I liked the first picture. I think the walls being the same color as the blue in your beautiful fabric, and retaining the dark woodwork is very striking. For the floors, not sure why you need floating. The best is a solid piece of vinyl flooring, such as comes on a roll, but you have to pay an installer for that. On a tight budget, I used Novalis plank from Lowe's and I love it. It comes in different colors/types of wood look. The best part was the price. It was very easy to install. To shorten a ":board" I would just score it with a utility knife run along a metal ruler edge, then snap it into two over the edge of my pull-out breadboard (any table, counter top, dresser top would do). Here is a thread in the flooring board about it and several photos from others. Just be sure to get your seams very tight. I'd accustom the flooring to the indoor temperatures of the room for a few days before installing. Here is a link that might be useful: Vinyl Plank Flooring

OK, I renamed the best pics of each of the three wood species I chose and took pics by my file cabinet by the window, by my credenza that is in back of my desk and by the front of my desk which is by the front windows. I also took pics of the room that is a little messy right now since I am working on a major project and do not have time to clean if I am working as well as obsessing about which wood floor for my office. I was going to wait until the end of the year to change the carpet but then when my air conditoner/heating/compressor unit died on me and caused a flood in the foyer area between the two rooms that are part of that big room, I had to decide what to replace the engineered warped and darkened oak wood with. Pieces of the veneer have come up and it is bumpy and was smelling a muscky smell until I had carpet cleaners deodorize it and steam it lightly to get rid of the musky smell. I either have to replace it with wood or maybe I should put tile there and wood floors in the rest of the office? The 80 pics are now about 23 or 24 pics labeled. Tomorrow I will reduce the number of pics and insert them into my picture program to share with you. I may start a new thread.

I love your new drapery - gives a more finished feel around the windows and softens the 'edges' a bit. Of course, I would never close them, as I dream of having all that window area in a room! What are you thinking of as regards a couch? Leather or fabric? Color? Style? Does the black floor screen have a purpose (and is it painted or louvered as it appears? Are your shelves adjustable? They appear to be, as I see a couple that are of different heights. Take advantage of that as you rearrange things, so that all the shelves are staggered. It will help make the whole wall more interesting. As for what is on the shelves, you need to take everything off, and group it as you do. Collections like tankards, or figurines that are related, or related colors, all the books by size in one pile, or by subject matter if there is a strong theme with some of the books, all the sets of candlesticks. You are kind of setting up a store around the room, which you wil shop. Then take a critical look at what you have. Are there things that just ended up on the shelves that have no particular meaning or value to you? Maybe it is time to pass them along or sell them. Do you have too many pairs of candlesticks that are totally unrelated? Could some of these items rotate out periodically? Would some of them look better elsewhere in the house (say in the dining room hutch)? And, while you are at it, are there things elsewhere that you would really love to see in here? Now measure your items, and see what the tallest shelves you need might be, and roughly how much space. Do the same, just roughly, with all the things you have to see what you need for a majority of the space. Always be sure to leave a little space above items, so they don't look wedged into the shelves. Breathing room will show them off better. Then re-set the shelves, and try to stagger some of the heights from one section to the next, so that you have a some smaller shelf heights mixed in, and in different places. Now you can start putting things back. Maybe try placing the larger items that have less flexibility, and the larger collections of things that need more space, and the unique pieces that need to find the best 'home' on the shelving to show them off. Then perhaps put books on the shelves in varioius spots. Finally, you can fill in with the smaller things that can go in more places, can sit on books, etc. As you place things back, don't forget to stand things against the back, like plates or even small pieces of art. Books can stand or lie down in a stack, and small items can sit on a stack of books, larger ones act as bookends. Try to have a variety of things that carry your eye through the shelves vertically - don't line up books on the left, bowl in the middle, candlesticks on the right on every shelf as you go up a section, for example. Think of a meandering trail that brings you through the shelves. Try to mix up color a bit, and leave some space on some shelves for resting places for the eye. It will take a while, and you will likely have to tweak a little once you have done the first placement, but it will be wonderful! It looks like you have lots of great things to use, and lots of space. You just need to re-group and re-arrange to let everything show to its fullest advantage. I am also looking at your room arrangement. How many people normally use the space, so how much seating do you need to watch tv? Do you use the game table and chairs in the corner often, and for what purpose? The reason I am asking is that I am wondering about taking the single bergere chair and ottoman, a side table and lamp, and putting them in the corner where the table/chairs are now, to create a reading corner. Taking the two matching chairs and putting them on the end where that chair is currently (the bottom area of the pix, if you will), with a table between them. Then moving the table and chairs to the area where the two chairs and black screen are now. People at the table would be able to sit there and play a game or have a snack and enjoy the fire and the tv, and it would give the grouping a bit more room, rather than having it feel isolated in the corner.

It would be nice to have accurate measurements, especially for that stairway entry/landing area and just outside it. Until we know more accurately, I just offer a small riff on Lisa's great plan. A 33" fridge allows the Hoosier cabinet to be enjoyed from the dining room. I really like the idea of a door from the office. One can work in the office and keep an eye on items cooking If kids are in the future, the office can become a playroom and one can cook and keep an eye on the kids. A 12" deep pantry cab next to the DW with the one Lisa put across the aisle will be more than enough storage for everyday dishes and glasses. I would install a drawer in the middle of each for utensils. I think I'd do glass doors on top with solid on the bottom. About the two tall dish pantries, something like this for the drawer placement. And the pink represents where I would consider putting windows on the sides instead of a solid panel. You could do it just on the one side facing the kitchen. Or on both sides. If done on both sides, the light from the window on the stair landing would filter through contributing to keeping the kitchen light and airy. Not knowing what they intend to use the basement for, I've wondered about the wisdom of closing off that exterior door. It seems like there would be times when it would be so convenient to have it like if something big needs to be hauled to or from the basement. It gives a nice straight shot instead of having to somehow squeeze it around tight corners. And safety issues. Also, what if you're cooking and burn something? Even with a good hood, the more windows and doors you can open to eliminate the smoke, the better. I simply wouldn't want to lose the close exterior access point just so I could have a table and chairs right outside that door to enjoy my coffee on a summer morning, eat lunch or dinner, or sit outside with a book while waiting for dinner to be ready, whatever. Or what about when you want to BBQ? Nice to have outside access right next to the kitchen for that. I just like outside! And I don't see any reason to lose that access point. Also, if there is an emergency, like a fire or an intruder, the more you have outside access locations, the better. That's another reason why I would also like to see the pocket door for the office on that landing. No, I don't live in Paranoia Land but, rather, by the Scout motto. I think when you're remodeling it's good to consider these kinds of issues and plan for escape routes for worst case scenario situations if it can be done at reasonable cost and effort.