Thanks folks! All good input. I just emailed my brother, who's an architect, and his suggestion is: Keep the built-ins ONLY on the long wall. Don't wrap them around on the short wall flanking the wood stove. He would like to see bare wall there (with a firewood bin on the right and the chair/ottoman on the left of the woodstove.) What do you think about that? Regarding door hardware: I was thinking no hardware, actually... just those push-to-open thingies :) Color: my brother suggested stained or painted almost-black (playing off the slate woodstove wall). Palimpsest suggests wall color. I would have done white just cuz its my fall-back. I will have to think on that! Depth: The built-ins as drawn are about 11" deep. We don't have any A/V equipment deeper than that, so no need to bump any part out. I'm also not a huge fan of bumped-out cabinetry in a more modern setting. I know I said I wanted to keep it cottage-y, but it still has to work with my modern furniture :) I could probably be convinced if there was a really compelling argument, but my druthers is for simpler, usually :) Height: I considered varying the height (taller on short wall, etc) but I felt like going taller made the already small room feel a lot smaller. DIY- yes, we're building these ourselves :) .... although I think we may buy the doors from Scherr's. We have a really long project list to get through this year!

The current railing will not match the new floors in the K, and I was told a it is cheaper to get a new one than to strip/stain the old one. The current style isn't great either. Katiee and pllog are right about a table in front of the railing helping define the space, but there isn't room to place anything against mine to anchor it. On the K side I have my kitchen table/chairs so it doesn't really hide the railing it just looks busy. The view from the FR is worse because there's no room for anything in front of the railing because it's next to a sliding glass door. When you're in the FR and you look into the K - you see the railing and in front of the table and chairs. I do remember the dysfunctional kitchen post, although not the bookcase, but I do understand what you mean. The storage would be great, but I don't even have 6" in the kitchen so the bookcase would be 2 " from the door. I think if I don't do the railing my options are a half wall, or just extend the step the full length of the opening. Why do I feel like I'm choosing between 3 bad options?!?

les917 - thank you so much! I appreciate any and all suggestions. I am always unsure about where to place furniture, etc. After the flooring is installed, I will post a pic with some various arrangements and hope you and others will give me some more advice on how I can move things around. I've always wanted a small desk in that area where you mentioned. I'll post a pic below of the part of the LR you were curious about- the wall area behind the couch towards the window area. After seeing this pic, you may have some more good ideas to inspire me. My concern is, if I move the couch, etc. as you suggested, that opens up a huge blank wall that goes all the way to the ceiling.. Good, bad? natesgramma - yes, I think area rugs will be helpful as well as always mentioning the step to new visitors. groomingal - that's a very creative solution. Other people have mentioned lighting. I should look into this "built in" lighting idea. bodica mentioned rope lighting, too. cliff_and_joann - sorry to hear your father broke his arm. This is exactly what I am trying to avoid. I can picture wrought iron that tied in with the same wrought iron on the fireplace as being a good solution. lukkiirish - your holiday is next..St. Patrick's Day! Maybe, you're a Notre Dame fan? We're on concrete. I do agree for asthetic reasons it's better to keep the wood all in the same direction. Why did the designer or builder of these homes in our area (So. Calif-1980's) ever think these one step sunken rooms were the way to go? Your idea is another creative one that is going on my list of options to consider. Dh does all the work and I get the hammer,saw horse, hold the tape measure,get the level, plug in the extension cord...etc. When you installed your flooring, did you glue down, float, nail or staple? Dh is still not fully decided between glue down or float. marybeth1 - Thank you for the link. I read through it and it confirms ideas about lighting, furniture & rug placement, possibly a railing or bookshelf install, and visual cues to warn people of the change in levels. Wall behind couch in LR Vier of LR from DR Beam on LR ceiling

They will say that it is a site related issue - that is what they are saying - "CLIMATE" - which they may claim they have no control over, only the homeowner is responsible for that. Wood has predictable behavior. They should, since they are professional installers, have all of the documentation regarding the ambient air conditions before and during installation as well as the rh/calcium chloride test results (whichever one they performed and you paid for - hopefully) and ph of the concrete - most professionals include that documentation or report with the final invoice to the end user and kept as long as the floor is under the manufacturer's warranty. Technically, if you wrote 2 checks, it is your responsibility to make sure that was done.