This looks lots better without the hutch! I think I feel the same way you do about doors. When I asked our designer who was taking my design and putting it into construction drawings what he would change, he said, "You have too many doors!" I told him I needed every one of them, kept them all, close most of them daily and the others weekly, and thank my lucky stars every day that I didn't listen to him! So it seems to me that you should keep these doors for all of the very good reasons you gave, ESPECIALLY because you can't multi-task in the kitchen with noise (I'm the same way), or you will probably regret it. I have a somewhat similar situation at the end of our lower level TV/WS room that sort of funnels down as you approach our stairs--a set of 48" wide double doors on the furnace room on a slanted wall on the right, a set of 48" double doors on a closet that juts out into the room on the left, and a set of 54" double doors to the workshop sort of straight ahead, just past the bottom of the stairs that go up to the right. I had planned every inch of our house, but the closet was an afterthought. When the 3 sets of doors were installed, I thought, "Wow, that looks cool!"--just like I HAD planned it! So, in spite of the irregular nature of the space, the thing that I think makes it work is the absolute sameness of the doors and trim, as well as the relative distance between them. But it's definitely not symmetrical. Our doors have no glass, and are stained 3-panel oak with with a simple 3-1/4" arts & crafts trim. We don't have all of the competing glass around that you have, since there are no windows in this area. Because you only see your 3 sets of doors from the family room, and with your seating arrangement really only facing the 2 sets of doors to the interior of the house, this will probably work out ok. I'd make the doors to the kitchen double doors, and have them open onto the family room walls, and have the lites, trim, height, and frame width match the doors to the dining room as much as possible--make it look like they were all put in at the same time. The sliding door to the deck will look different no matter what you do, but I'd try to get the other sets of doors to match it in trim and height, although I'm guessing that you won't be able to match the sliding door lites' design, since your pictures are showing different styles. Also, take into consideration the lites' style on the exterior windows of the family and dining rooms when you're finalizing your sets of doors. Not sure I'd put glass doors in the cabinets in the family room, since there's already so much glass in this room. In any case, can you try this out with a double door in the 6' space, see if you think it might work, and let us have a look? Anne

went shopping again today to look at granite again- this is a granite i fell in love with when we first started looking around a month ago. Decided to go back to it and analyze it more... here's a pic from pinterest that gives a nice idea of how it will look. I think I am going away from the Cambria Canterbury and going back to granite which was our first thought. I think it just looks more rustic. :) Also wondering about a chiseled edge in the granite- I saw a pic and I LOVE it!! heard from the kitchen and granite people today that it is higher maintenance bc of the nature of it... anyone have experience with this? I am posting a seperate thread about this too. thanks for your input! :) Here is a link that might be useful: typhooon bordeaux and black cabs

So I am terribly trigger shy and definitely sorry for being such a bother. I spoke with realtors and as I imagined and you all suggested, we will lose value and buyers with a 2 bedroom house. I have been thinking of some alternatives. 1. Use 1/3 of the office space to the edge of the window as a large closet for the master bedroom. Turn the window in that office to a door to the backyard and make the kitchen space and the remaining 2/3 of the office an open kitchen and dining area. Steal 2 feet of kitchen space or add to the current half bath, to make it a full bath and make the dining room bedroom #3 with full bath. We will probably end up using that space as the office. 2. Move the kitchen into the dining room and use the window in the current dining area as a door to the backyard. Remove the half bath and include that space in the kitchen to make a kitchen/dining area. Wall off what was the kitchen,to create a bathroom and walk in closet for the office, which will now function as a small master bedroom (11x9). 3. Use 2/3 of the office to make a closet and bath for the master bedroom. Make the dining room a bedroom, and expand the kitchen to include the other 1/3 of the bedroom, and the current half bath for a kitchen/dining area. Use the kitchen window as backyard access. The only trouble I have with that idea is the fact that you will have to walk to the other end of the house to use the bathroom if you are in that 3rd bedroom. The layout of this house has been kicking my butt for 4 years now. I will not let it win! Do any of these options make sense? Any thoughts or suggestions. I think the one thing we decided is that we are not moving unless we have to move outside of this area altogether because of work. Let me know if you have questions.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I wouldn't invest so much into a piece of furniture designed to house a TV. The more I see TVs mounted on the wall the more I am getting accustomed to them, and as the technology progresses they will become slimmer and slimmer, which will make cabinets to house them less desirable, and less necessary. TVs are part of our lives, and a nice wall mount where the cord is not visible under the TV looks good just about anywhere. A big entertainment unit takes up a LOT of space, and a lot of air, and kind of takes over your room. And, in the end, when you close the doors, the doors are so enormous that is looks kind of odd, and you're not kidding anyone; everyone knows that there is a TV inside! Smaller TVs, on the other hand, can hide in armoires and cabinets more successfully since the size of the furniture piece is more typical and the doors will be smaller. We debated over this for quite awhile, and are very happy we wall mounted the TV, placed a great looking buffet under it, (which could be used in any number of places in the house in the future) and just enjoy watching it. You can get the remotes now that go through the wooden doors; so that opens up lots of possibilities for furniture to house your DVD player, etc. Take a look at Craigs List sometime and do a search on Entertainment Centers. You'll likely see several that can't be adapted to today's TVs and are being sold for pennies on the dollar. I think you could always be vulnerable to that in the future if you buy something primarily because it works for the TV you want now. Good luck with your decision, this is just my two cents, and I'm sure you know best what will work for you.