Moving the door at this point is not an option. Electrical has all been done there, and the doorway would be obstructed if it were moved. That area to the right is where the table is going to be. The opening is 38" wide right now, and will have a door in it, to be put in next week. The beam is just under 5", and is 5" from the right side of the doorway. Here is the floor plan. It's not entirely accurate but it's all I have available to post. The area marked "Bench/hooks" will not be there; it will be straight wall in that hallway, as it exists now. Also, the beam is not drawn accurately. Here are some other photos that show the whole space in a clockwise circle that may help to get a better idea of things. There will be a second island flanked by two columns right under the beam. Those will go in after the cabinets have been put in, also next week. Clockwise from back door 1. From back door on back wall of kitchen 2. From back wall in opposite corner. Right doorway goes to laundry. 3. From bedroom hallway 4. From front door 5. From fireplace 6. From garage hallway

Some responses to the items I pointed out earlier... 2 - Foyer closet--I personally prefer hooks + a bench BUT now notice that you don't have a coat closet in the mudroom area. As it is, you will probably hang your 'current season' coat on a hook in the mudroom and store your 'off season' coats in the front closet. Since your foyer closet is so close to the mudroom, I think this will work! :) The foyer does have a spot for a bench which I think is ABSOLUTELY essential (unless you want your guests to wear their shoes indoors at all times.) 3 - Depending on your lifestyle, having space to have guests over to watch TV is nice when you have small kids. It's hard to get out to see a movie and/or friends, so inviting friends over for a movie kills two birds with one stone. We were never 'TV people' before our son was born. It is amazing all of the small ways a person's lifestyle changes when a baby arrives! I'd suggest talking to other parents in your lives (your own parents and your friends who are parents) to try to get an idea of what your life will be like once children enter the picture. 6 - Is there seating room at the island? I know guests can get a little uncomfortable (both physically and socially) standing around while someone is working in the kitchen. I think seating makes their presence seem more comfortable for everyone. :) 7 - As an voracious reader, I find it unlikely those chairs in the study will be your favorite reading nooks, since the natural light will be coming in at your face instead of at your back. Think about where you gravitate toward for reading in your current home. For me, anyway, during the daytime I like to have natural light from behind or next to me. If it's evening, I like a LOT of BRIGHT light above me (can lights galore!) 8 - I also work on the computer. (I work from home full time as a web developer and stay-at-home mom.) Side-by-side is different from back-to-back. If you both spend a lot of time at the computer at the same time, you'll just want to make 100% sure your computer nook is comfortable for everyone. Don't just think about once you're settled in---thinking about coming/going for trips to the kitchen, bathroom, and nursery. (If anyone plans on working at the computer while caring for the baby, I'd recommend a computer set-up near the nursery, at least for the first year of each baby's life.) 9 - If the stair layout is the most economical way, I'm sure you'll get used to it. I just know it would drive ME crazy to have to make a U-turn when I'm SPRINTING to the baby's room to take calm him down before his 'sleep fussing' turns into real crying. :) 10 - Our builder's opinion on the pocket door to the water closet is mostly that they're a pain to use if they are frequently closed. At the risk of over-sharing, our master bath door only gets shut when one spouse worries the aroma will offend the other spouse's senses. So, for us, the inconvenience of sometimes operating a pocket door is worth the aesthetic of having it out of the way 99% of the time. Again, it just totally depends on your lifestyle. I think our builder charges about $150 more for a pocket door vs. a normal door--it's worth finding out what your builder charges before going crazy adding them all willy nilly, of course. :D 11 - If you're not bothered by it, I think skipping a closet door in the bedroom would be fine. For aesthetic reasons, I'd recommend having any closet areas that are visible from the bedroom be anything but shelving. My husband and I are neat freaks and we both worked retail so we know how to fold and stack clothes neatly...and our shelving still never looks tidy. Hanging looks better by far. (I'd personally have a closet door that swings into the room, but that's just a personal preference, not a game changer.) Hope that helps! It's all just my personal opinions. We're only in the planning stages too, so I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. :) (Hope you'll go comment on my floorplan since it sounds like we have similar lifestyles.) Here is a link that might be useful: Floorplan of my 4BR 2-story Minnesota home

Actually, I like a nice green...and it looks a lot better than the blue, with butcher block, IMHO. I love blue, but over the years, I've found it's hard to make it the main color in a room...without going all white and neutrals with everything else. I think it always looks better, when it's with other colors...green, yellow, orange, etc...except in a sunroom, where you can have white wicker, lots of cushions (with the other colors) plants and flowers. Now that's a pretty combination...I think I just described my sun porch :) Well, after talking to my mom (my design guru LOL) I think we've come up with some great ideas! White perimeter cabinets in the main kitchen, with bunny tiles and blue countertops. Blue on back wall of glass uppers to showcase dishes. Green painted island with butcher block countertop. Blue dish cabinet/hutch in dining room...with marble top and white back to upper glass cabinets. In pantry area...blue lower cabinets with shirred fabric all around front (so you'd only see the sides of the cabinets) and white glass uppers, with blue background. White beadboard backsplash. Stainless steel countertops, on either side of white vintage sink with double drainboards. Great for cutting flowers, cleaning vegetables, setting hot pans on, etc. Baking area...white oven/microwave, green cabinet with marble top, closest to oven/microwave. Small undercounter fridge by walk in pantry, with wooden counter above (not so heavy) and a good place for chopping veggies. White cabinet by freezer and white beadboard backsplash, behind baking area. Soft yellow/gold walls throughout both spaces and vinyl 'wood' floors. Fabrics would be with blue, green, yellow, and some lavender, with maybe a little pink, in the florals, with checks, stripes, etc. Probably white banquette, wood pedestal table, white and wood chairs and green buffet table, by window..with wood top. Thought about blue wood stove, but I think black will fit the space a lot better. So, what do you think?

Sorry about bringing this old thread back, especially since it's about our OT discussion of frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis. After commenting on another thread about (undiagnosed) frozen shoulder, I remembered that I hadn't updated after recovery. I am in the fortunate group who has recovered almost 100% range of motion. I still feel a little stiffness at the top of my range, or if I over-work my arm, but most of the time I forget that I ever had it. Last year at this time I feared that I'd never be able to move my left arm normally, ever again. In case anyone else is searching for info on frozen shoulder, I'm including a link to the most recent discussion, where I listed the self-guided (with my Dr's approval) PT regimen that I used. I'll also paste it here; for clickable links to exercises, go to the linked thread. I'm not sure if they are the actual sites that I used, because I didn't keep track of links, but they are the same exercises. My 2x/day PT regimen was: Heat pack for 20minutes before exercising (wet towel, heated in microwave) Bruegger posture relief position Scapula rolls - Stand with your arms at your side and perform a shrug motion so that your shoulders rise straight up, arms remaining at your side. Roll your scapula backwards and downward. Raise them back up to the shrugged position to complete the cycle. Repeat this movement for a total of 10 times. This exercise works the trapezius, infraspinatus and deltoids. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/227683-corrective-exercises-to-help- a-dropped-shoulder/#ixzz2RuyPsVmN Pendulum circles, first with no weight, then use weights. 1½lb weight (I used 20oz food can) 2lb weight (I used 30oz mayo jar) *Several of the following exercises are on this page. *External rotation with yard stick,broom stick, etc. *Abduction with yard stick *Internal rotation - towel stretch, rear Akimbo stretch - try to rest your hand on your waist, at side Arm rolls front and side *Internal rotation across chest, assisted (use opposite hand) Warm-up stretch - hands together, fingers locked, arms straight. Slowly raise arms as high as possible without pain. *Flexion - assisted lift with yardstick, front and back Wall climbs, front and side Wall touch stretch Door jamb stretch, flexed elbow Door jamb stretch, straight arm Corner stretch All fours rocking, flat back Curls with 2lb weight - to prevent muscle atrophy Repeat pendulum circle sequence to relieve tension/fatigue Ice pack for 20 minutes and before bed as needed Look up exercises on Youtube or ortho sites to make sure you are doing them correctly, especially the pendulum circles--they need to be controlled and deliberate. Write them down, in order, on a sheet of paper, and tape it to the wall, so that you can keep your place--wouldn't want to skip any of those really fun (not!) movements. Start with a few seconds, or counts, for each exercise and work up to longer periods. DO NOT push yourself--severe pain means that you are causing more inflammation. It hurts a lot at first, and you'll feel as if you're never going to be able to lift your arm again. Just keep moving a little more each time, and eventually you will notice a difference. And do see your doctor--you may need an injection for inflammation before you can perform the movements without excruciating pain. As you were. ;) Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down for links