Also PPS7 - We thought for a long time about powder room placement when it came to the house plans.. We saw many ideas on where people put them but for the most part the options we were seeing was to either A) put it in the foyer area of the home, B) put it off the kitchen, or C) put it off the dining room.. After giving it some thought we really didnt like the idea of putting the powder room off of any of the eating areas.. We also didnt like the idea of putting it in the foyer.. The idea of walking into a home and bam there is the bathroom.. Again its personal preference but we just like the idea of having it more tucked away.. We were actually goign to not even have a mudroom but personally I hated the idea of walking directly into a main room of the home, whether it be the foyer, living room, kitchen, etc.. I like the separate entrance.. And honeslty the most I see being stored in that room is coats and shoes.. However we were thinking of reworking this area as we would like a side entrance into the home.. We were thinking of moving the mudroom to where the powder room is and then putting the powder room where the entry door from the garage is located and doing a powder room that is narrower so that when you open the door you have toilet on left and sink on right.. But again we do like the current setup.. Here is what it would look like:

I always wondered why anyone - even those with Wolf ranges & fancy cooktops - made their range the focal point of the kitchen... Easily explained. It' a primal thing...fire and all that. Home & hearth. A cooking range replaces the campfire, the open fireplace. And it's hard to imagine a cooker like an Aga, some of the French ranges, a Chambers or even an Okeefe & Merrit NOT being a focal point. It's not like they can hide away (unlike an induction cooktop). Conversely, I can't imagine a refrigerator--not even a Big Chill nor a glass front SZ--ever being a focal point--without it being disguised as something else, like say an elaborate armoire. Even though a refrigerator contains Life's Blood (food!), it's just cold and doesn't have the ambience of fire. All that aside, perching a huge plastered hood over an induction cooktop does seem a bit incongruous...kind like wearing a Ten Gallon hat with ballet slippers... I vote for something sleeker and making the island the focus.

As this is the first thing you and others see as soon as you open the front door its the statement introduction to the house. Is there a style or general theme the rest of the house has or that you want to make? It can sum up the style if the house, be a formal space or more casual, literally make statements with signs or a combination of statement with pictures. With what you have in there and you railing I think white shiplap with a white shelf that has black framed white matted black and white family pictures would be beautiful and bright and welcoming.

I know you said you're happy with the design but I think there are a lot of issues. Below is a list I constantly post and anything in bold will probably be an issue. Including how the house will be dark in the interior. The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling (You don't mention which direction the front of the house faces. I'm guessing it's not north?) The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped. The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case. The best houses make sure kitchens have natural light, meaning windows so one doesn't have to have lighting 24/7 to use the kitchen. (And no, dining areas with windows 10' or more from the kitchen will not allow for natural light.) The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls. The best houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls The best houses do not have diagonal interior walls making for odd spaces. The best houses keep public and private spaces separate. The best houses do not have you walk through the work zone of the kitchen to bring laundry to the laundry room. The best houses do not have the mudroom go through any of the work zones of the kitchen. The best houses do not use the kitchen as a hallway to any other rooms. The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls or dining areas. The best houses do not have walk in closets too small to stand inside. The best houses do not have roofs that are overly large, and dominate the exterior of the house. The best houses do not have stick on exterior materials only on the front façade. The best houses have an organizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine how to get from room to room in the house and what makes sense. Meaning they don’t have meandering circulation paths. And added from Architectrunnerguy: -The best houses enrich their owners souls. -The best houses are timeless. -The best houses incorporate the intangibles of good design. -The best houses have strong organizational concepts. -The best houses have owners who understand what good design is….and isn’t. -The best houses are shaped in response to the Sun. -The best houses have all its parts in good proportion to each other and to the whole. -The best houses enhance the street. -The best houses balance function, aesthetics and construction. -The best houses recognize there are always design tradeoffs. -The best houses break some “rules”. -The best houses are a joy to live in. i would just like to know if there is anything that really should be changed before working on the 2nd floor. Thank you for your expertise! BTW: A true architectural designer does not do one floor and then a second floor and then stick on an exterior. A true designer works in 3D where they realize that what they do on the first floor, affects the second floor, the exterior and even how the house sits on the land. Draftsmen/women do it one floor at a time. Do yourself a favor and with different colored pencils walk yourself through your daily activities im the floor plan. When you do, I bet you'll see how poorly laid out this house is. I'm sorry but you can do so much better.