Here is a better floor plan of our space. This is almost to size, don't know why the dimensions are not showing up in the saved jpg. Here is the 3D Fun2BHere, the square box kind of thing in the living room is why we cannot really have anything inside the walls. You are correct tho in that it would be the perfect solution! We will ask to make sure of course/ My husband doesn't think it is possible tho. AnnieDeighnaugh, this is a scale drawing and it is so wonderful to actually "see" the options!:) We do have an antique chiffarobe that is so perfect in the corner next to the single entryway(option). I would hate to move it from there unless absolutely necessary. tracie.erin, you are right! I am so excited about having more space while entertaining. We don't have too many big parties but our rooms don't hold more than 4 extra people! I know that I will not be able to put any furniture on that wall in the family room anyway since it is a passageway from the bedrooms (please see the new images) Now on the living room side...I am not sure. For now we are planning to have two chairs there. tashasilvester as you can see from the new images, we have built ins on both sides and it will be too expensive to remove them. Making such a huge change does worry me and I have been mulling over this for months now! I also worry about resale value if we decide to open that wall up. My ideal solution would be to open it up and have an option to close it when needed. I only hope I won't regret it in the future, say when the kids are older! Thank you all for your thoughts...I really appreciate them and look forward to more!

The floating wall! The floating wall! Yes, that is so much cooler than the picture I'm about to show you of... a 1980s time capsule. The plantation shutters do a good job, when closed, of hiding the euro-style cabinets. Even with the shutters closed, but the louvers opened, you couldn't see that charming detail, but it didn't seem so closed off and you could have a conversation through them. (there was a dining table and a small sideboard below the window) With the louvers closed, it was just neutral, but not a blank wall. Of course, these are the realtor pics so they were open. As for sink open to LR, that's just my preference. I like my kitchen more separated, especially the sink. I think I'd rather a window above the sink than completely open. But, that floating wall is wonderful.

it is a little awkward with the 2 flooring. I think I would look for something that is taller ( just below the light switch) but narrow so that it can be totally on the carpet but right up to the hardwood with art above

If you don't want hardwood in the kitchen there is no reason that you need to do hardwood in the kitchen. The current trend is to have one flooring throughout your home. Prior to the last 10 years it was much more common to have different flooring in different rooms. Usually a tile or laminate in kitchen and baths, hardwood or carpet in other living spaces. Trends come and go. Pick the flooring that will best fit your lifestyle and make your home work for you. There are many ways to transition from one flooring to another. The transition is easy when there is an architectural break between two room (doorways are most common). Sometimes we can use flooring to define an area and create two spaces where there is no architectural break. My last home didn't have an architectural break between the living room and the entry, but the transition from carpet to tile defined the areas. Here are a few other transitions that are obviously a design choice where two floorings were intentionally selected.