Here are some resources on sound-reducing construction. The one immediately below, and the one that is hyper-linked, look pretty good. The other one (''Suppressproducts'') might just be an advertisement for their products, I am not sure. Basically sound is vibration that is transmitted from the source to your ear by rigid materials (sound travels well through hard materials like wood) and air. To reduce sound, you want to reduce the transmission of vibration. Air gap is better than a rigid connection. A heavy, soft material (e.g. rubber) is better than an air gap. Techniques are: - Double layers of drywall with dampening material like the referenced ''green glue'' between them (not simply screwing one sheet of drywall to the other) - Staggered studs w/ separate floor plates (essentially making two walls, no physical connection from one side to the other) - Sheet of sound dampening material between the staggered studs (reducing sound transmission through the airspace) - Sealing openings in the walls (electrical boxes, holes for plumbing, gaskets around and under door frame) - Special doors, or (less good) a conventional solid door, or (maybe an in-between alternative) a conventional door w/ a sound dampening layer on one side. - Dampening material between subfloor and joists, and between ceiling drywall and joists - Sound-proofing paint (I've not heard of this stuff before, I am skeptical it does much) Since the bathroom is a small space, you can use these techniques without too much additional expense, and just the loss of about 6'' if using staggered studs and double drywall layers. http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/index.php?/library/articles/elements_of_room_construction http://www.supressproducts.com/soundproofing-articles/Soundproof-Sheetrock.html Here is a link that might be useful: Link

mama_goose: thank you SO MUCH for that link! I have searched and searched for this but could not come up with the right set of words to bring this up. I too want to be able to see out into the garden and not stare at a wall with high-ish windows. I actually talked to a contractor about options (I was thinking of having subtle brackets that could hold a back piece that we could slide in to form a back rest) but this would be even better, especially as I only need it at the two ends where someone might want to lean back and read. The window seat (window bed?) is so deep that no one will be able to lean back if facing the table. I am also going to use tempered glass to cut down on the number of people leaning backwards and ending up in the emergency room. Brilliant...maybe I will even have the fold down bit under the seat cushion so it is not visible most of the time. Good to know that problem has an elegant solution. holly-kay: this takes me right back to why we had that peninsula in the drawings. And why I am on the fence. I wish I could try each out for a week. When cooking for dinner parties and holidays the whole kitchen ends up covered in pots, pans, roasting trays and goodness knows what else and I thought we could use the extra counter to serve from. Then I got feedback that I had created a one person kitchen (when the distance from sink counter to the peninsula was drawn to be 4'6")...so I ditched the overhang, made the peninsula narrower (2 feet wide) in order to get more room inside the kitchen. The span is now about 5'6" in between sink and peninsula. Do you think the peninsula is too narrow? I have visions of Julia Child sliding things over that toppled to the floor? original plan was 3 feet wide but probably don't have the room for that And what do you think about the width needed so that two or more people can be in the kitchen without bumping into one another or having to scootch by sideways?

Ugh...now that you've posted pics of the two side by side.....I definitely like the Armonk better. We have a 13' pitched ceiling and I'd say that it's about 10' where the light would hang from. Can't put my finger on it, but there's something I don't like about the Wayfair one. Maybe too "squished"? And I didn't even notice that the candles were taller, but I do like that better. Perhaps I should wait until I have the money to get the one I truly want. On another note, I do like just a basic, farmhouse chandelier look with large sweeping arms and candlesticks. I'll be on the lookout for that as well. I plan to refinish our round table which I believe is 48" to 50", and if I can, find muslin look chair slipcovers for my upholstered chairs. Do you think the cord covers look Ok? I don't mind the chain, but was wondering if wrapping the chain in thin rope would add some texture and look good. I can envision it, but wanted to ask what y'all think about it. Also, this was posted for sale...$10. How about painting this bronze or black?

Insightful ANE....bah ha, who wants to spell out aprilneverends. Referencing your thoughts on movies and books and undone. I think I will add the Undone philosophy to "moms take on life" for my boys. Thy can finish this sentence they have heard it so much. Its from the mivie Wonder boys. Don't worry about what other people think. Most people, don't think. "Obviously can't be used in all life situations". We have totally hijacked this thread.