offer free modification quotes to make sure you can afford to build your home. If not, you’ll know what type of house plan you should be looking at that fits your needs and budget.

ENJOY searching for your dream house plan!

Stories: 2

Total Living Area: 1338 Sq. Ft.

First Floor: 810 Sq. Ft.

Second Floor: 528 Sq. Ft.

Bedrooms: 3

Full Baths: 2

Width: 40 Ft. 11 In.

Depth: 33 Ft. 6 In.

Garage Size: 1

2nd Place Winner of exclusive ENERGY STAR House Plan Competition.