mlweaving, thanks for asking! He's doing very well. Still no weight bearing, but everything is healing up as expected. He sees the docs again next week and hoping for permission to start some physical therapy. He can't wait to get back to work, maybe the last week of January. As far as the huge pantry, yes, it was that way by design. I have a special needs child who gets into foodstuffs that are in drawers/cabinets and I didn't want to have to worry about child proofing (ie ruining) each drawer/cabinet door. The simple solution is putting all food in a pantry which is easily lockable (he still can't figure out doorknob covers, but I have several other more complicated solutions in mind should he eventually figure out the doorknob covers). Plus I do shop at Costco for bulk items and I'll be storing small appliances like stand mixer, bread maker, crockpot, and I'll be putting a second fridge in there also. I'm considering a section for the printer/shredder/paper recycling as well. I have yet to design the panry in full but I think it will store a lot. As far as how often it will be used....not sure....we don't entertain frequently. But it could be a nice place to wait for the bus each morning also. Chispa, Thanks for the input, good point about the clearance. The whole entry is 8 feet wide, with a bench there it would be under 7. The sidelights are 18" wide a piece.

Thank you for the response! Didn't get a notification from Houzz so just saw it. If I did an arch top opening, how would I do the rest of the hallway? I don't want to make it a barrel vault for the entire length of the hallway. Would it look too broken up if the hallway ceiling started flat and then have the arched top opening at the end right before the vestibule? What would the flat ceiling height and top of the arched openings be to work well with the 11' vestibule? The backup design would have been 10' flat ceiling in hallway opening to 11' flat ceiling in the vestibule. It's just too ho hum for me but I'm having a hard time visualizing the superior design.

Cute home and beautiful wall color! I would use woven or linen roman shades for the windows. In the entry, put your upholstered bench under the window and look for a small table. Use your larger entry rug next to the door and remove the smaller one. In the living area, I would use a glass coffee table, or wood if you like to put your feet up. I would look for light grey or cream colored upholstery for the sofa and chair. Your dining room rug is too small for your table, but you might be able to use it in the living area in front of the sofa and chair.

The foyer area under the stairway is the perfect space for a chair and a table. You can place a flowering plant or flowers on the table. That chair is where you might sit waiting for someone to pick you up, or if someone comes to hour house and is waiting for someone in your family to get ready (i.e. a friend of your children) that is where they would sit. If you get a Christmas tree, you could remove the chair and table in season and put a very tall tree right there and wind a garland up the banister. That is not an ideal place for a piano. If your children play the piano, presumably, you want to be able to sit nearby and listen, so you would want the piano to be in the family room or the living room. If you play the piano, you really wouldn't want to be disturbed by people ringing the doorbell. If you hire someone to play the piano to entertain you and your guests, you would want the piano to be in the room where you entertain your guests, not in the entry foyer. After all, this isn't Nordstrom's.