See Home Repair.

Many replacement contractors can create new openings. Be sure they have the necessary skills to perform that particular type of work. Simply asking if they can do that will usually suffice. Most companies avoid headaches so if its something they are uncomfortable with, they will tell you. This not only requires creating a new opening but installing a header. A great question to ask a prospective contractor is whether or not the new opening requires a header. If he says no, simply move on to another guy. although most experienced window contractors can do this and its simple, it is very labor intensive and can be costly.

Here is the problem - you are looking for a paint color based on 2 inch square swatches compared to huge expanses of the colors already in your home. If you have a sample of the countertop that you can take outside - that it the ideal answer. If not you will need to make do with a gerry rigged method using the counter top in place. Get a large white sheet. Gather samples of the colors that must stay ( a drawer front, a sample of flooring that closely matches if an actual sample isn't available, a sample of the granite. Gather as many colors as you can from the neutral and heavily muted colors at the paint store. The lighting in the paint store will confuse your brain - pick up everything even if it doesn't seem good in the store - you may be suprised by what works when you get them home. If possible, take all the colors outside and cover a table with the white sheet. Lay the samples of the colors that must stay on the sheet and place one color sample at a time next to the colors that have to stay. If it works in natural daylight it will work anywhere. If it is not possible to take a sample outside cut a hole in the sheet and let a small section of the counter show through the hole in an area near a window. If that is not possible get a good lamp with a 5000k lightbulb and place the lamp so it shines on the hole in your sheet. You can limit the amount of any sample of the things that must stay by doing cutouts on the sheet. Typically one or two colors will feel right. This is going to be the hue you want. More than likely when you purchase a sample and paint a large section of wall it will read more vivid than the color you picked from a tiny sample. More space- more color. But you will know that you are in the right ball park and can use tools like EasyRGB to discover similar colors that are slighly less saturated. I worked with Miller Paint when I first discovered Devine. They were amazing. Don't know how they are today, as it has been 20 ish years ago. If I were in their service area I would work with them again in a heartbeat. Hope this helps narrow your choices :-)

I suggest take the island back to the original size and make the opening to the dining room smaller. If the opening is half as big, you'll have room for the TV to go on the new wall you create from the large opening. Then a 3-seat sofa and four swivel chairs can be squared up in a "U" out in the middle of the great room space. I would also eliminate the French doors onto the screened porch. You have so little wall space for anything but a table, and a rug won't work if that door swings into the room. Rug will need to be 36-42" larger than the top of your table and not run into walls, furniture on the walls or doors. Move the French doors to the bedroom at the north of the screened porch. You may need smaller scale than shown here, especially the coffee table.