Thanks everyone. We met with the builder this morning and I told him I wanted to move the fridge as Greendesigns mentioned. Thinking more about that, I'm really warming to the idea. I do like the idea of big drawers in the island. When we get to the point of meeting with the cabinet folks, we'll talk to them about prices for this. Hopefully we will have the contract signed on Monday and start moving forward for real! Kirkhall, that's a good point about french doors, we'll look into that. I was concerned about frozen pizzas fitting in a side-by-side... I think we probably will keep the side of the fridge open--we're excited to have magnets and kids drawings and such covering the front and side of the fridge! Kirkhall and LL, I haven't brought up the new plan on Build for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm pretty happy with it; 2) changes are much more difficult when they have to modify a stock plan, so playing around with layouts for a marginally-improved setup is not worth it. I'll post something this weekend, hopefully, when I get a chance to put everything together so it looks right and can give an explanation that I'm not exactly looking for feedback but am wanting to share with the great community that has helped me so much.

Doreen, I'm with you 100% on monochromatic color schemes and weaving them all together. Forget the naysayers who think you need pops of color. They will never get it. With monochromatic schemes, texture becomes so important. This is why your dining room works well but your living room not as much so. I can see what you were going for here with the living room rug but don't think it works in the end. Here's what I would do: 1. Remove curtains. Sounds like you have already. 2. Different rugs in living and dining room. Have them be textural - jute, sisal, fluffy, just textural. 3. I love the chair that has a plaid pillow and another more contemporary pillow together. Keep your plaid pillows - they are great, just mix them up with others like the one on your chair. 4. Much bigger new coffee table to bring the space together. Again, bring in another texture here or reflective surface. I would avoid the black iron look though. 5. Your walls might feel naked without the curtains. Be sure to re-center the picture to the right of your glass doors so it is centered on the entire space between door and windows. 6. Pull the sofa and chairs out from the wall. Have the feet on the rug. Your walls will become more of a backdrop this ways and the attention will be focused on the seating area. Show us more pics!

No worries, its not mean. Thanks for the feedback. You are correct that the lanai looks huge in proportion. Obviously it isn't scaled but I was trying to have the lanai go across that entire side but with the dining area and master pushed out then it makes the entire area pretty big. We started with a plan that was straight across but decided to push out master to take better advantage of the view and we had thought to separate lanai somehow between main area and master to make it more private. That area needs more work, I agree. I was trying to avoid that bathroom situation actually. The guest bathroom and kids bathrooms are both tucked down a short hallway although perhaps their entry doors are still too visible as drawn. I'll look at that as we do better drawings. The master is one of the reasons I posted. It does not enter through the bathroom at all so another failure on my sad sketch. I have had difficulty envisioning a good layout for the master plus closet and bath. We did not want an entrance door to the room straight off the living room. But we also want to have the bed on the interior wall facing out to the views so its difficult to place the closet and bath entry. I wanted the closet and bathroom closet together but I also dislike the idea of entering the closet through the bathroom. So I came up with one plan to have hallway going straight towards the master bedroom but just before entering you can turn right to a short hall leading to walk in closet on the right and you pass by that to the bathroom entrance. My husband thought some more buffer between living room and bedroom would be nice so this plan has the same hallway to the right before you enter the master leading to 'hers walk in closet" and the bathroom but also has a regular "his closet" with sliding doors along the left side of hallway as you approach the master bedroom. The hallway as you enter to the master bedroom area could also be completely closed off by a door so that entire area can stay private. Does that seem more reasonable?

Use a tooth brush and a good stripper. Don't go for a "safe" stripper....go for one that does the job so you don't have to sand lead paint. And never EVER use a belt sander on anything unless you are VERY V*E*R*Y experienced.....I have seen people who work wood for a living make a mess with a belt sander. And yes, lead is a real issue but the world is full of people like me who has stripped many many items and never worried about what kind of paint, who grew up in a house painted with white lead paint....and helped her father paint the fence with that same white lead, lived in a major metropolitan area where the air was full of the fumes from leaded gas. Grew up always letting the water run until it was cold because the house had lead soldered pipes.....and I don't let have brain damage nor kidney damage and the only time I have been anemic was a week after my first child was born. Not to Pooh-pooh the dangers of lead but unless your children are eating paint chips from the window sill and forgetting to let the water run through the lead soldered pipes, I don't think casual exposure is a big concern. But....Don't sand off the paint!! use a stripper! LOL1