Energy, My response was specific to OP's situation. She'd described her location as SF Bay area and great in summer. I assumed that meant she was not "inland", and if so, most people in the immediate Bay Area don't have AC. I don't have AC, I cool my house by opening the windows in the evening, we have cool nights on all but a few very hot days. Look at today's forecast- SF is 70, Berkeley is 70, inland Walnut Creek, 15 miles from Berkeley, is 86, very inland Sacramento is 97 but still dry heat). People who live inland have AC and just bite the bullet with cost. I'm sure there are many heat pumps in use in rural or remote areas with no natural gas, with people who don't want to use propane or wood stoves. But I know people all over a broad area, and no one I know has one.

I think it is very hard to determine what speaks to you when it comes to art, but I am not loving the pieces you have picked for the side of the thermostat. I agree with the others that they seem to be rather predictable. I keep on going back to the orange pillow which I love. I really would like to see that color represented on that long wall in some way. I am also envisioning some piece of "furniture/something?" on that long wall between the chair and bookcase - as others have suggested. To me the room seems as if there is too much going on in the other three areas especially with those beautiful windows, and this long wall is very lacking. I don't think the desk is really adding much interest. Keep looking. Les, don't mean to hijack here, but I am curious if you are on the east coast like me (CT). It is so peaceful and I have the luxury of sleeping as late as I like. I have always loved seeing the sunrise - not from getting up early, but from still being up from the night before. Like you I try to break the habit, but it is too tempting to read till daybreak. Just want to say how much I enjoy your critiques.

I sometimes wonder why anyone posts his plans on this site. We come from SO many perspectives! Most people posting are building a house in a subdivision, not people buying property and then designing a house for their needs that suits the property. If someone is even considering a subdivision-type house, or is looking to adapt "stock" plans, then that is exactly how that person wants his house to look and be arranged. That's the kind of house they like and most likely the kind their friends have, too. Then there is an outlier such as me. My "subdivision house" was built in 1948, and in fact, all the houses were custom built in this subdivision. Some of the ones built just before WWII were two story colonials that were identical inside, but slightly different on the outside. Over the years, various owners have added on and done so in different ways, so unless one knows the history of the neighborhood, it is not apparent. If one is determined to have an "open concept" floor plan, and a first floor master suite, the floor plan is pretty much predetermined. I have LOTS of problems with such plans as I think that ultimately, they don't work very well. The space always appears quite large on the floor plan, but when furniture is floated and not mostly against walls, one loses a LOT of space. Add lots of large family entertaining, and even at 3500 sq feet, it will feel cramped/crowded. "Open concept" works best in tiny houses where separate rooms would feel like a rabbit warren, or in very large ones, with tons of room to float furniture (think McMansion). People today want lots of garages as many families have lots of cars. For decades, a ONE car garage was standard, and then a 2 car became the standard about 70 years ago. Now, it is not unusual to see 4-5 car garages. The problem, of course, is how to site them - they are an imposing presence! And then there is the cost. Even though it is never included in the square footage of a house for sale, it does factor in the square footage cost of building and it can be a LOT! A friend of my daughter lives on a horse farm and built a house on the family farm. She wanted a beautiful, gracious home with lots of millwork details. It was custom designed and the bids to construct it came in a 4 times their budget. So, they did without the first floor MBR suite for 5-7 years and then added it, living in a 2nd flr smaller bedroom in the meantime. It was tight up there with three girls and their stuff! Ten years later, they finally added the garages. I think they have 4 at least. Sometimes a longterm plan is the best. One figures out how to get what one wants in the public rooms in a house, especially if one has large groups often. Then one saves to add onto the house and the design is already done and ready to go when the money is there. Believe me, I LOVE my garage - I'm far too old to be scrapping windshields! But perhaps you need to chose between that and the sport's court and make sure you have made your public rooms big enough for a crowd...or just your own very large family! Do speak to a roofer about your roof design. A roofer friend said that most houses today, with their multiple gables etc, cost a fortune when a new roof is needed ($30,000 to 40,000)!. They are very labor intensive, whereas a traditional single peaked roof (front and back both the same with no gables), is far less expensive. You don't mention if you have trees nearby; if you do, the leaves will gather in the valleys and are a huge nuisance. Good luck!

I'm in the "So what if it looks like an Easter egg?" camp :-) Baby will love it. About the only change I'd suggest is swapping the two end rows. I think the dark end might look better with the darker blue stripe, and the lighter end will go better with the lighter green stripe. I could be totally wrong, but it would be interesting to see if it makes a difference. I guess if you were really bothered by your husband's comment, you could rearrange your squares into pinwheels :-)