I really like how you enter the master bathroom from the closet and from the hallway. The Hall Closet ... what will go in here? I notice you have a mudroom off the garage as well as a coat closet by the south side entrance. One thing to consider is having a family entrance/exit (as opposed to guests) that whether you are coming in from the front, from the back and from the garage you are dumped into the mudroom. This way, you always know where your coats and shoes are or if it is muddy outside the kids aren't coming in the back door by the dining room table and tracking all through the house. In our last house, we had way too many entrances and exits (part and parcel of an old house that had lived many lives and had a steeply sloping grade) -- we had a big mudroom and put it the only place it could go - it was by the front door, but because we would sometimes park in the garage under the house and come up the stairs into the back hallway, we'd then have to walk through the house to get to the mudroom. More often than not, coats and shoes would pile up in that back hallway. THEN, there was the back door out to the yard and we CONSTANTLY had the issue of muddy and wet footprints coming in and out of here. If I were designing a house from scratch I would focus on streamlining the exit/entry situation. Just my two cents. RE: the kitchen - I am very partial to having my range and sink near enough to one another that I can prep at the sink and move down the counter to the range. I think it would be inconvenient to prep at the island sink and then carry everything over to the range. Certainly this is done all the time and perhaps this will be better for you, but if I were designing from scratch I would want these two items along the same run or around the corner from each other. I would get the sink, range and fridge placed where they would work optimally and then worry about the pantry. Don't let the pantry drive the bus, as the appliance placement is what will really make a difference in having this be a place you enjoy cooking. I might make some sort of small walls to enclose the living room just a little bit so that you aren't seeing the side of the TV while in the dining room. I like the openness of the floorplan, but it might be nice to have some sort of visual seperation.

This is an old post but for anyone who is wondering...the rugs that the designer quoted OP for are hand knotted and Nourison ones OP posted are hand tufted. Knotted is of significantly better quality and more luxurious than the Nourison tufted rugs. $25K for two is steep but that is because OP went to a high end furniture store. Furniture stores ALWAYS charge double because they buy from factory direct stores like RugKnots so they have to mark the rugs up to turn a profit. Factory direct will always be cheaper and of the same quality. The hand tufted rugs OP choose are wonderful but they do not even begin to compare in quality to a hand knotted rug. Hand made, hand woven, hand spun= Tufted by machine. The reason marketers get away with it because human hands load the yarn into the machine that makes the rug. They are NOT made by hand.

What a great home you have to start with!! I love the look of modern furnishings in traditional homes, below are some houzz photos that came up with that search. IMO it adds instant warmth and uniqueness. I think sofa and accent chairs will give you more flexability and a more open sight line will be achieved with a low back sofa. I think the art and decor you should take your time with and let it speak to you and your families interests and tastes...is the art modern and artsy, or classic with a love of nature, is it fun and colorful with a nod to the bold. The backs of the built in bookcases could be wallpapered to reflect this too, and lighting will add a huge statement about you and how you want others to feel in your home.

Dennisgli, Thank you kindly for your suggestion. Would you be able to post an example photo? I couldn't find a good photo - but there is some info here: Pent Roofs -- An Endangered Species Just picture extending the lower roof line on the left across the house to the one on the right. I like your idea of bumping out the windows and adding a roof over them - maybe you could combine the two.