It can’t be isolated from the larger plan. And houses are not Legos. Every block that you try to shift around causes other things to change.

You need a Pro.

Hi Sophie, thanks for taking the time to read my post. I'm not sure what you mean by your comment though, are you referring to the sink? Both my architect and my contractor said that the sink could be moved, I just need to figure out where.

I am planning to hire a designer, but we have a very moderate budget (my dad is actually my contractor, so he's basically cashing in on 30 years of accumulated favors in order to build us this house). I have some time before the room needs to be ready, we only just started the excavation of the house last week. I was hoping to get some ideas for this room first so that I can present them to a designer, rather than have them start from scratch.

Somehow "Craft Room" (scissors) for you and "Playroom" (little fingers) for small children do not seem to go together well.

If you have an "architect" why are you seeking a "designer"?

Perhaps you should design a room for each function then see if there can be any economizing by sharing spaces.

@mramsey Thank you SO much for your thoughtful (and realistic) advice! I truly do appreciate it. Honestly, I hadn't really thought of it that way. You make a good point about the sanity thing. And this space really would/should be primarily dedicated to my Etsy shop and other creative endeavors. It definitely gives me some food for thought...

You sound like a creative person yourself, so you may understand my desire for a sink, but were being nice by not commenting on it. You don't need to comment on the layout of the plans, but in general, do you think the sink is a stupid idea? I thought I was being practical when I asked my architect for the sink because the kitchen and bathroom are really far from the craft room. But now I'm wondering if it's a dumb idea.

Any other crafty moms out there have opinions?

@Mark Bischak, thank you for your advice! You made a good point that answers my original question, am I asking for too much? I see what you're saying and you're right, I should try to scale it back until we actually move into the house and see how we live in the space. We plan on finishing the basement down the road, so maybe that should be the "hangout" area I'm envisioning for when my kids are old enough.

Good question about the architect/designer situation. My architect was contracted to do the architectural/engineering/plumbing drawings to present to the town, he's not an interior designer. I'm looking for help with the "functionality" of this space, hence my post here. I am also searching for a designer to help with that, but would like to have ideas to present before I contract someone.

Easy ...

On the wall that currently shows the sink, put in a wall-to-wall built-in desk -- make it from kitchen cabinets (lots of drawer storage -- you could go with locking drawers to keep your work stuff safe) and a piece of easy-to-clean laminate. You can easily have a sink at one end of this desk. You say you need a large table area ... you can go 3' deep with the cabinet. Don't forget several pendant lights over your work space.

Put shelves above your work space (lots more storage), and place the TV on these shelves. When your kids are old enough for video games, they could go on the shelves too. Be sure to go with plenty of electrical outlets.

No, if you're going to use the sink every day, I don't think it's dumb -- but I don't like the idea of trying to hide it. A closed cabinet will eat up a bunch of space, and it'll inhibit your use of the sink. If you decide later you want to use this room for something else, you can remove the sink.

The kids'll have bedrooms of their own, and they can store their toys in their bedrooms, bringing in just what toys they're using at the moment.

On the opposite wall, put in a love seat (yeah, my picture shows a window seat, but it's what I could find) flanked by two cabinets /bookcases (or a pantry cabinet that'd give you storage all the way to the ceiling) -- this gives you loads of storage and a place for the kids to sit -- if they're doing homework, they can use a lap desk. Install good lighting above the seating area.

Lose the French doors ... they require too much inswing for this small, hard-working room, and you want to be able to hide this room. Maybe even a pocket door.

You'll have a long narrow floor space /go with a fluffy rug and perhaps a storage ottoman.

What I'd reconsider: Letting this be a hang-out space for kids and friends. I can see your own kids being taught that your work items are your work items ... but friends? No. What you could do, though, is use this as your own "away space" when your kids have friends out in the larger living room.

Use a ceiling fan in this room; it'll be useful for paint fumes and will help your items dry faster.

Last thought: Between the cabinet pix above with the hidden sink and the French doors, I think you're trying to make this a fancy, "presentable room" ... I'd say let that go and let it be a work room. Use the simplest of Ikea cabinets, a big-box sink, and a cheap love seat. I don't see this room staying company-nice.

A lot of people will use a large laundry room with an island as a craft area as well. If you can do a separate room that is like a laundry room, but without washer/dryer a small sink would be easy to work in. This works best if cabinetry is built-in. How low are the window bottoms? Can you fit a worktop? Here are a few pics to give you some ideas. You could fit a tv in somewhere.

That is a small room for the many uses you envision, however, with planning, you should be able to create some version of what you want. You'll want sliding glass doors instead of French doors to maximize your available space in your "bonus" room.

Where your bonus room is located can matter, too. For instance, if your bonus room is adjacent to a laundry room, you could add a laundry sink to your laundry room and wash your brushes, etc., there rather than taking up space in your bonus room and a very useful addition to your laundry room.

If the sink must be separate and in the same room, then I do like the basic idea behind the cabinet w/hidden sink shown, mostly because going vertical for storage space is definitely your best bet. You should, however, put the sink in the middle of at least a 4' countertop so you'll have elbow room and a bit of countertop space.

Depending upon what you're washing out of your brushes -- what kind of paint or other media you're using, you may need ventilation. That would be another good reason to put your sink in your laundry room -- which should also have a window or some other ventilation for the heat and moisture created.

Making sure all furnishings that are not built in against the wall will have casters so they can be moved about will make your space more versatile. Putting wheels on furnishings will also enable you to roll them out onto the deck or patio when you're entertaining outside.

Choosing a table (rather than a desk) under which you can roll a pair of filing cabinets when the table is not being used with a chair -- as a desk or sewing/craft table -- would enable you to use the tops of the cabinets as additional counter space you can roll to where they're needed.

A futon/sofa/day bed might be preferable to an actual full sized sofa; however, in lieu of a sofa, you might consider a pair of storage ottoman(s) that could be used for both seating and storage instead.

Do you have other options in your new home's layout for dedicated work space w/sink? I would prefer a craft room be towards the back of the home vs "visible" from front/guest entry. Multi purpose laundry/craft works well in many floor plans.

I am a retired architect and a painter. I paint in watercolors so I understand the need for water, and the splashes and messes it make where you actually paint. So the sink is fine.

Your room is simply too small for all you describe you want to do there. The French doors opening inward take up more room, and reduce the useable area of the room. You are attempting to put 10 pounds in a 5 pound bag. You either need to rethink the purposes for the room and eliminate 50% of your description above...or double the size of the room to accommodate them all.

All you really have room for in this size space is either an "L" arrangement (sink, counters, storage and possible seating in an "L" arrangement against two ninety-degree walls), or a "parallel" arrangement (sink, counters, storage and seating on opposite parallel walls. You might be able to get narrow storage on a third wall, leaving about 6-feet of clear space between what's on opposite walls. That's it. No center island.

You don't mention if you paint sitting or standing. And I don't think you mentioned how much space you need for your materials and the works you create. Are deeper tops needed for large pieces? Do you paint using a floor standing easel? Do you need storage for materials, and for in-progress or finished work? Do you have more than one work in-progress?

And your (messy and in-progress) studio is at the front of the house and you want everyone to see through the French doors into your studio? I would never want visitors to see my studio unless it was tidily arranged and cleaned (meaning I hadn't worked there in weeks). If you work daily or regularly, or even on impulsive urges, your studio is not going to be something to show visitors immediately upon arriving at your house. Making art is like making sausage--good when it's finished, but undesirable to see when it's in-progress.

As for windows, is natural light important? If the windows face north, the light will be good all day for art. If the windows face east, there will be early morning glare and highlights. If the windows face south, there will be mid-morning to mid-afternoon direct sunlight (and possibly glare) in parts of the space. If the windows face west, forget having the space as an art studio--the later and lower afternoon sun will simply blast you from the room, both in terms of intense direct sunlight and heat.

Good luck on your project.

Wow, I am blown away by everyone's thoughtful posts. I've never posted in an online forum before this and I certainly didn't expect all of this helpful advice!! Thank you! There are several people I want to respond to, but in the meantime I thought it might be helpful to post the entire set of plans because people were asking about the layout of the rest of the house.

I think our architect did a great job. Am I completely silly for having this bonus room at the front of the house? I don't see where else I could have it.

While we're at it, are there any glaring issues in our plans that should be addressed before building?? Again, I think our architect did an awesome job, I just figured it couldn't hurt to get feedback from other professionals and design enthiasts.

Well, seeing your floor plans is a big help. You have a common townhouse or small urban lot design.

I'll limit further comments to the studio, only. The space at the front door is not ideal for an art studio, both in terms of size and location. And it has south and west windows--the two worst orientations for art if you work during the day (if you work at night, you will need to pay special attention to lighting in the space).

All of my previous comments apply. You simply do not have room for a working art studio (especially for large pieces) and "an office/playroom AND a second family room".

Something's gotta give. If anyone tells you that you can design a room which will accommodate all three disparate functions you should back slowly and carefully away.

Good luck!

Are you completely silly for having this craft room at the front of the house? Yes.

In my experience, rooms at the front of the house are formal rather than utilitarian. I agree with those that suggest a room with this function should be adjacent to the laundry, mudroom, or kitchen. I don't see a way for you to do that without a major revision of your floorplan. (And if you are already digging the foundation, it's probably too late for that.)

Plus, when you have children all your plans for the way your house lives may go out the window.

I have a 12, 10, 7 year old. Their toys get old on the main floor by about age of 3. If I were you, I would use bedroom 2 or 4 for your studio. For bedroom 2, create a temporary door directly to your master bath sink. Bedroom 4 allows quick acces to the secondary bathroom.

The main floor studio can become a formal sitting room (especially great for guests as the living room is quite a distance from the front door!).

Since you don’t have any kids yet, you would still have 2 bedrooms to fill before worrying that you have used up a kids room. The formal living could sub as a guest bedroom when kid 2 arrives.

When bundle of joy #3 is due, hopefully life will then allow you to finish the basement. Create both a Rec room space & a fantastic craft room space for that future expansion. Plumb in now for that sink and basement bathroom!.

Kids like to escape out of the house. The current studio location is too close to the front door for my kids to safely play unsupervised. (Well, maybe now, but not 5 years ago!)

When the kids are under age 5, you will only grave a crib size then maybe a twin size mattress. They don’t last more than 5-10 years. About age 10-12, bump up to a full. You really don’t need a queen size bed taking up all the kids’room playspace. If you are still there when they have moved on, then get a queen size bed in the bedroom as you won’t need toys/desks/TVs/etc in there.

For the upstairs craft room, use simple bookshelf bases for the table. When doing the basement studio, then upgrade to awesome built in cabinetry. It will be awesome!

I'm kind of OK with the art studio being at the front of the house from a flow standpoint... I imagine potential clients coming in the front door and going in the studio to pick up their print or whatever.

But, I think trying to make it all the things you'd like it to me is just too much. And, I have to agree on the french doors. I get how pretty they look (sort of) but they are not at all practical for most spaces and definitely this space. I have two living rooms in our Victorian. Each is off the main entry. One has a huge 5+ foot wide single pocket door. The other has french doors. We curse the french doors on an almost daily basis!!! We comment at least once a month about how we love the big pocket door.

Good luck on your choices.

I don't think the front room right off the foyer is an ideal location, but you can make it work. Plan to have a door that will close off the room visually but will look good from the foyer side since that is what visitors will see first when they walk in.

At this stage of your planning, the sink, cabinets, electrical outlets and light fixtures are the most important thing since they need to be included in the building stage. I would plan for one whole wall of counter, sink, and cabinets (like a kitchen). The cabinets could have doors or just be open shelves depending on your preference. Look for an inspiration photo here on Houzz to help you describe your vision to your architect.

The rest of the room could be furnished depending on your needs at different stages of your life. You could set the room up for your current needs right now and change it out as your family grows and your needs change. But all of that doesn't need to be decided right now. I would want to wait and see the space before buying furniture.

For a work table, you could find an old sturdy table, paint it and glue laminate on the top. That way, you're not out a lot of money if you decide to put something else in its place later on.

It sounds like you're starting a big construction project with many things to think about. Good luck!

I think the space is too small for all of your envisioned uses. I would figure out a way that you can make this work by making the space for it, even if that means the hosue needs to be a little bit bigger.

Is that a single car garage in the front? Is there room to drive around and enter the garage from the right side of the house, so that the garage door doesnt face the front of the house? You might be able to widen the garage and make it a double car garage then. The mud room (and family room) would be bigger since that side is lengthened. Maybe you could add a sink to the mud room and also use it as a craft room. Or maybe that wouldnt be private or large enough?

Yes to the sink-painting is messy. Now that I see your floor plan, if it was me I would probably either do what rocky bird suggests (above) or take over the dining room or the garage.

I was thinking move the studio to a bedroom, also. If you use bedroom 4 you could do the sink and countertops in the closet as the plumbing for the bathroom is right there already. That keeps the creative mess out of the way of guests and means when kids are older you can get away from them a bit for some personal studio time.

n artist bedroom 4 would be a much better choice. And then when working you won't be running up and downstairs to change laundry. Make the room downstairs into a library for now

If I can comment on some other items on your plan. One bathroom is not enough for 3 additional bedrooms. It look like you have room for another bathroom as nobody need sitting area in bedroom. Kitchen island should be all one level. You have too many areas for your dining. That's separate dining room you will never use. Art room need the best natural light.

In reviewing your floor plan, I would as others suggested, make one of your unused bedrooms the craft room. The small foyer will keep guests stuck in entrance staring at the craft room w/awkward sink. Utilize as a study/library---useful for computer/homework/home office. Add a full bath upstairs and rework the entrance to the current 2nd flr main bath---pocket door at top of stairs not ideal and will be left open most often.

First floor--I would strive to increase your mudroom, foyer and closet space on first floor---all limited for overall size of home/bedrooms...

First floor powder---not ideal to have only bath access on 1st floor via mud room.

Access to dining room-- large room that will have limited use and access from kitchen not great. I would rethink the day to day living space , open things up and rework to up the kitchen and family room sq ft.

You're planning for kids not yet born and where I'm not going to give advice on how to lay this room out, I will tell you that what you think you're going to need or want may end up not being what you need or want. Go for flexibility in your design and try not to anticipate too far in the future. Good luck!

I don’t think it’s a problem to have the craft room by the front door. You are unlikely to use it if it is a living space because it is a dead-end (only one entrance) and removed from the rest of the home. As a craft room, it is a destination and you know you will use it. I would use only one glass door so guests don’t get too much of a view.

Do you anticipate many guests coming through the front door? Think of where they will park. They way that my driveway and garage are laid out, my front door is used so rarely that I turned the foyer closet into overflow pantry storage, and my front office now has a diaper changing station, baby laundry baskets, and a mini crib. I don’t mind. Nobody sees it.

I think you are smart for planning ahead for the number of kids you’ll have. As soon as the first one comes, you’ll be happy you did.

I am currently planning a smallish house on an urban lot, and my study / office / sewing room will be at the front of the house, like your plan. I prefer that, so I can sit at my desk and look out the front windows. (I don't need a sink.)

Definitely get rid of the French doors, for the reasons stated above. To bring more light into your room and into the hallway, use frosted glass in the door.

You have a lot of good suggestions - storage under the windows, cabinets along the wall(s). I like the idea of a sink that you can close off, but that's your choice. While I currently have a very similar room to the one that I'm building, my work space in that room is a counter / desk that runs along two walls (with undercounter cabinets using about 1/3 of the space), about 23" deep, holding my computer and my sewing machine, and on the third wall, yet more counter space with cabinets below and shelves above (the fourth wall is where the door is). That setup, using countertops for my projects, probably wouldn't work for your needs to paint your signs.

Right now, when I need more room to cut fabric, I lay it on the floor (not ideal) or the dining room table (also not ideal). In my new build, I don't want to end up with a room that's big enough for a permanent table in the middle. So I'm planning to purchase a foldup table that I've found online; set up, it's 59" by 36", and folded, it's only 7" deep. It will work well for my purposes, because I don't need that big space all the time - mostly the counters work for my needs.

I agree that this should be your room for you and your business. Others (including future kids) can come in, but then should take their belongings back out with them.

And just to preach, I don't like when the woman's private room in a house is stuck in the laundry, or when it's called a craft room. If this artistic work is for your etsy store, this is your office and your business. It's your woman cave!

Enjoy your planning!

Wow, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your feedback. I was not expecting all of this.

I wanted to respond to some interesting points and ask a few more questions-

I'm letting go of the multi-purpose idea. You were all right about that, it's just not feasible and wouldn't benefit anyone. Moving forward, I'm going to focus on making this strictly a craft room/office.

Several of you have said that having the craft room at the front of the house is undesirable, but I disagree. Maybe I should have been more clear about the nature of my "crafting." I'm not a freehand painter or sculptor or anything like that. Half of the work I do I actually on a computer. I guess you could say I'm more of a graphic designer, but the finished product is physical (the messy part will actually happen outside in a shed). My point is that mess wil not be a huge issue. In fact, in my current living situation my "studio" is relegated to just a hallway and it actually works out fine. I attached some photos.

I think having the room in the front would make it easier for customers to come pick up pieces as @doc5md suggested, (especially if I don't know them) because they wouldn't have to walk through the whole house. Plus I think it'll be a point of interest for guests. With the right organization, this room will look really cool. I'm picturing something like the photo I attached.

@rockybird, while I would love to expand the footprint of the house, unfortunately, we're at max capacity for square footage we can afford. Also, these plans were already approved by the town, to change them now would mean months of delay waiting for another approval, but that's besides the point. This house is in North Jersey where there is not a lot of room. We only have .14 of an acre (gotta love NJ!) And we already had to ask for a variance as we expanded the existing footprint by around 40%. So expanding even more is out of the question. But thanks for the suggestion!

I did just talk to my contractor (aka Dad) and he said that we can extend the craft room a little (about a foot) without altering the plans (shh don't tell) because that wall between the craft room and dining room is not a load-bearing wall. Granted a foot isn't much, but hey, it's better than nothing.

@B Carey I appreciate the real-life family insight! I can see how the toy thing will get annoying (and disorganized) and I appreciate you sharing that.

@Mrs Pete thank you for all your layout suggestions, I love the idea of built-in cabinets and am definitely considering that!

@Virgil Carter Fine Art I really appreciate all of your professional artist suggestions, I'm definitely not on your level, but you gave me a lot of food for thought. I hadn't even thought of the direction the room was facing and I'm glad you mentioned that. I have to make sure to position my desk so that my computer doesn't catch the glare of the sun all day, since that's where I'll be spending a lot of my time. As for the glare on the art itself, I don't usually paint freehand, I create stencils using my computer and a silhouette cutter so the glare shouldn't really mess me up. I am a teacher full-time though, so my Etsy work is usually done after dark. I have to make sure to get good lighting in there as you suggested.

As far as using the laundry room as my craft space, I really don't want to do that. It's not just that it's too small, but having to go up and down the stairs with the wood is what I'm doing now and it's super annoying. I want to be able to go from the shed outside to my craft room (all on the same level).

I actually love that the laundry room is on the second floor! It's where 95% of the dirty laundry will be made. All of the bedrooms will be upstairs as will all of our clothes, sheets, towels, etc. Putting it downstairs or in the basement would actually be way more of a hassle.

Many of you said the ditch the French doors and I hear you on that.... BUT I'm not ready to part with them yet :( Call me stubborn, but I just love the look. At the very least, I'll have them swing outward instead of inward, because you're right, they eat up a lot of space. I am also entertaining the idea of pocket French doors instead. @doc5md I like the idea of the single pocket door, that sounds interesting. What exactly is the issue with the French doors at your house? Do they get in the way?

@sofikbr - I am worried about that dining room. I thought the same thing, it's SO big and it won't be used very much. My husband and I like to entertain, but I feel like if there's only one or two couples coming over, we'll probably stay in the kitchen/living room area. The dining room will really only be used for holidays, but that seems like such a waste. The wall between the dining room and kitchen IS a load-bearing wall so we can get rid of it. Does anyone have any suggestions for making that room more functional?? What about adding built-in bookshelves and making it a little library, too? Add cozy window seats maybe?

@sofikbr I also see what you're saying about the bathroom situation, but the kids will just have to deal with it. You're right, they don't need a sitting area, but it just worked out that way. We can afford the extra bedroom space, we can't afford a third full bathroom. And hey, love grows best in little houses, right? I've known families of 6, 7, and 8 that shared one bathroom and if they can figure it out, so can we. Besides, I think the double sink and closed off bath area will help.

The first photo is my current "studio" in my parents' basement. The 2nd and 3rd are layout ideas.

Hi Ana - congratulations on your soon to be new home ! I think the size of the room as drawn is perfectly fine. My home office / sitting room is actually quite a bit smaller than the space you'll have and it works quite well. Here's a drawing of the two -

Looking at my space on paper it looks terribly small but in reality it's actually quite comfortable. I'm sitting in it right now and it doesn't feel small or cramped at all.

As Mrs. Pete had suggested, flanking a small sofa / loveseat with bookshelves on each side of the front window would look and work quite well. I've considered doing the same thing on each side of my 60 inch loveseat in my room (I've drawn a 72 inch loveseat in your drawing.)

I'd keep the french doors - I had them in one of my first homes and loved them. You can always keep one closed on a daily basis, using the other to enter and exit the room.

The only thing you would need to work out with the built in's would be the two windows on the left wall. You could do smaller higher windows that don't intersect the cabinetry or you could potentially center one or two windows on that wall away from the cabinetry.

Grabbing a foot from DR for your craft/office is great. I would not reverse the swing on your French doors--not enough space in foyer. I would think about positioning the sink cabinetry on DR wall and create cabinets to access sink from both rooms (DR and office)---place faucet on side. Would be functional for entertaining/bar sink from DR and help w/distance from kitchen. I might also think about creating a pocket door on same wall from DR to office--- spill over for children when you are working--- spot for bassinet, play n stay etc....

Maybe grab the garage space by mudroom/steps for your mudroom/large closet for the many boots/backpacks/snow pants etc.....

Swinging the steps from mud to garage to give a landing is safer for little ones, vs steps right out of door.

I would rework the door to second floor bath-- do what ever you can to eliminate the pocket---too hard for little ones to use, not private enough for guests, and fingers get pinched easily.

I’d think about sightlines for where things go if you’re keeping it in the front. For example, usually there’s stuff that wants to be hung up or pinned up in an office/craft space to help you keep on track or for inspiration - with french doors I’d want to place that area so it isn’t easily visible through the doors. If you had your desk on the wall with the front window then you could have a sitting area and cabinets or shelves on the wall shared with the dining room, which would look tidier and nicer through the doors as people enter. That may not be the layout you want, though, so that’s just something I’d keep in mind.

As far as the dining room - if you don’t have the space you can’t ever use it. However, there’s no rule that you must have a dining room table in the room just because it’s marked dining room on the plan. If you really don’t have big family meals often, just get a sturdy folding table and nice chairs and a nice tablecloth for when you need it, and the rest of the time use the space as a playspace or something.

Clearly you like an open design and have put a lot of thought into it. Hope your great room turns out to be all you want it to be.

Is that a room or porch behind your fireplace/chimney? If you put your deck on the back end rather than behind the fireplace/chimney -- and if the upstairs can be adjusted for you to put the fireplace/chimney back a few feet, you could end up with a room long enough for a kitchen and dining room and living room in one long room, potentially providing room for a guest bedroom downstairs in lieu of a dining room -- something you might find useful as and if you become an empty nester with arthritic joints while living in the home.

Also regard to the above mentioned possible change to the great room: Is that back left corner indented "L" a place for a heat pump; if not, is there a specific reason why that wall is not straight with the kitchen wall, at least downstairs? If you squared that corner on the ground floor, you could add a small shed roof there -- part of a fire escape plan -- and keep the notch for the upstairs.

Instead of a small landing and steps straight down from the back stoop, you might consider a deck as wide as the back of the house -- as deep as both stoop and steps -- you'll find it very useful and great for good weather entertaining. You can put the steps in one corner, deliberately aimed at the part of the yard where you plan to add a patio later. That wouldn't change the overall maximum width or length of the footprint of the home with steps and it would be worth the added expense.

French doors look more formal but sliding patio doors are a far better idea and I've had both. If, however, you're determined to have French doors beware having them swing out: be very certain the hinges do not end up on the outside where the doors then easily can be removed from the outside -- that's a serious security issue. You can get double paned sliding doors w/partitions between them more resemble French doors -- at least at first glance.

https://www.comfortwindows.com/doors/DisplayContentImage.aspx?id=3813

If you keep the dining room where it is, instead of a solid wall between kitchen and dining, you might consider something like this but double so you have cabinets facing both ways eliminating the need for a china cabinet crowding your dining room.

http://hangersonly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/mesmerizing-kitchen-divider-cheap-room-divider-and-laminate-hardwood-flooring-and-crisp-white-painted-wall-and-dining-table-wooden.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bc/1e/d7/bc1ed752d72db1048aa77d0941e86c92.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/09/d1/58/09d15815436cf835b92f0f8089486fee.jpg

If you make the mentioned possible changes to your fireplace and that back left corner of your living room, then putting something similar in the way of a cabinet room divider between your separate spaces -- living, dining, kitchen -- then you could use it both to create an entertainment bar and divide/define your living spaces while visually keeping them open spaces.

You might also consider eliminating part of that arched cased opening in that wall between the dining room and entry hall and/or turning your formal dining table the other direction because you will find your downstairs bath/powder room much more practical and convenient if you put it against the outside wall (w/small window for ventilation -- perhaps oval, round, octagon w/frosted or stained glass) situated between what is now your dining room and craft room, accessible by entering it through a door from the craft -- enabling convenience for you while you are working and keeping the powder room smells farther from the great room -- living room and kitchen.

Like the idea of rockybyrd having the garage openings on the side rather than the front -- though with a small lot, that likely will not be practical. If you use that idea, do make sure the garage will still be wide/long/deep enough. If it isn't, you may need to add a shed roof downstairs only to increase the size of the garage so it's deep enough when accessed by the side.

Update us w/pics when you start decorating. Looking forward to seeing your dream home when it's done.

Thoughts after seeing your whole-house layout:

- Your forever house plan would have a single car garage?

- I agree that a craft studio (which will be messy) right by the front door is less than ideal.

- I like the proposal made by another poster above to put the painting studio in the mudroom area ... this would allow the kids to have play space adjacent in the family room. Logical. But, of course, this is a pretty big increase in square footage, and you've mentioned a small budget.

This looks like a great work space, but you don't have nearly enough space for it:

A variation that you might be able to use is a pull-out table that would "disappear" when you are finished with it. The downside, of course, is that this is a custom item and would cost BIG:

I think the under-used space is the formal DR. Could the craft room be accessed by have pocket doors into the DR? Then the crafts table, w/suitable tablecloths, could occasionally function as a dining table. Both rooms could be lined with shelves with closed storage below. I like the window seats idea. Choose coordinating chairs for throughout the house which could be brought in for dinner parties, or perhaps rely on stow away folding chairs.

If the wall between the dining room and craft room isnt load bearing, could you remove it completely? Instead of having a wall, use double sided floor to ceiling wall storage units on locking casters. This unit could be moved to make the craft room larger for typical use and moved into the craft room space to enlarge the dining room as necessary. A variation on this idea is a permanent storage wall about 2 feet deep, divided into sections. As your needs change you could install either cover panels or access doors from either side.

Personally, I’d look for a way to open up the kitchen to the dining room, otherwise I imagine it really won’t get much use. You say the wall is load bearing, so you can’t take it out entirely, but you could add wide double pocket doors, right? Then it can either feel like part of the kitchen or not depending on whether they’re open or closed.

I don’t like opening the kitchen to the dining room because then you don’t have much wall space in the kitchen for appliances or upper cabinets.

However, pocket doors between the study and dining room and in the entry to the dining room offers potential - you’d then be able to treat the study/craft room as your primary office, and the dining room as overflow space for flex use - a large table (either covered with protection for craft use, or a casual table that you hide with a tablecloth for formal meals) and play space for future kids which can be open or not to your workspace depending on how much you need to keep an eye on things. You’d need to make good use of nice looking storage, though, especially in the dining room, so when all closed up it can pretend to be a nice formal space, not a dining table stuck in a craft space.

That also offers potential later on for having the study be a small formal seating area that leads to the dining room, which IMO is a nice option to have - our house has that kind of flow and it works very well, especially in houses that have the pocket doors. (Ours no longer does.)

The reason for pocket doors on the dining room opening to the hall would be just clutter control - if you use frosted glass or even just put frosted film on normal glass, then if the dining room is in play/craft mode and you have guests you can just close the doors and hide the mess as they walk past to the kitchen and family room.

(I would definitely try to preserve the dining room for some meal use, though - you don’t need a big holiday to have a formal meal with family, and it’s good for kids to practice more formal table manners occasionally. Plus the way my family does it, formal meals mean no devices, no tv, no distractions, so you actually focus on each other. In big open plan spaces that can be very difficult for kids because all the distractions are right there and visible. My brother tried to do one ‘formal’ meal a week with his kids, and it served as a good time to sit down with each other and reconnect and check in, as many weekday meals ended up with the family dining at different times due to work responsibilities and the kids having after school activities all the time.)