What about adding some wainscoting and runners to help fill the space like this area. I like how they placed the vase and books on the console table. The photos don't have to be of your family, they could just be scenes that you like. A set of photos (think places you've traveled, places you like -all in black and white addes a touch or formality since you'll see it from your living room. [traditional hall design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2107) by san francisco interior designer Amoroso Design Alternatively, you could just have a beautiful rug there and the console table and grand lights like this space: [traditional hall design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2107) by los angeles interior designer Elizabeth Dinkel I started a search for you so you can gather some inspiration from here as well: Here is a link that might be useful: [Wide hallway with console table images[(https://www.houzz.com/products/wide-hallway-console-table-prbr0lbl-pl~l_88732)

rockybird, I would love to hear what your architect says. I thought $2K was really high too. We went to IKEA to see if we could customize Pax doors this weekend and I think it's possible, but it was so crowded, couldn't find a sales associate that could help us and we were too hungry to deal with it. So we left. I usually can't deal with IKEA unless it's on a random Tuesday morning and no one is there. justgotabeme, that site is awesome! I've bookmarked that for our exterior doors, when we change out. I love some of their designs! We are going back and forth over the doors and the current plan is just to get plan birch panel doors (like the above photo ineffablespace posted), drop a similar header and just call it a day. That would run us about half of the price of those glass IKEA-esque doors, including labor/installation. And it would provide some warmth and wood tones in an otherwise very white hallway. The ventilation will be in the header. Too many decisions, too many decisions. I still need to start my Christmas shopping!! :)

Enduring: the game room is actually the original house dating to 1790. The part with the kitchen is the addition :). Game room is about 12 x 14 with only one 6 foot segment of uninterrupted wall. 100 years ago, it was the dining room and our current dining room was the 'front' parlor, but we dont' really feel a need for a front parlor these days. Palimpsest: Good idea to check out old design books. Haven't been to the local library lately, but would be good to see some things that aren't just today's style since I don't want to get too stuck there anyway. The contractor I plan to use seems to have a tendancy to make things a bit more finished than suits my taste (why would I need trim around a wall oven--oh yeah, that's how they make money :) ), so I need to prepare myself to push back and allow the space to be a little funky. Aliris: I was playing around with that pennisula idea too after Rosie suggested one coming out from the other wall. It actually works pretty nicely as it doesn't obstruct the main traffic route for guests from dining/living to guest bath and doesn't obstruct the windows. It does result in a lot less counter space and storage however than island plan and I really want that counter space! Chris 11895: Yes, I've had the home depot kitchen designer and three different contractors (2 only do kitchens) on site. You guys have come up with everything they did and a good bit more. Thanks! Thanks to everyone for all the ideas. I'm really glad I listened to that gut feeling that something wasn't quite right and asked for help. Without the push, I never would have mocked up that chimney and discovered what a bad idea it was. Nor would it have occured to me that I could move the counter just far enough off the window wall to allow for light and cleaning rather than making it a tight passageway. I'll need to figure out what goes back there (shelves? table?), but that's something I can play around with once the counters are in. So, I think at this point I'm very happy with that idea. It leaves me with a comfortable width galley, lots of counter space, and I get to keep my kitchen table and radiator, which are my favorite parts of the kitchen as it is now. I know some of you despair at putting anything even partially in front of the windows, but believe me, when they are through the whole house you realize that the other option is having no furniture! We have a couch set up like this in the living room: sofa table behind it between the two windows and then sofa is a couple feet out from the window wall. It still leaves the light and windows visable, but makes the room functional. I have an appointment to order cabinets next week, so I'm going to move on to the next set of decisions. I'm sure some of those will lead to a few more questions! And yes, pictures will be forthcoming in a few months.

Your home is gorgeous! I spent a year renovating a 1939 petite colonial (1700 sf). In my case, I had to add a kitchen as the old one was tiny had badly renovated in the 1990s. A few workflow tips in your newer post with the kitchen. I'd put the prep sink at the range end of your island, instead of at the dining room entrance end. Think about it -- you chop, then have to carry the food to the range. Please rethink that desk in your kitchen. I've had "work/message centers" as built-ins in previous homes, but here in my new old house, I'm using a piece of furniture -- a drop-front secretary where I can close up the mess when guests arrive, but sit there and work (printer in the bottom). You can put the secretary in any room. Where your desk is located, it's not a drop station for bringing in the mail, schoolbooks, etc. For aesthetics, please try to make the kitchen fit the spirit of the house. White cabinets would likely fit it better than stained wood. Consider having at least a few glass-front upper cabinets. If you turned that desk space into storage, you wouldn't need to line the walls with upper cabinets. It's amazing what you can fit into a "hutch" look that would fit the aesthetics of your home. I had hutches flanking my farmsink in my previous home. One for pantry items, the other for dishes. My current 1939 home new renovation -- hutches -- the one of the left of my paneled fridge is for dishes and the one one the right side is filled with food items stored in canisters and containers. My kitchen is only 12x12 as the dimensions are in keeping with the original room sizes. The dining room is 12x12 and the living room is 12 x 21.