Amanda- Actually, instead of regular closet doors, I'm thinking of using something like these...to give the feeling of a little dressing area, in a limited space. The middle section is supposed to look like a built-in armoire. Sayde- That's so neat that we have the same photos! Can you post some of your other inspiration pictures? Sabjimata- Thanks for the recommendation :) Scootermom- The hard part is finally knowing what you want...but having to wait for it to be completed! Mklee- It sounds like you'll gain a lot of usable space, in exchange for the balcony...and still have a pretty view. Are you putting any shelves or bookcases around your window seat? Chris- I'm thinking about white appliances, to match the countertops and lighten up the space a bit. It would be great to find a fun stove, though :) Greenhousems- It's a beautiful sunroom (and cat) but they're not mine. My sunroom is added on space, so it doesn't exist yet, but that's a great inspiration photo! Johnliu- The living room, bedroom, and bath are already there, but the window seat is added on. These are not original to the house, but part of an addition, added in the 1950s. The bathroom was added in the 1920s. It is in bad shape, so that will be practically rebuilt, and a few feet added on the back. The kitchen/dining area, porch and entry are the original part of the house, built in 1904. There is presently a separate kitchen and dining space, but I'm taking out a non-load bearing wall and making it one big area, with the kitchen moved to the front. The utility/powder room is the current porch, which is having a new roof that will extend over part of the sunroom. The mud room and sunroom are new space, as is 3' of the vestibule. Right now, the space is even with the kitchen window, in the plan. Currently, the front door is where I have the fridge and the hall is a walk through area to the living room. The stairs are being turned, so you access them from the front, not the back and the basement stairs are in about the same place. Upstairs there is currently a bedroom, over the kitchen/dining area, with slanted ceiling kind of a big attic space. There's also room for another bedroom or study, in the attic space over the living room/master bedroom. I plan to add a big dormer across the back, to bring in extra light. There is no bathroom upstairs, currently, but the plan is to add a bath over the main bath, with linen closet, then the bathroom, so you don't walk out, right at the top of the stairs. The basement is mostly cellar, under the original part of the house. Under the addition, there are two rooms, which we plan to open up with a large arch, to make the bar area and rec room, for my husband (think man cave) LOL There's a fireplace down there too, also brick, under the living room fireplace.

Are your aisle widths sufficient for traffic to flow b/w seated diners and the Living Room as well as b/w counters? Do you have an adequate seating overhang for eating (which means a raised surface at least 15" to 18" deep to provide room for plates, glasses, etc. without worrying about knocking them off the raised surface)? Other comments... The island really needs a prep sink b/c you don't have sufficient space b/w the cleanup sink and the range right now to make that your primary Prep Zone. In addition, b/c of your current sink/refrigerator layout, you will be doing quite a bit of zone-crossing and an island sink will help with that. DW in the island with cleanup sink on the perimeter...that setup is not very ergonomic. You will be twisting to go from the sink to the DW. The DW works much better next to the sink. Dish storage...with this layout, someone setting the table will be going right through your Prep and Cooking Zones - something that you should try to avoid. The Cooking Zone should be the most protected Work Zone in the kitchen, with the Prep Zone second. Between these two zones, at least 80% of the work done in the kitchen is done here. In the Cooking Zone, you are dealing with high heat - the range top for cooking and the oven for baking/roasting/broiling. You really don't want people darting in and out of that space and you don't want to be tripping over people while taking things off the range top or out of the oven. I do not recommend moving the range to the island. If you do, you may need a deeper island b/c you will need at least 24" from the back of the range to the edge of the seating overhang for the safety of your visitors sitting behind the range. In addition, be aware that downdrafts, even telescoping, are not very good at venting steam, grease, etc. The best are the ones with the vent that rises up through the middle of the cooking surface (b/w the left and right cooking coils/elements), but you cannot have one of those with a range. Downdrafts only work for pots/pans right next to the fan and for those pots/pans shorter than the top of the actual fan by at least 2 or 3 inches. If you have gas, you have the issue of the fan disrupting the flame when attempting to cook. Note that most downdrafts are designed for cooktops, not ranges. At one time Dacor made a range/downdraft combination, but I can tell you from personal experience that the fan was not very effective, it was loud, and it was particularly a nuisance if someone was sitting directly behind the range/downdraft. An overhead fan is much better and is especially needed when a cooktop/range is in an island or peninsula. Why? Because grease, steam, fumes, etc. are exposed to more and stronger wind currents, you don't have a back wall or cabinets in each side to corral the grease/steam/fumes/odors/etc. and direct them to the hood instead of spreading out away from the hood, and with seating the...

Dear Nctn, Hopefully, whomever you decide to buy your cabinetry from will re draw your kitchen layout and add fillers and end panels you’ll need to actually get all of your cabinetry to fit and your appliances to work properly. And produce 3D perspective drawings so you’ll know exactly what to expect before your new kitchen shows up so you can make all of your mistakes on paper. I’m assuming you want a permanent long term solution to your kitchen design dilemma. You’ve done a good job but there are some common mistakes you’ve made in drawing your kitchen. Let’s Review: You’ll need fillers to the right of the refrigerator so you can open the door 90 degrees and not hit the wall with the door handle. You may want an end panel on the left of the ref to stop the counter top coming from the left. And to more easily attach the wall cabinet above the refrigerator and give your refrigerator a built in look (create an enclosure to slide the ref into). You do not want your refrigerator to open to the left. You’ll have to open the door get what you need, back up and close the door to get to your counter top. Your island is 4 feet away and with seating there is not much room to work there. To do all this extra work will suck hours from your life you’ll never get back. Loading and unloading this refrigerator will be the bane of your existence. How many times a day do you use your refrigerator? You may also want to add end panels to your oven cabinet for a more finished look (like your refrigerator). A plain one the right and a wains end panel matching the door style you select on the left end that is fully exposed. Your oven appears to be too high in your cabinet. You’ll want to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. The bottom of your upper oven is over 4 feet off of the floor, and controls over 6 feet. I agree with mama_goose if you move your ref your kitchen would be much more efficient your work triangle is much smaller. And fewer bigger cabinets give you greater utility and could be less expensive too.You may also want to make your 6 - 18 wall cabinets, 3 - 36” wide cabinets. The one 36” wide cabinet should be less expensive than two 18” cabinets and the 34 ½” wide interior will give you greater storage capacity and your elevation will look almost the same. You’ll need a filler to the right of that run of wall cabinets right of the cook top. And one on the left by the oven cabinet so you can open that left wall cabinet door 90 degrees. You may want to add end panels to the wall cabinet ends to the left and right of the hood. It may also look odd to have your wall cabinets die into the wall as opposed to turning the corner of the sink wall. Since you have a wall cabinet adjacent to your refrigerator. I don’t see a pantry, and don't see how the adjacent spaces, including outdoor space affect your kitchen's layout. Do you really want 4 foot isle way between your island and cook top wall, and 5 feet between you island and main sink wall? How many different combinations of appliances and cabinetry have to tried that would work to meet your needs and the space you have to work with? Are these your construction documents for your new build? Do you have a plan that shows your kitchen and all the adjacent spaces it serves? Your kitchen design drawings are the instructions and directions everyone will use to build your kitchen from. What you see is what you get. These drawings are your absolute proof you’ll get exactly what you really want or not. You can see an example set of Kitchen Interior Design Drawings here. http://www.kitchendesignco.com/kitchen-interior-design-drawings/ Hope this has been helpful Sincerely, Joe Brandao

sf_treat - how do you like your floor? how is it holding up? I'm looking at some floors from hardwood bargains. the samples are impressive, but I'm in Philadelphia so I'm going to have to pay some pretty hefty shipping. The price is low enough that even with the shipping it will be reasonable compared to some other options, but I'm concerned about ordering something that I basically can't return. (I could but I'd have to pay ANOTHER shipping charge)