I'm not completely clear on the plan, here: do you want the room to look better, or be better? Looking better from the inside is easy: leave the windows, add shelving below to integrate with the bookcases, pad the tops for seating, fill the space between the seat and bottom of window with custom bolster pillows so the whole thing looks more 'on purpose'. But the windows really are too small and too far from the ceiling: an easy mistake to make, it's hard for those of us not involved in the building trade to visualize the actual size based on the numbers on a blueprint, especially since the actual glass area is so much smaller than the numbers. Lowering them would just look odd and new ones wouldn't add a huge amount to the project [with the caveat that 'huge amount' is very realitive]. So, if it isn't a budget breaker and you want to enjoy those [wonderful] veiws, some changes have to be made. I'd argue-- if you are opening the wall anyway-- that those windows are not only too small, they are in the wrong place. For maximum impact, they should flank the fireplace, and it's the bookcases that should occupy the less important real estate in the corners of the room. I'd use new windows as near the ceiling as possible, and bring the bottom down to the level of the hearth. I'd extend the heath under the windows for extra seating, and add a molding from the FP to the corners to integrate the windows, fp and bookcases into a single unified whole. That way, there would be something wonderful to look at from the main seating, even if the FP wasn't burning. Now here's a thought: leave the current windows, add new ones. It would actually be cheaper than removing the existing and trying to patch the resulting holes, since you'd be removing siding and interior finsihes, rather than trying to add new materail that matches the old. You could put the bookcases in front of the old windows if you really want them on this wall, or move them somewhere else...

If the return was properly sized, you don't want to reduce it--it will mean less airflow in the LR if nothing else. What's in the wall above the return? Could you open up the wall that you'll be covering and put the return high instead of low? Then you could put a grill at the top of the bookshelf/cabinet, where you won't see it as much anyway.

You donÂt think the first arrangement looks like a cave? I would hang the picture on the wall, not lean it, but it looks rather cramped. I have a pair of tall thin buffet lamps I was planning to use with the picture, except that the shades would hide part of it, making it look even more cramped. If I kept it in the middle, I thought of pulling that case out more from the rest to set it off, maybe 4-5 inches. What do you think about this idea: I have a piece of 1 ¼ thick granite, left over from my kitchen, I could put on top: almost same width but 18 ½ inches deep (except IÂm not sure about the color, which is rusty red and black). The cases themselves are only 11 ½ deep. That would mean the granite would project out from the front 2 inches, and the back of the bookcase about 5 inches. Make it look like a sideboard? But that makes the short case definitely the focal point in the room: IÂm unsure about that. Otherwise, in the other layouts, there really is no focal point. I imagine the eye will wander over the row of cases and then zero in on one of the art objects. The downside of #1 is that the corner canÂt be used now for a floor lamp. I can take the tall skinny case shown at right angles in the corner and put it by the door in place of the short case. But unless itÂs a skinny lamp it wonÂt fit in the corner. The uplight floor lamp I was planning to put there, because it throws a lot of light upward, has a 20" wide shade. The last arrangement before I posted here was #3. I find I am already dumping things on the short bookcase next to the door! But itÂs the only place to put my notes and tools right now. If I took back the short one to do #1, I could get another short but narrow one (15") for that spot, so I could still put a lamp on it. I know it will all look different once I have the books, art objects, and pottery on them, but I donÂt want to set them all up then decide to move the cases around again! There is no ceiling light, and there is only one window. Daylight is enough if you want to sit RIGHT next to the window, but I doubt I will ever sit there and read in the daytime. I am dependent on having good lamps in the room. I hate to clutter it up, though, I looked at Ikea (where I bought the bookcases) for bookcase lights, but they were all halogen, which is too hot; and too modern in style. I put a floor lamp in the corner for picture 3, and it cast a lot of light (could not use that shot with it on because it washed out the exposure). I wish I were not being so indecisive about this.

I would go same distance on either side of doors (but adjust for outlets since it looks like you have tape going right over one, so equidistant from the edge of outlets may be better - no one will notice an inch difference from doors, but will notice an inch from one outlet and right against the cover of the other). As far as going to the ceiling, if you plan on these being "traditional" looking with base and crown molding, then yes, go to ceiling, have carpenter case out your door openings and trim windows too. But how would that look with the rest of your house? If you want to keep the house "modern" looking and don't have any trim except baseboard, then I would go with bookcases that don't have a lot of trim, either no trim at all if you end short of the ceiling, or very thin trim, flat or quarter round, where the cases meet the walls and ceilings. Ditto other posts about electrical (think of where you want TV and have drawers under for DVDs, have support for TV unless it's lightweight flat panel, and plan for depth required for TV. Some shallow drawers for DVDs/CDs, deep drawers for board games (if you don't want them to show), and shelves with bins/baskets for small toys would work best. I can't wait to see end result! I want to do the same thing on either side of my bay window, am thinking of shelves/window seat/storage under windows since when they put up sheetrock the corners got built out, my baseboard doesn't fit tight (and they cut 1 piece of baseboard too short anyway). Only thing is, we've already bought a loveseat that's there in the summer (will move in front of slider during winter, put tree in bay). Don't want to hijack the thread, but would like advice - try to fix walls and buy new baseboard, leave bay open, or do built-ins under the window and buy new baseboard to go in front of them (make sure front is flat even though walls are slightly bowed)?