Ok I am back..... Wow, I just read thro' all the responses and you guys rock !!! I love this forum :))) So far the consensus seems to be to open it up. To answer some of your questions.... oakleyok: The rooms are small. LR is 13 x 18 and FR is 11 x 18. So if we open it up, it will prob. be around 24 x 18 which I think is a nice size....Not too big nor small... bumbledoodle & jan in wisconsin: Thanks for sharing :) I am glad you love the openess....Its very affirming. We currently have a full set of furniture in the LR(Sofa, loveseat, 2 chairs, coffee & end tables). In the FR, we have a loveseat, 3 accent chairs and the TV which is currently on a console. One wall in the FR is dominated by a brick fireplace, similar to the inspiration photo that I linked. So I guess we will have two separate seating areas, even if we open up the rooms. Prob. one will be near the fireplace and another TV watching area.... lynninnewmex, nanny2a & bronwynsmom: Yes, I def. plan to check with an architect if its a load bearing wall or not. I've read (in cote de texas's blog) that if you put in a doorway, it wouldn't cause an issue to the structure as opposed to removing the entire wall. Is this right?? palimpset & pps7: Thanks for letting me know that traditional homes have open architecture...I never knew that. I didn't grow up in this country, so a lot of it is new to me......Now I feel better that I won't be really messing up with the integrity of the house :) Scanmike: Thanks for sharing your pics. You have a beautiful home. I really love your sunroom..I wish I had one and also some new kittens :) susanilz: I think we'll be here for atleast the next 5 yrs...Maybe 10 yrs...I don't have the energy to move anytime soon...So I guess, it makes sense to make it into something functional for us.... vampiressrn: We don't entertain a lot...But def. a few times a year, we have large gatherings for 30+ ppl....Maybe we'll be more prone to entertaining with an open area...I am feeling really pressurized cos we're having a formal gathering of nearly 50 ppl...Its a prayer meeting, so everyone will be sitting together in the same space unlike a party where ppl can move around... Initially, I was considering putting in only a regular doorway (with a french door or pocket door). But after committing to hosting such a large gathering, I am really at a loss on how we're going to accomodate everyone. This was the trigger to everything..... jamaraz: Thanks for sharing your experience...I am scared about the unknowns...Sometimes I think I am opening up a can of worms :) monablair: I am not sure it would work for us. Like I said, the FR has a fireplace and has a very cozy vibe..Maybe I could place some seating around it and have some bookshelves against the adjacent wall to create like a reading/library room (similar to the little reading nook in Somethings gotta give)....I love my books :))) awm: Thats exactly the look I wanted initially. But somehow DH is against the idea of french doors or pocket doors. He wants a more open feel I don't know if I should really listen to him. He doesn't hang out obsessively in design forums like I do, KWIM :)) He's pretty clueless when it comes to design..... How wide do you think that opening is in the pic?? I initially did want doors. But I am not sure how wide the opening would be if we put in doors(like I said, we're trying to accomodate nearly 50 in one space) Also, with french doors, I am thinking if it will hamper the space/furniture placement when we open the door. tomorrowisanotherday: Yes, I really don't want to lose real estate value...I will have to somehow figure this out and make it work.... dlm: Thanks for sharing your pics :) Your french doors are so gorgeous...I don't have any in my home and I really love the look of one :( teaforwendy: We do have a door connecting the FR to the breakfast nook & kitchen. Its not as open as I would like it to be but I don't mind it too much for now...Maybe it could be a project for the future...... kjmama: Yes, we did talk before :) Infact, I searched and pulled up your thread yday to get more ideas. How's the doorway working for you?? Are you done with decorating? Any pics to share :) Please keep the ideas coming...Right now, I am def. leaning twds putting in a doorway...Our "handyman" is coming to take a look tomorrow...But I need to check with an architect about the load bearing aspect of it before we start on anything....Will keep you all updated and will also, try to figure out how to post pics meanwhile..... Thanks once again :)

Well, now that I've seen the layout I have a few thoughts. My first, is I'd tear the wall down and enlarge my kitchen into that room and design an island and a hearth room or a dining area within the kitchen space. If you must have a formal dining room, I'd think about using the formal Living Room as the Dining Room. The most used rooms in a house are the kitchen and FR. I'd like to have the openness of that large sliding door to a larger area of the house. That wall makes your kitchen so narrow and it seems like it would be dark with only one window. I agree that having your foyer open right up to the kitchen might not be the optimal, but that foyer is quite large, it's not like you're walking directly into a kitchen. Also, you can take into consideration the kitchen design and make that island area more furniture like. The other thing is - how often do you come in the front door? I would do the option that gives you the ability to use the most square footage of your house. I have an older home too and a third of my house we use twice a year.

Alex, Regarding the wall, what if you built a wall below the stair loft and make that front room the piano room. Then open up the kitchen to the current piano room and use it as a family room/dining space. Sort of how it was set up in the listing photos. I agree with others that you need an interior designer/architect to come up with a cohesive plan for your home to bring it to your modern style. The work could be done in phases or all at one, whatever your finances allow. It will be very expensive as others have stated, but you probably already knew that. Your kitchen choices look alot like those used in the first kitchen picture from Debbie Washburn's post last Monday at 9:17am. Very modern, very nice. There's no reason why you shouldn't move forward with that design scheme. It's your house. You seem to understand the value of the woodwork. Don't feel pressured to keep it. Maybe you could have an architectural salvage company come to your home and remove all the woodwork they want, that way it could be reused eventually. Hopefully you got the house treated for termites! :)

As drawn, it would be ap 133"--about 11', if you have a CD fridge, but the fridge is not in the busy traffic aisle. NKBA recommended max distance between center points of large appliances is 9', so I agree that might not be an acceptable trade-off. My work zone is an L with 9' between the center of the sink and the center of the fridge, and that's a comfortable distance for me. (I never measured the distance between them when planning--I didn't have a lot of choices for layout in my small-to-medium kitchen--we just put the fridge in the shallow recess of a former door, and it works very well with the range on the same wall. I call it a cockpit kitchen; having 9' seems to dispute that description, but having everything I need in the L makes it efficient. I kind of wish the fridge was at the end of the run, or 10.5' from the sink, because I'd like more space between it and the range. But then it would have been against a stub wall, and in full view of the front entry. If I ever re-remodel, it's going at the end, and everyone who comes in can just ignore the calendar and all the pics of the grandkids stuck on the front!) I'm not trying to talk you into anything that won't be comfortable for you, but measure 11' and see how many steps it takes to cover that distance. Then think about the distances between the fridge and sink, and fridge and cooktop in your plan, and walking around the island to cover those distances. Adding this, so you don't have to scroll between posts:You could still have the fridge on the bottom wall, with an open counter to the right. I missed the link with the current kitchen, until this morning when I saw your last comment. I remember the pivoting bar! So cool! I loved the former stainless worktable--I almost suggested a rolling worktable, which would fit under the counter of the dish hutch when not in use, but when in use in the center of the kitchen, it would be a barrier between the sink and fridge. I don't recall if I ever saw the thread with your remodeled kitchen, but it is beautiful, and I'm sure the new kitchen will be beautiful, too. ETA, I wouldn't put the cooktop on the peninsula.