Benjesbride, what you say regarding dining/island makes sense, but unfortunately I have ~11'x16' space to fit in the kitchen. If I decide to rotate the kitchen the way you say it, then my kitchen island will be quite small. I too started out thinking of a longer island and thus came up with option 2, and am not able to find pictures to tell me if that would look ok or not. Secondly, currently the plan is that the Great Room will be mainly conversation area. TV will be in a separate room, so no need to consider TV-watchability. Mama Rachel, your idea of spice kitchen is great! That's the kitchen I started out "wanting". I had to abandon it halfway, however, because of space constraints. My whole house is ~2200 sqft, therefore allocating disproportionately large amount of space to the kitchen would have meant I gave up on some other priorities. Mama Rachel : regarding powder: we decided to ditch the powder because of the availability of full bath on that floor, which otherwise will be guest bath. We also wanted as much storage as possible, therefore decided on having a storage rather than powder. Anyway, here's the original plan. Note that we added ~5ft towards the courtyard and some square footage along top wall (which is facing backyard). I am working on sizing of the entry right now, because I think it's a bit too big for the house, but that space will NOT become available to the kitchen again due to the building rules.

That really leaves you with the current arrangement, replacing the grey chair by the front window with kid stuff and leaving the floating living space opposite the TV. I'd really look into rerouting cable so the TV can be where the large art piece is. It's not usually very expensive and will be necessary in order to keep your walkway from running right in front of the tv.

Dining area: Paint the wall with the arch the same white as the trim and wainscoting. This way you can paint the walls above the wainscoting any color you want. I wouldn't paint the wall behind the kitchen, as it nicely 'grounds' your kitchen in there. But you could add some color by painting the window wall behind breakfast area (and maybe the large lounge). Preferably add color with fabric and decoration. I think the current colors are kinda bland, but well chosen. (And two islands? Really?)

So part of the appeal of RH style for me is they incorporate rustic, organic, industrial, or antique elements into a space that is mostly monochromatic but full of textures. Some characteristics of their style are oversized pieces, as large as the space allows. Large artwork over the sofa, often in black or white or an abstract. The largest rug the living room can hold. Statement light fixtures in every room. Natural fibers and neutral tones. Decorative elements that are large but fewer of them on display, often incorporating wood or metal. What about something like this for a coffee table?