Blended.

Multiplicitous.

Individualistic.

I read through the thread and see OP is 9 days from commencement of framing! Changes to plans shouldn't be suggested once the plans have been signed-off by the client. That's like getting on a plane and then asking where one should go on vacation, LOL.

That makes 2 of us. I tried looking on Catlady's page but could not figure it out. Thank you again!

Chantay99 - I posted my address in a private comment to your idea book.
Let's see if that works.

All "momentary design trends" are annoying. They're annoying because they're momentary. They're annoying because they're arbitrary. But, most of all, they're annoying because they can turn nice ladies into blithering, self-anointed, fashion gurus without a context or clue.

For me it’s maximalism. Lovely in a quirky cafe or boutique hotel but at home it would give me a headache. I like a restful house and so yes quite a lot of it is grey! Not battleship grey or anthracite but bluey or greeny greys.

Concrete floors. Depressing, cold, ecologically not great, look unfinished.

Plants very high up. How do you water them?

Walk in wardrobes even if it means the bedroom becomes tiny. I’d rather have a bigger bedroom with wardrobes in it, than dress and sleep in tiny spaces.

Uber industrial. There’s a reason we usually hide cables, conduits, vent ducts...because they are ugly.

Buying new furniture and accessories very often to have an “up to date“ look. I see all these instagram pictures with everything brass, mid century, wood, rattan, green (today’s trends) and I wonder what has happened to all their grey, painted, silver, shabby chic items from 5/10 years ago. And what will they do with today’s items when the look swings round again...

LOL I bought a house with 'cultured marble' plastic bathroom counters - yeah, they're considered outdated but I love the easy care - no hidden dirt/grime buildup around undercounter sinks. Same with my kitchen, stuck to the traditional stainless sink. Didn't change out to stone counters either, my LH was noisy enough. So for me, it's the easier and more practical answers... I'm definitely not the person targeted in marketing tho LOL. I do hate grey however as i grew up with it. have neck problems and hate TVs over fireplace, don't want to have sit in a recliner in order to watch anything! I guess getting older makes some decisions easier.

It seems so odd the architect would have an eave drain onto the walkway to the front door. Reminds me of Steve Martin's "Cruel Shoes".

I suggest you put a red sign here, most birds will be afraid of it

Rubber snakes in the closest tree. That has worked for us in the past.

Leaves = free compost/fertilizer

The leaves are well and truly back!

Leaves on our garden from the jap maple making good mulch.

What jodyjimdon & michele1975 wrote. CGS, I see what you mean but the {whitewash = country farm} is a late 20th Century romantic interpretation of "country" & "beach house" perpetrated by the "shabby chic" fashion. Authentic country farm or beach house is sun-bleached gray wood that's rough and splintery.

Marcnlisy.....you can try a company called vandykes.com. They have furniture legs there, or you can google it. Cute table!

Good table, I like the turned wood legs above. For the top, put two or three coats of polyurethane on. You have small kids, the table needs to be cleaned easily.

m5', you didn't copy an architect's design, did you! Architects love to take away window space with closets but your plan has interior closets. Very nice.

You also thought to put closets between a BR and the LR to act as a sound buffer. Again, nice. And you don't have unnecessary hallways taking up living space. You're thinking!

The only suggestions I have is to combine the laundry and mudroom and create a vestibule. Yours is the first floor plan I've seen on houzz that didn't make me wonder, "what were they thinking?"

You're welcome. At this point, when dealing with a client, I would make a model of just the framing and demonstrate interior line-of-sight; where the sun rises and sets in Summer then Winter; and what's to be seen (or avoided) outside.

We'd look at the lot where it's to be built and figure out how the house will sit and where windows should be. These considerations help finalize the floor plan layout and start to realize the rooflines. Sometimes reversing the plan (mirror image) works better than as drawn.

Well, my husband works 3rd shift, so he sleeps during the day. I'm home with our younger two...figured as much space between him and us, the better!

I didn't really focus on the kitchen. I like the fridge and sink in close proximity for offloading of foods to be prepped. If you move the stove to the island be sure there is room for the oven door and dish washer door to be open and used without bumping into each other or trapping you in a tight squeeze. Do you have a dish washer on the plan? I think that corner pantry will be regretted, so agree it should be right of where the cooktop is now. You might splurge on lazy Susan shelves in the corner cabs, but you'll never be able to reach the backs or corners as currently configured. If stuff falls off the rotating shelves you want to be able to reach the back and retrieve items. Consider opening those closets into the laundry room instead of the mudroom. The conflict of three doors and the cubbies will be a pain. You'd then have room to use a sliding "barn" door on the laundry entry. Or you could put a smaller set of cubbies where the closets are and then put more, but slimmer, closets on the cubby side with sliding doors. Barn makes for a nice upgrade, but regular ones are more budget friendly.

Either what libradesigneye wrote or cut the shrub and move the steps since they're being replaced. BTW, I'd take out the shrubs because there should be no less than 24" between foliage and siding (of any sort).

Like the above completely open porch. Wonder of using brick steps would tie everything together.

Do not know the interior layout, but if there is no entry, consider bringing the door forward a few feet. You could center it in the opening, and get it out of the shadows, while creating a small entryway.

My exact thought! Looks balanced, open and welcoming!! Love this !

LOL! Love that gutter and "downspout" to a splash block...really gets the water away from the house. Because of the window, I'd consider a door design that would appear like a folding closet door (tracks and all) has been laid across the cellar stair. The type of track would be similar to barn doors (but one at both top and bottom).

install bilco door or similar and save yourself from water intrusion and they look much better and easy access

Umm, remove it? Why live with something that stupid and ugly?

tech, w/o reading what others posted...OMG, the windows in that space are to die for. Too bad they have muntins (which houzz doesn't have in its spellcheck) but, still. I'd consider interior louvered blinds, covering just the lower sash, if anything.

And a few more

New dining room table and chairs. Need to figure out what to put on the other wall and the find the right light fixture to replace the builder grade fixture. Open to suggestions!!

It depends. Are we talking about 1/8"-1/4" paneling or 1/2"-3/4" paneling? Obviously, the former is architecturally irrelevant while the latter is inevitably something of value.

There's never an issue of painting either if it's reversible by a future owner (or a current owner's change of mind).

When stripping old woodwork and doors it's a blessing if the wood's original varnish or shellac wasn't sanded off before painting. When it's intact a heat gun will lift the paint quite well without damaging the original finish or the wood grain.

Most old paneling is dark because the finish has darkened with age and dirt. Once one has determined if it's varnish, shellac, or poly it's possible to revive the original light colour without necessarily sanding....just remove the topmost layer of dirt and finish.

My very dusty cabin is totally paneled. Hate it, but hate the thought of cleaning constantly with a painted paneling. Does anyone have experience and tips on color for painting paneling in a VERY DUSTY CABIN. Thanks!

In small photos wood walls look great. But when you're sitting in that room with that old scratched, stinky wood it really makes you want to paint it. It's all about letting go...

I'd put the tv against the common wall with the bathroom to help prevent the acoustical bleed from the toilet.

Furniture placement? That's a tough one because this is such a strangely designed space. It's designed for a conversation pit; not furniture.

What if I move the ensuite parallel to the master bedroom?

It sounds as if you are in the planning stage, and the house is not yet built.

So, instead of standing in the box and wondering, step out and imagine.

How will you use this space? How will you interact with the people and things in it?

How many people do you need to seat?

Consider your ideal furniture arrangement, then build the rooms around it.

Watching TV from the island seems awkward if the TV is in the Sitting Area. Are you talking news over morning coffee? Maybe a small TV in the kitchen would work.

Curt, the rq. sink ht. would cover the window sills.

elainegg, would the idea of free-standing kitchen furniture (circa pre-WWII) be acceptable? The windowed area could be very conducive to an early American treatment that would provide for work surfaces and storage.

Your kitchen is charming! Are you sure you want to do away with the nook?

For continuity use the same tile and grout as your other cabinets. Anything else will look piecemeal.

Definitely add cabinets or SHELVES below the new counters since you might have trouble matching your cabinets exactly.

Love other comments about free standing cabinet, especially as a baking area. Then, a marble counter, since it stays cool, would make sense even though it won't be a match.

Door: replace with solid wood, two or three flat panel, 4"-5" wide fluted trim, and a crystal door knob or French-handled lever. IMO.

Plantations look good in photos but not sure I'd like living with them. Are you considering curtains with them or simply shutters? IMO, they tend to drive the design in a more streamlined direction. You have an elegant, antique style bed, but if you're replacing it and going simpler, they'd work.

Plantations are a whole new direction design-wise.

http://www.matsmatsmats.com/kids/playroom-floor/

Cork flooring would be a great choice!!

Thanks! I hadn't considered vinyl flooring previously... the main concern is softness though to cushion falls - is the vinyl softer than the exisiting tile?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_(cat)

Ohhh I love Bengal kitties!! Great kitty cats!

How is he with your furniture?

Never:
1) shabby chic; 2) plastic/vinyl; 3) fake mementos and someone else's family photos;
4) fake books; 5) books I wouldn't read; 6) taxidermy; 7) anything currently trendy or fashionable; 8) anything that has no relevance to or reflection of my activities or interests

Previous owners photo
Celiawk, I agree with you about the corner fireplace, we never had one in the corner, and I thought it would be nice to have the fireplace, and the tv close to one another, but it is not turning out to be good; one wall is all windows, and the other walls are all open to the rest of the rooms, so, I guess we have to live with it.

fyi, and we like this very much:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brondell-Dual-Temperature-Bidet-Attachment-in-White-FSW-20/203357953

Get a copy of "What Not To Build: Do's and Don'ts of Exterior Home Design" by Sandra Edelman.

I posted the only original response a year ago and there was never any feedback from the poster. I wonder if they are still interested in any of this?

Didn't notice the date!

The garage gable could really use a 9/9 DH window to match those of the LR; then painting the trim a dark brown or olive it should have; I'd make the body colour the middle shade found among the bricks. The bricks dictate the body colour choices.

You can see the brick a little better in these, but I don't have any close ups. I have to paint because there were vines growing on one side and the back of the house that had to be removed per my homeowners insurance that have pretty much ruined the paint in those areas. I was waiting to do it but now that I have the window issue I'm just going to go ahead and do the whole thing. I'm just not sure I love the color enough that I'd want to repaint it the same color.

You can see the brick a little better in these, but I don't have any close ups. I have to paint because there were vines growing on one side and the back of the house that had to be removed per my homeowners insurance that have pretty much ruined the paint in those areas. I was waiting to do it but now that I have the window issue I'm just going to go ahead and do the whole thing. I'm just not sure I love the color enough that I'd want to repaint it the same color.

Definitely: Crown Point.

Thank you!!!

Why does the beam have to be enclosed within a soffit?

Another option - keep the windows and extend the two cabinets to the ceiling with no soffit. On each side of the two cabinets add a shelve above the windows - also, above the shelving add a valance to create the illusion that the windows are taller. Just a thought

Wow, thank you everyone for the great ideas! I've cried, laughed, and developed a great headache over this. I find it interesting that there seems to be an equal # of people that would extend the soffit vs no soffit/other option.

I think the open shelving would be the most beautiful, but I'm not sure if we are an open shelf kind of family. I am much more organized than the rest of my household, and I am afraid that I would be frustrated if the shelves always look disorganized. At least with cabinets, the doors close!

We are not committed to any backsplash yet. I did order the cabinets, but I am willing to make some changes to make this right. I don't have any uppers planned for my laundry room, so I can use any extras there. Thank goodness, because I hate waste!

Time to mull this over and search more pictures. All input is truly appreciated!!!!

smartin1, you're so cool! bungalowmo's suggestion is the one I'd make. If the wood is too sun-bleached or unspectacular I'd suggest faux graining, also. BTW, with the 3 horizontal raised panels in the bottom half it would appear as an E. L. Robert's & Co. model# 214 from their catalog #500 from 1908. There's also the option of attaching a Composition Ornament to the bottom panel (ie. wood applique resembling an urn, a wreath, etc.

I went out to the shop to measure the glass and the carpenter told me that he was about to call me. When he started sanding the door, the paint started sanding down in layers. At some point, the door has been brown, blue, green, and cream and those portions of be sanded door are gorgeous. He wanted to know if I would like to honor the door's history by leaving those gorgeous paint colors as is and just putting a protective finish over all of it. What do you think?

fantastic job. As long as you keep some one like you've done it will look amazing at the end.