I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

Do they have to be paint buckets? I would think they would not be good for gardening? Maybe others will know more about that. But in the U.S. you can get 5 gallon buckets from some local businesses like bakeries, food store chains, places like those that regularly use items they get in the buckets. For instance a bakery usually gets stuff in 5 gallon buckets and often has to throw them into a dumpster as they can only save so many. Some businesses now sell them for a small fee, maybe 1 dollar U.S. each and some just give them away. I think the cost of shipping them to India would be more than the cost of buying them. You could try setting up a fund on Kiva.org and possibly get enough donations to purchase food grade buckets instead of using ones from paint. Good luck with this project and please update us as to your progress.

I think kitchen and eating area should be next to each other and kitchen should be near or next to an entry for ease in putting away food stuff. The sitting area should be near an outside view to add relaxed vibe to area and the TV should be opposite sofa for easy viewing.....sometimes necessary to move the TV and rewire accordingly. Good luck.

Where can I buy the cabinets. Shoe storage.