Okay, this is where I'm at right now. Let me know if you think I'm on target now. The only thing I'm unsure about it where to go refrigeration wise if I can't make the Thermador Freedom columns work in my kitchen. What's the best fridge quality wise if going with a side-by-side while not having the stomach to pay Sub Zero money. Kitchen Aid or Jenn Air pro? I have a two year old Jenn Air in my current kitchen (Amana with the fancy handles). Also, is it a no-no to do a built in look and have the water and ice in the door? I know it looks better without but man I'm going to hate to have to open a door to get ice and water. Appliance worksheet Option 1 1. Wolf Range top RT366 2. Wolf single or double wall oven SO30F/S - Classic Stainless Framed or DO30F/S - Classic Stainless Framed 3. Sharp microwave in kitchen island 4. Thermador dishwasher (Bosch) DWHD64EP 5. Thermador freedom collection fresh food and freezer columns Option 2 Wolf Range DF366 - 6 burners Sharp microwave in kitchen island Thermador dishwasher (Bosch) DWHD64EP Thermador freedom collection fresh food and freezer columns

I like your first color scheme, the second not so much as red is not a color I could use but those are my color biases showing. The khaki/green/grey in the link pic is very similar to my den which is one of my all time fav colors. Can't tell you the name as I mixed it myself. My DH was not at all convinced I could do it and I'm sure he thot I was wasting paint but it really turned out great. Choosing paint colors is my all time least fav activity so I'm always thrilled when I get it right. Here's some info on the psychology of color as regards using it in learning situations such as your homeschooling "classroom". Another way you might choose a color for that room is to consult your children as to their favorite colors. Children learn better in rooms with colors they like. ~Blue increases productivity, induces calmness, but can create feelings of sadness. ~Green is calming, relieves stress, is motivating, and can improve reading ability. ~Yellow is a creative color and stimulates brain activity so is thot to enhance learning but is tiring to the eyes and may cause frustration and anger. So this may not be a good color for a classroom despite some positive attributes. ~Red and orange tones are too invigorating for a classroom IMO. So I think your soft blue-green may be a very good choice for that room.

I read an article on this site not long ago (can't remember where now) that I thought gave some good advice. Buy a couple of high quality pieces. Really nice sofa and chair for example in a neutral color. Then accessorize and add color with less expensive pillows and smaller more original pieces from flea markets as others have suggested or even second hand stores. If you spend some time browsing photos on Houzz and start an idea book you will soon see the similarities in what you like or don't like. Even colors you gravitate towards. So you could get some nice pieces and ideas from Ethan Allen but don't buy everything from them. Fill in with less expensive and unique pieces. It will keep the room from looking like a showroom. Also once you pick fabrics or pillows you like paint stores (at least my local SW) is great about helping pick out paint colors. I think you could very well pull a room together based on an inspiration photo and help from furniture and paint stores. I am no whiz at decorating but I have learned a lot from reading these forums. Good luck and have some fun with it :)

To piggyback on Virgil's comment...could you design the empty nest space on one floor with separate climate zones so that later on you can completely close off part of the house unless you have guests. This makes perfect sense. Specifics I'd care about: - Place everything you and your spouse will need once you're "empty nesters" on the first floor ... and make sure it's elder-friendly. - This is an ugly thought, but it's realistic: It's easy to consider you and your spouse living in this 4000 square foot house together as empty nesters ... but one day one of you will be widowed. Will 4000 square feet still feel okay then? - Put the kids' bedrooms upstairs, but make sure you can close off that space when no one's using it. Be sure you have at least one bedroom that can hold at least a queen bed so that visiting adult children (who bring along a spouse) can be housed comfortably, and think about a room that could become a grandchildren's room. - This upstairs space might one day be needed for a live-in caretaker (who could be a child or grandchild, or could be a paid caregiver). - Lose the loft and instead make the basement a kids' hang out space. - A completely different thought: Design the house so that you have two bedrooms upstairs for your younger children ... and a one-bedroom apartment (with a separate entrance PLUS a lockable connection to the main house) for the older boys. My mom has this set-up in her house, and it has proven itself very flexible over the years. In her case, the one-bedroom apartment is connected to the main house with a breezeway. Initially an elderly relative lived in the apartment. Each of us kids took turns living in that bedroom. It's been temporary housing for a number of people. Now my mother lives in the apartment, while my brother and his family have the main house. Heck that double bedroom might not even get a year or more out of it before the boys are off to college. I say that because it may be another year or two before the house is built. Yes, realistically, the oldest boys will barely ever live in the house ... but assuming they're going away for the traditional college route, they'll be home for holidays and summers. They may or may not come home after college, but they're not likely to stay long. My oldest has been out of college two years now, and as I think about her high school classmates, only one is still living at home with her mom ... and it's because she is a single mother. I know plenty of empty nesters living in 4000+ sq.ft. houses and none of them are overwhelmed. Eh, I bought my current 2400 square foot house from an empty nester who was overwhelmed both with the upkeep and the cost of the home. I know a couple other people who would like to downsize ... but they can't unload their large houses and/or can't find something small and manageable for the same cost now. I do know one retired guy who stocks grocery shelves part-time literally because he can't afford his oversized house ... neither can he sell it. As for maintenance and upkeep, well, if one can afford to build such a house, they will probably still be able to afford it 30 years later. And also afford the help to clean it. Totally disagree. Speaking hypothetically, definitely not pointing at the OP, whose financial situation I don' t know: pretty much anyone can borrow to build a big house ... but that doesn't mean the individual can afford to retire AND maintain the big house. No one wants to discover too late that he cannot afford to travel, etc. in retirement because of the necessity of maintaining a big house. I have always told my husband that I wanted a home where all the kids would have a bed to sleep on when they chose to come back home to visit. Yes, I always want to have a space for my kids ... but at 4000 square feet, you have space for other people's kids too. Remember that an average house in America today is 2400 square feet; you're looking at practically double that size. I agree that's important too, but a few thoughts on that. How many will be moving far from home and how many will be staying with you at the same time? This is more unpredictable than your own health. With four kids, will they live nearby and visit but never stay the night? will they move far away? will they likely come back to visit at the same time? will they send their kids to stay with you two weeks every summer? Other thoughts: - That's a lot of garage for anyone. - I like the connection between the laundry and the master closet. - The master bath could use improvement. - You're devoting a huge amount of space to bedrooms ... but not nearly as much to eating space. Fast forward a decade or two: imagine four children, spouses and grandchildren ... you don't have anywhere to feed even half that group! And, in my experience, you're more likely to have family for a day /a meal than for overnight. - The placement of the toilet in the shared bathroom seems to be very much "out in the open". I get that this bathroom is designed for sharing, but it could be better.