Lower level -- You're forced to walk the length of the rec room to reach the stairs. I'd rather have the stairs next to the garage for immediate upstairs access. Carrying groceries upstairs will be a constant chore. I'd investigate a dumbwaiter to do your toting for you. Main level -- Foyer will be lovely, but it's a space hog for a room that's essentially a pass-through. I'm not sure how I feel about the living room /dining room. Two separate seating areas so close together doesn't seem practical. A large gathering area and an "away room" (to borrow a popular term from a popular book series) would make the house more liveable. This would mean that a group of ladies could gather in the living room to chat, and the man of the house could still "escape" into a private room to watch football. I like the banquette, but I don't like that the kitchen cabinets are very disjointed with a major walkway right by the sink. Is that a beverage bar by the banquette? If so, it's well placed to be convenient to both the kitchen and the porch. Why the two small rooms /closets next to the pantry? I'd go with one larger pantry. Fewer doors is more simple, more versatile for the future and less expensive. You could still have a door (or a pass-through window) to the outside. I'm assuming that's an outdoor grilling area, and you want access to the pantry supplies. I like the way the office is contained in the master suite area -- keeps it private. The master bath, though, has a lot of wasted space. Baths, with all their expensive tile, are expensive enough, and extra space often = cold. You could easily do away with the "bump out" and have a good-sized bath in that space. With the tub facing the front of the house, don't neglect some substantial window covering. Upstairs -- Okay, nothing outstanding. I don't like the loooooonnnnnngggg bathroom. Maybe I feel that way because both of my current bathrooms look like bowling allies, and I don't like that particularly. You're never close to what you want.

Thanks for the link but I do have say that spending money in order to get a coupon that you have to spend more money to use, is not a "savings" to most people. If one already has plans to spend $100 at Offics Max AND one already has plans to buy a Butterball turkey, at some point in the future, then is is a savings. Otherwise it is a guise to get people to spend more money that they had planned at OM and then shell out for a turkey that they will have to figure out what to do with.

Thanks very much for these ideas. I'm still wondering about something in the off-white/OC range. I have read a million posts and Pins on whites...what I'm stuck on is how they will look in eastern light that is very, very green through the tree canopy. I know from experience now that grey undertones turn to a not-so-pleasant mushroomy color when washed with green light. Beyond those airy photos, I'm imagining something geometric and angular (greek key, or diamonds) on the floor -- could be charcoal and white/cream, or a sisal. One large photo of something architectural (a plant, a bridge) on the wall opposite the gallery wall, over my desk, and a small mirror in a chunky frame on the modern louvered credenza. Love to find a deco-ish light fixture. Any suggestions for a white that would highlight an overall look like that?

I'd think 'glass'. I'd have a contractor assess moving the small piece of stairs so they don't jut out into the room. Have that set of columns removed and add a bit of wall to accommodate glass doors.