Thanks for that photo, val, it's helpful and I can definitely see doing a slipcover for this chair. DS is home on break and helped me move furniture around. We tried a variety of arrangements. I think the purple chair is too bulky for the space. What do you think? As far as how many people we need to seat, usually we host groups of 5-6 at a time. My bridge group is 12, but we don't need casual seating, just room for 3 bridge tables. Option #1: Couch where it was before away from the wall, add purple chair and side table. #2 Couch moved back against the window, rug is no longer centered, with purple chair. #3 Loveseat with side table and lamp. This seems cramped to me. #4 Loveseat centered on window with long couch going across the room. This was not good on the other side of the long couch, too close to the opposite wall to pass by comfortably. #5 Loveseat moved down towards fireplace, arms overlapping a little. #6 This arrangement was a little better as far as walking space. #7 Everything is pushed towards the fireplace more than in the original arrangement, which gives more area at the entrance to the living room. I don't think it's as inviting as having the non-L arrangement. #8 I don't think the purple chair works in the corner facing the back of the couch.

Really great inputs from all of you. Thank you for taking your time reading and responding! There are some great ideas here, but unfortunately, we will not be able to make all the changes due to various reasons. For example, we will not change the framing of the windows because that will require extra permit (I think); We will not re-do the walls and the ceiling in the wood room so we preserve its historical look (and to keep the budget down); etc. But @kaismom, you gave me some idea for re-doing the kitchen. (Love it in SketchUp since it doesn't cost anything to tear stuff down!) I moved the fridge to behind the division wall and made it tall cabinets all across. I realize that this will make the galley kitchen look even narrower, but it got the fridge out of the way, and since this is a single cook kitchen, being a little narrow is not too big a problem (I have about 39" of clearance between the counter top edge to the other cabinet wall.) I also moved the dishwasher to the left size because now I could put a 33" drawer base by its side. Now, I have two 2-basket trash pullout (for trash and recyclables). Not sure if that's an overkill. The only non-drawer cabinet is there because the code require access to the propane shutoff which is hidden behind that cabinet. (We will not use propane but the pipe is already there.) However, I still face the choices what to do with the opening at the kitchen: leave it completely open, have a one tier open counter, or have a small breakfast bar. I personally like the look of the one tier counter, but I have no good aesthetic sense; hence I appreciate your input. Currently, I'm putting this IKEA VÄRDE drawer unit for the two non-open options. Either way (one level or bar), I have a 40" opening from the short wall to the other side of the opening. I wonder if that's too narrow for the kitchen installation. But with the hallway at 39" wide, and the opening at 40", I can't foresee any problem with getting the appliances and cabinets in. Hope someone can point it out if it will be a problem. Without further ado, let me take you on a tour in our newly remodeled house. Again, click on an image for its full size. Overview. North is up. Living room, seen from the wood room. Looking into living room standing at the front door. Same exact angle, but this time, we put in a bar (open counter or tiered) at the kitchen. You probably have to bring up the full size to see the difference. View from the couch. This picture explains why we choose dark cabinets in the wood room -- so that they do blend in. Now, what if we have a bar (open counter or tiered) at the kitchen? A look at the living room from the desk area. Okay, this series is important. which option would you vote for? Open? One level counter? Tiered breakfast bar? Here is a look into the galley kitchen. Three options again. The wood room.

Thanks for the nice comments everybody! Goldengirl I did not go with the Laura Ashley Gold but did go with a Behr Custom Color match for Restoration Hardware's Saffron color paint. I love the color with my cherry cabinets, it really warms up the whole room. Here is the paint lid from Home Depot with the color match formula. We used Behr paints throughout, some of their own colors and some color matches. Kathieo - regarding the pendant lights in the kitchen, our original kitchen had a big wood ceiling lightbox with a double flourescent fixture inside. We took that down and decided to install two recessed can lights over the cooktop area of the island but wanted pendants over the seating area. My neighbor who is an electrician did all the lighting changes and additions for me. If you already have recessed cans in the ceiling, I would think an electrician could move those or install pendants to whatever location you wanted if you don't like the current position. Would involve some drywall repairs but it should be possible to put lights anywhere you like. We added additional recessed can lights to some of the darker corners of the room plus linear low voltage undercabinet lighting which is great for adjusting the mood/atmosphere of the room. We also put dimmers on everything which is saving us bulb life and allowing for a range of lighting looks from subtle to dramatic. Here is our original 1989 kitchen. We liked it at the time but were totally ready for this remodel! I'm just glad we were able to keep our old cabinets. That saved us a bundle!

How much DIY is your family capable of? Is this unit made of maple? If you can order lower doors to match the new kitchen for a reasonable cost and if this would make you feel less at the mercy of the original builder, such a change wouldn't be a big deal. If this wood matches woodwork in other rooms, halls, etc. the suggestion to get new hardware to complement that other woodwork will give it a new feeling. Although the photos of your family are probably very comforting, try rearranging the contents of the display and rotating some of the photos to another spot and take advantage of the existing glass doors to display something that would give the spot a different and new-to-you aspect. A collection? books less than a foot in depth? Just a couple photos and a special object? Dried flowers in a fabulous vase? The reason for this suggestion is to help you detach from the "same old same old" that clings to the spot and thwarts new thinking so that you can make a good decision. Similarly, is there a way to introduce a color that dominates in the living room so that you can get used to this color in the display--such as wallpaper or a painted hunk of posterboard or something? I envy you this unit. We have a similar stairwell closet along a hall, a stupid deep, narrow, inaccessible coat closet with a sloped floor over the basement stairway. If only the builder had been like yours and designed for us a shelf cupboard on the opposite side of the stairs below. I've even considered knocking into the wall in order to get one!