Oh, Squirrel...you are so sweet for doing all of this! I feel very posh, like I have an interior decorator! Thanks so much for all of your help! I haven't kept up with all of the ideas, I'm still on the suggestions from yesterday! So, I will move the furniture around according to the latest and see if it works IRL. I like the end table by the sofa but we are family planning and I know I'll need all the space I can get when the time comes for a little one! The openness of the 1st plan is really appealing to me. I did find a mirror that complements and mimics the scroll design from the iron gate piece (which is from Pier 1) for the buffet. And, I placed more flowers around to liven up the space like you did with the plants. Need to find a good source for the trees you put in. Love them! The scale isn't right for the flowers I added but was just trying to get a feel for the colors. Going to look for drapes this week. Love the idea of painting the art niche in a metallic finish. BM has one called Veil Cream which is absolutely beautiful. Kinda taupey, kinda creamy which will be a great tie in between the Harvest Brown formal area and Cream Wave family room.

Here is a picture of our room as we have it laid out. You can see the large ottoman that we use. It is great for toys, blankets, pillows and just about anything. Below you will also see the 3D rendition of your formal dining room converted to a TV room. Also, this is suggested because having a formal dining area so disjointed from the kitchen area often means that it is seldom used. I know because we used to have a formal dining room like that. We used it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Once we converted the room it is now used everyday. Converting the front room is the surprise. So here goes: Here is the copy of the 3D floor plan copied from your blueprint. In this you will see that the currant family room has been converted to an open and easily accessible gathering place and the formal dining area is spiffed up for both everyday use, gettogethers, and holidays. More 3D pictures below: You will find the following in the layouts below: Three 51 inch love seats. I would stick with the 51 inch love seat because it keeps the room open and easier to move in and out of. If you get larger ones it starts to make the room feel smaller and is harder to move in and around. Two couch side tables Two floor lamps One ottoman with reversible trays that when turned over become seat cushions and have storage beneath them. One basket with extra pillows and blankets or can be used for toys, games and so on. One entry table with one table lamp on it. This table can be used for additional storage in the drawer. There is a box underneath for additional storage. One large wall mirror to add more reflective light and become a faux window on that wall. The dining area speaks for itself. One nice large framed picture over the fireplace. Please know that the style and colors are not in anyway suggestions it is just for furniture placement and suggestions only. Hope this opens your horizon and sparks inspiration for what is possible in these rooms. Best wishes, Marcie

Nice kitchen, Not ugly at all ... but a bit dark. On a budget, would not add tile now; instead rip off the old but repair/smooth the wall and paint all but the 4"-6" above the countertop as backsplash, which you could tile to coordinate with the countertop. Another exception to the painted wall might be the stove niche -- you could add a stainless steel panel the width of the stove, beginning just below stove top level and covering all the visible wall above the stove top. You could always add a hood to that later. Like the stove niche suggestion of Hannah Wolfson except would want a stainless steel panel above the stove and would want the electrical wiring for the lights to stay to connect a stove hood later ... so keep lights for now even if you don't add the hood now. Would create at least a countertop level with the top of the stove on each side of the stove. What you put beneath that would depend upon what that white unit left of the stove might be; however, if that white unit is something movable, create a pair of free standing base cabinets with countertops the same height as the stove top. Your kitchen windows do not have brown trim so ... if you want white trim around all your windows and doors and doorway openings, consider scrubbing all the brown trim throughout the house really well before painting them white.

Our lower level gets 90% of its use from May to September. We're on a lake and have six children, their spouses & 15 grandchildren - ages 18 months to 18 years. (The older kids often bring friends.) @ffpalms, the curved setup would be great if it was mostly adults, but the toys and the littles spill over from the playroom a lot! @jck910, thank you for comment "this is a tough one!" I just kept thinking I was losing my mind! Lol! If I go with a sofa along the window wall, could I also do a loveseat? I would place it perpendicular to the TV wall. (It could set with the back feet off the carpet and/or have a narrow sofa table behind it. Then 2 smaller chairs at each corner of the fireplace. (They can't be swivel, as the grandchildren would treat them as a spin toy.) I'm thinking a smaller scale ottoman which can double as a coffee table. TV watching for adults is very minimal in this room - more the kids spread everywhere with floor pillows, etc. Color wise, I want an off white, maybe with some texture (slubby or tweed). And the accent color(s) will be shades of blue.