Wow! Lots of questions! Haha! Let's see. We live in New Orleans and are a very casual, fun, energetic family. DH and I are in our mid 30's and have a 9 year old and a 6 year old. Both kids are active outside of school. TV is a big part of our lives because of sports, movies, kids, etc. But Mike's Den is where lots of the sports programming will take place. :) We are planning to offset the TV and put it to the side of the fireplace for two reasons....1) Now that the kitchen is further over, if someone is in there, it will be more centered to the room as a whole and 2) it can be a bit lower and more at eye-level if it's not above the fireplace. We can make the built-ins accommodate the TV at a level more comfortable for viewing. There will also be a playroom/media room upstairs for the kids. So the Living Room TV will be the group/family TV I suppose. We take turns cooking but both work. So we aren't gourmet cooks but we enjoy cooking meals. We enjoy conversations from the kitchen, thus wanting the open plan. I'd say that because of kids' evening activities, we probably cook 3-4 days a week maybe? Other nights we grill or get take out, pick something up or go out to eat on the way home. The porch. The house (again, in New Orleans...flooding) must be elevated a bit). This porch is elevated with the house. I know we will also have lower space for a table and chairs and the grill, that we haven't laid out yet. We actually did talk about widening the porch. How wide would you suggest? My dad suggested 1-3 feet wider. What do you think? The front door...you see the stairs to the right of the kitchen? And the open pass-through there under the stairs in the drawing? If you go through that pass through...actually straight from the back door, you'd pass the turned stairs above you and a guest room above, master below (in the drawing) and the front door is that way. It's a narrow, New Orleans lot...50x122, which has made things interesting to lay out! :) Thanks again guys! Your feedback is great! Oh, and again, the furniture placement and the kitchen appliances, etc. is just there in the drawings as a guide. It's not fixed or anything. It's just a visual thing for reference.

This is becoming increasingly difficult. I feel like I have to make furniture decisions before even drawing up a floorplan. To address some of the questions/ comments: I guess i'm open to a round-to-oval table, I just don't think I've seen one (in a style I care for) that would expand long enough. I would also prefer to not have seams due to leaves. The house won't be a traditional craftsman, more like a basic farmhouse with a few watered-down, transitional, craftsman-inspired details. The C&B table would look fine I think, and matches our other furniture. In fact, the C&B table is just a larger version of the table we have now (we have a world market knock off). As far as the kitchen peninsula, I really don't want other people in the kitchen. I like my space. The sink will be in the peninsula and the range will be where the kitchen sink is drawn, flanked by windows. The fridge/freezer will be on the wall opposite the window and will have a very wide hallway to allow for traffic. If I have the space I might put in a small island to serve as a place to unload the fridge, make a snack and create a sort of boundary to keep people out of the kitchen proper. If I go with a rectangular table I think I will increase the room by 2-3 feet. Ideally the table would run along the fireplace but I think the table works better running parallel to the peninsula. So a short end will be closest to the fireplace. I looked for dining room fireplace images online and I see tables oriented either way, so while not ideal I think it will look okay. I will go look at some furniture to get a better idea. I feel kind of strange about it though, since we won't be buying furniture for this house for another year or two. And lastly, the living room. As of now I'm planning on doing away with the cabinet on the left of the fireplace and just having a tv built in on the right (no pass through as the photos show) I need to play around with furniture layouts some more to be sure that will work.

mydogDaisy - LOVE those built ins! They are just beautiful! Yes, I too would be paralyzed with the thought of decorating that whole thing. I assume you are thinking artwork or mirror over mantel. I like that you did the TV to the side. That is ideal - our TV is above and only because we have a low ceiling is it not too high - but many folks with a high ceiling and a tall mantel put the TV up and it's just not comfortable to watch at that angle. What type of fireplace is that? A gas insert? If so, what brand? I have posted many questions on the "fireplace" board but no one has responded. I'm considering it for my own to avoid the soot and smoke damage to my white built ins. Have you used it yet?

I really like it. I don't think it is too beige at all. A couple of things you should keep in mind is that it will look totally different once you get an area rug under your dining set, some beautiful art on your walls, your dishes and other items in your built-ins, maybe a runner on your table and then all of your other accessories. Those are places where you can really pull in some color - as much, or as little, as you want! I think it is going to look ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Oh, and as far as the rug is concerned, people are mixing and matching ALL kinds of patterns these days. Take your time, look at all different styles, colors and patterns of rugs and wait for something that really makes your heart go pitter-patter! :0) Then you'll know! I will probably be away for the next few days, but I will check back in soon. Hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed Christmas! ~Addy~