What about putting a shallow hutch down on the rust colored wall where you have your "Sorry about the Mess but we Live here" sign (Love it! LOL) The bottom half of the hutch could be used for toy storage if it's not needed for kitchen stuff, and the top half could be for "pretties." Sometimes these hutches can be had inexpensively from thrift stores and Craigslist, and you'll be well prepared for painting it and making it your own. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/designer-cottage-shabby-chic-style-entry-burlington-phvw-vp~186307) [Farmhouse Entry[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/farmhouse-entryway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_741~s_2114) by Burlington Architects & Building Designers TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design Another option could be a very small cozy couch down there where people could come hang out and sit in the kitchen while you're working, or you could sit and read the paper and half a cup of coffee, look up recipes, etc. A rocking chair and little side table or a couple of petite chairs with a little side table between them might work, too. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~1021897) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Locust Valley Interior Designers & Decorators Deepdale House LLC A painting or mirror could go behind the chairs in place of the window: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/the-wingate-2012-eclectic-family-room-louisville-phvw-vp~1346790) [Eclectic Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2104) by Louisville Home Stagers Home Staging Specialists A small desk could go there if you need a "command center" for the mail, phone, keys, calendar, charging station,cookbook storage, etc. Here's one example. You could check Houzz, pinterest, or google images for many more. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/laundry-mudroom-traditional-laundry-room-detroit-phvw-vp~1192450) [Traditional Laundry Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-laundry-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_753~s_2107) by Milford General Contractors M.J. Whelan Construction Or a shallow armoire could go there to hold brooms, mops, cleansers and so forth if you don't have a dedicated place for them. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could do a little electric or gas fireplace down there to cozy up to (Craigslist?) Good for you tackling this project. I bet you'll love it when it's all done (and I hope you'll come back and show us pictures!) : )

rantontoo: I plan to die in this condo - or at the very least age in place absent unforeseen circumstances. I could give a rat's patootie about resale value or what prospective buyers might like - or really anyone else. I care about functionality for my own needs and aesthetics for my own tastes and comfort. Contrary to real estate "wisdom" I am eliminating the tub/shower in the master bath and installing a large shower with a seat. It won't be the largest shower in the world but it's leagues more comfortable and suited to my lifestyle than the tub which requires me to step over and in I am taking out one of the sinks in the master bath and installing a true vanity with a chair/seat. If anyone absolutely needs the use of a sink while I am washing my face, there is a sink in the guest steps away. I've never actually quite understood what kind of prolonged ablutions require one to be directly in front of flowing water :-) I am contemplating not having the paltry upper cabinets start at 18" since I am short. My current uppers are lower than 18" - something I hadn't appreciated until I started researching kitchen design - which makes the second shelf wholly accessible and even the third shelf only requires tip toes for a lot of stuff. I am even wondering whether raising the counter in the bathroom is functional since at its current normal height I have to bend low to splash water on my face which invariably means everything gets splashed. I have no small children to consider so I don't know why height would be an issue.

Wet rooms require superb waterproofing, powered ventilation in most climates, and complete control of the floor slope throughout the area so that the drain operates properly. They are not good choices for older houses with uneven flooring and poor access to under-floor plumbing. A more workable choice would be a pre-fab shower unit in a comfortable size. A tile shower would be much more expensive than a pre-fab shower. If you stand in your tub and mark the height of your head (or six or seven feet up, if you prefer to measure) on your three walls, you can run a line of blue tape around at that height to see how much "move around" space you'd have with a "D" or "C" shaped shower curtain rod. The height of the rod can be adjusted to fit the available space, but you can also buy different sized D and C shaped rods. The oval ones are also called "hoop" rods.

My experience talking with you, @Jan, and others about pendant placement has been tremendously helpful! I am so grateful! I would like to offer a thank you in the form of sharing a creative little trick that came to me today when I was trying to use @Jan's diagram to make the marks on the ceiling for the electrician. Those of you who have experience with decorating, probably have tricks like this and maybe what I came up with is not novel. But it was new to me and so I'll share it in the hopes it helps someone else. So here's the "trick": I had read that it's a good idea to use wrapping paper and cut out squares of the same diameter as your pendant and then place the squares on the floor where the island will be. So I cut out 19 inch squares and then I folded each square into a triangle, as you can see in photo. Next I snipped off the point of the triangle so that when you open up the paper and lay it flat, you have a little hole in the center of the square! So, armed with @Jan's diagram, my husband and I went to work on the floor where the island will be. The contractor had already marked the island off with tape. So all we did, was measure 15 inches from each long end, and at that point we placed one of the squares down on the floor. Next we took a pen and marked the center of the hole in the square. This represents the spot on the floor that's directly under where the electrician will put the center of the mounting plate on the ceiling. Then, to find where to put the mark on the ceiling, my husband used a laser and we marked the spot with tape! :)