Thanks Mark Bischak, Architect. The furniture looks about right to us for what we would put in the home. A lot of it will be starting from scratch.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of a similar space, but from the look of what was designed for you, it will be a very cramped feeling space that I fear won't work and function very well. Just nearing completion on our custom build, and we have a similar open concept great room that encompasses Living/Family room, Dining room, and Kitchen. The approximate dimensions are 9.3m wide x 9.75m. The house is also a 3 bedroom 2 bath plus powder. Total conditioned living space is 232 square meters. I think if possible you need to consider a larger footprint, or else some redesign. Best wishes on your project.

Jazz Easy thanks very much. It's good to get input from other homeowners. I agree that I feel the space is cramped. The more I look at it, the more I feel I need to go back to the architect.

You also need to consider how much space you need between chairs & obstructions. It looks like there's not enough between the island & couch. Seems like a lot of space wasted in the bottom right hand corner of your layout. If you're trying to meet a square meter goal, you may be better off clustering your bedrooms on one side. You may want to consider looking at standard builder floorplans for size comparison, since your layout is similar to current builder styles, at least in the US.

When you move the kitchen to the front wall, will you make it an L shape? Will you keep the island? Will the island and seats impede passage from the bedroom hall to the other end of the house?

I wonder if you would like something between the two bedrooms as a buffer? If you move the closet to that wall, and put the bedroom door directly opposite your bedroom door, then you could have a nice piece of artwork on the end wall. And the bedroom window would move out of the corner, bringing more light to the bedroom.

I really dislike the layout of the master bath - at a minimum I’d move the toilet to be under the window and then space the sinks out a bit. I agree with the comment about needed traffic space between island and sofas. Overall I like the plan - just some needed tweaks.

Also noticed lack of entry storage - coats, shoes, etc.

Is there a reason you need both a slider from the family room AND a french door from the kitchen? I'd recommend making the slider a picture window instead, and then you can have the two sofas facing each other, parallel to the window wall. That will make the spaces more delineated and less cramped feeling.

anj_p thank you. I agree that it's all very cramped. I'll keep looking through the floor plans online.

Get rid of the barn doors.

Sabrina Alfin Interiors out the front there is the pool, outdoor decking etc. There are meant to be as many sliders/French windows as possible along that wall to maximise pool access, view, light etc. I do think it looks cramped as is.

thinkdesignlive me too! It stinks doesn't it? Who the heck wants their toilet in front of the door like that? I did the layout for that room and gave it to them and they gave me this back. I was not impressed. The master bath is changing for sure. Same with entry way. The architect moved it from where I had it originally which was opposite the utility room. That's where all our boots, coats, etc. will go as we have a child and a dog. So I wanted it to be a practical entrance way. It's moving back. I agree there isn't traffic space in the living area. That's what I hate about it. I can deal with a smaller room size but I hate to have to walk around furniture to get from one end of the room to the other.

bpath reads banned books too yes the island/seating/hallway combo is my concern. I feel like I need to bump that wall out so the kitchen has room to breathe. I love the ideas for the bedrooms. Genius idea to move the wardrobes over in the second bedroom. Thanks for that!

I would want the area bigger too. I would choose both sliders or both French doors not one of each. I agree lots of access to outside is ideal.

Do you have enough storage for things like seasonal gear, seasonal decor, pool items, outdoor serve ware, and the like?

Mark Bischak, Architect sorry - what are the barn doors? Which ones are they?

I wonder if Mark means the doors in the two bathrooms. But I think they might be pocket doors? Anyway, you might consider regular doors there. I’d be more inclined to put a pocket door into the laundry, because I think that door will stay open most of the time, and a regular door will block access to the storage on the right side.

bpath reads banned books too good question. I need to look more at storage for things like seasonal decor you're right. We are planning an outdoor storage space for larger items under the car port. But some indoor space would also be good.

A S I agree the two door combo looks weird. I have no idea why they did that but there you go. I'll make a note.

bpath reads banned books too aha! Yes. They are pocket doors. I hate pocket doors so they're going unless necessary. Like your point about the laundry room. Will take a look.

What??? I love pocket doors so much! We're designing a custom home that we'll never be able to afford to build (we are discovering), and I have pocket doors everywhere (mainly using them to separate rooms because we're tired of open floorplans). Ha. Goes to show. :)

anj_p that's too funny. I had a terrible pocket door in my room when I was a kid. it didn't have a floor runner and swung about. I'm sure that's what's given me my pocket door trauma. I have just found some beautiful sliding doors and am considering cancelling the whole open plan thing for them. I too am finding my dream home is costing more than I'd like. Good luck!

Yeah, the problem with closing up a floorplan is you need more room! Open floorplans have the benefit of using one walkway for two spaces, so everything can get smaller. I loved the pocket door idea between rooms since it makes things so versatile. We have 2 pocket doors in our current home and they work great - so maybe construction has come a long way since you were a kid! No floor track for ours either, but they don't swing at all.

We're finding that we could build our same house, just make it custom, and it costs 20% more. It's disheartening.

If you shifted the bedroom wing and had the jog in the front of the house instead of the back it would allow the couch to not be in direct line with the bedroom hallway.

Good idea mainenell! And I think I'd add a few feet so the dining table doesn't end up like that :) I like to allow a minimum of 3.5' - ideally 4' behind a dining table and right now that table looks pretty tight to the outside wall.

They're pocket doors.

mainenell thank you. That is something we thought about doing. I'm glad someone else has suggested it.

thinkdesignlive I agree there needs to be more room around the table. I hate feeling cramped in any space.