WOW Jamie!! Thanks for all your efforts in keeping us posted in your preparations/decorations for your Halloween Party. I feel like I was there with how many pics and info you gave us. I'm glad it was a success since it sure seems like you and your DH put your heart and soul into it. I also really liked the bathtub scene - terrific idea your DH had and great way to implement it! Haunted Hospital sounds like a fantastic idea for next year - hope you'll include us then too! Well done, give yourselves a pat on the back and yes, RELAX for a bit before tearing it all down! You so deserve a break! DD

Here is our stupid layout. I've since painted the cabinets white so it looks prettier, but even that doesn't fully mask this mad awkwardness that is impossible to ignore. We are saving up for a full reno and are living with it in the meantime. :) ...We inherited the appliances from the PO - they thought a side by side fridge is a wonderful thing to have when jutted up against a wall so you can't open the freezer door all the way unless we want to remove the handle. ...There is a small drawer to the left of the sink you can see in the pic that will not open unless you lean on the dishwasher door to close it all the way in. Otherwise the edge catches the dw door. ...Not to mention the obvious problem that the stove is snuggling with the fridge. I have dreams of sledgehammers... :)

I'm sorry, the bad views are where? Top, bottom, right, left on the drawing labeled main floor plan. Off hand, it seems a long distance to the back door from the kitchen. It might not matter to you, but if outdoor cooking or meals are important or frequent, it might need some thought. Same thing with the "supply lines" of car to back hall to kitchen. Kinda have a concern about dining and stools back to back. It's long and geeky, so hang in there. If your dining chairs are oversize, it might be worthwhile to look at the amount of room the table+chairs need when no one is there and the amount of room while in use. Generally, a 3 foot wide table needs another 4-5 feet when in use for the depth of the chairs and seated human bodies or 2-2.5 feet per side. With the stool seating at the counter, you need to allow around 2 feet from the counter edge for a seated person and the stool. Put them both together and you'd think ok, 4-4.5 feet between the edge of the table and the edge of the counter, but wait, there's more! For both the stool seating and the table seating, the allowance for a seated diner temporarily expands to 32" when a person is becoming seated or leaving the table. And you need some passage space between the two sets of seating. It's said that between a diner and a blank wall, you need 44" minimum for a walking passage behind the diner - its a passage only 20" wide. Because I'd bet on carrying food platters, I'd want it about 36" wide - it also helps maintain some sort of passage when people are leaving or becoming seated. So, I'd take the 2-2.5 feet of clearance for a seated person times 2 for both sides and add 3 feet but ignore the getting into and out of chair part, figuring that when both sides are being used, the extra 16" can pretty much come out of the center aisle with some room left over. So the table edge should be positioned around 7-7.5 feet, perhaps +/- a little, from the counter edge, add 3 feet for the table itself and approximate 2.5 feet for the chairs and the space to get into them. FINALLY there... If I'm reading correctly, they've allowed 10 feet for 12.5 feet of needed width. You might be able to squish it a little depending on your table and your guess at how often both spaces will be used simultaneously, but I wouldn't want you to be taken by surprise if it felt cramped. Two tiny miscellaneous thoughts. If your roof lines permit, you might do some solar tubes in the long hall. Back door should probably open in the other direction - so it ended up opening towards the wall and could park there when you're going back and forth with trays of stuff.

Very pretty couch! Very traditional and elegant (I'm a fan of traditional). It was smart to purchase that first. Is it a solid color? You could probably get chairs with higher backs. Maybe 2 wing backs? They would look great with your couch. Some brands have matching chairs where one is a recliner/ glider rocker, and one is stationary. Do you think you'll ever put a tv in this room? We put one in our formal living room, and it has caused nothing but furniture-arranging confusion!! By the way, I am far from being an expert, but it is sometimes easier figuring out other people's design issues than my own...