Yes! My Aunt ran the curtain up to the ceiling and to the floor, it really changes the look of the bathroom. She did black velvet curtains with a clear liner it looks really really good.

I would not have gotten the diaper genie. What a waste of space!! Also, I got the beautiful wooden Eddie Bauer high chair. I hate it!! You have to wash the cover after every meal (that only lasted about a month - I don't have time for that!!). Also, I move it from the kitchen to the dining room all the time, there are no wheels. The biggest tip, try everything out with one hand. If it takes two hands, look for something else!!

Many of the small house designs of the 20s-30s are wonderful lesson in how to live well and still live small. There are many books and web sites with lots of these plans. They make wonderful looking. In your case, however, you are trying to fit and retrofit a "lot" into a "little"--25 pounds into a 10-pound box! For example, I believe the original house has one small bathroom on the second floor serving three bedrooms. Probably not a desirable 2016 solution, but there's little available room for a second bath. The adjacencies, sizes and locations of the rooms in your first floor sketch plan really don't work very well. As others have suggested, it really takes some creativity and experience to design small well. Anyone can design a large house, but a small one takes so much more ability. Do you have the land for your proposed new house? Or you trying to design something which will fit "anywhere"? It seems, from your description, that the new design must be organized and positioned in a certain way, but it's unclear why. My recommendation is to stop trying to design a "solution", and make two lists: 1) Must haves; 2) Like to haves. Gather some photos of the architectural character and features which are appealing to you. Thereafter, find an experienced and creative architect or other professional in the single home business and ask them to meet with your for a 2-3 hour design "charrette", to explore design concepts and options which can then be used as the basis for preparation of full design and construction drawings and specifications. Until you have the design concept worked out and confirmed for your specific site, none of the hypothetical plan sketches have much meaning. Good luck with your project.

@Em I think that your current plan is much better. If you think that you want a single-story, then you need to ask your builder and architect about the additional costs, if any, to build relative to a two story. It may make sense given your legitimate concern about achy joints. A 1-story home, of course, has more roof and foundation, but I think that you should at least explore the that option so that you can make an informed decision. Again, I'm not a pro...just guy with an opinion going through the process just like you. Perhaps you do a larger lower level and a partial second story. For me, single-story living is significantly better than other options. You're not wasting space on stairs and they feel less cramped and if, heaven forbid, you become disabled and need to be in a wheelchair, then you retain use of your entire house instead of one floor. I think that if you have the right architect, then they can make spaces work harder you and your future.