If you want a small tree at the right end of bed (near corner) then putting in a Hydrangea that's NOT a tree, won't work. You'll need to find another place for it. Earlier I recommended PG Hydrangea which can be grown as a small tree. Burning Bush, common Lilac or Philadelphus coronaria are other large shrubs that make good small, multi-trunk trees. For planting a large groundcover bed, you'd want to arrange plants in rows with the leading row in line with the front edge of the bed, but set back a uniform distance from it. Usually, the same spacing between plants works well as the front set back distance... so let's say for Hosta, 18". Then space them 18" apart in the row. 18" Behind that row is another row laid out in the same manner, except that you would place these plants not directly behind the first row, but offset them so that they are staggered relative to it. Continue the process until you have reached the back of the bed and filled it up. Since you are planting around trees, just don't place a Hosta where the tree is. You can come close, but not so close that you are struggling with tree roots (the tree being the Dogwood) as you don't want to disturb its ability to grow. When the Hosta grow, they will nestle around the tree trunks just fine. Though you PLAN the planting beginning with the first row, you'd actually install plants beginning with the last and work your way backward so you are not crushing installed Hosta as you plant more. That's the manner in which you'd approach laying out a normal large bed. Now let me contradict that. If your bed is only 4' deep from front to back, the above instructions would only allow you to place 2 rows in the bed. That'd work OK, but if you have sufficient Hosta and want a full look more quickly, keep the plant spacing the same, but adjust the row spacing so that you can fit in 3 rows...say each being 12" apart. (Spacing would now be 18" o.c. x 12" rows.) Whether you install whole Hosta clumps or split them up is a factor of How many you need vs. how many you have available. Split them if you're going to need a lot of Hosta or if the clumps are so huge they just need splitting.

I like your new layout! It's very open, but I'd like to see a more detailed/closer picture of the kitchen area. If it were me, I'd have the dining room in front of the double window by the island and move the family room towards the stairs. Have you thought about changing the windows and making the former nook windows into a french door and taking out the former kitchen sink window? Then maybe add a corner fireplace? Very cozy, but more spacious than your earlier arrangement :)

blue, Agree that we would like the range and hood to be more prominently displayed in the kitchen, but is having an island between the refrigerator and range worth moving the range a few feet? Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Any suggestions for your point about the left side of the island having a view of the powder room toilet? Shutting the door to the powder room :). I tried adding a leg to the island to create an L shaped island (see below), but I don't think I have enough room between the island and the refrigerator now. Thanks for the comment on the sofa table. We looked on Houzz at sofa tables and agree that a table would look nice there. We can move the sectional a couple feet closer to the TV to make room for the sofa table and ensure there is enough room between the table and sofa table (also have the table at four feet from the west wall so I could move it over a foot). Didn't realize our master suite was out of proportion to the rest of the house (2300 SF on main floor, 1300 SF on second floor). 21' x 13' for master bedroom a little wide? The sitting area really isn't necessary, but we wanted access to the back yard from the master bedroom. The closet is pretty big but we don't want to have to keep off season clothes, etc in different areas of the house. We have a fireplace in our current home that we've only used a few times in the 8 years we've been here. We'd rather have windows than a fireplace. Considered a two-way fireplace somewhere but felt it was money we could spend better elsewhere. Thanks for your suggestions.

The house is beautiful as it is, I mean stunningly beautiful and I'm sure when the "sold" sign went up on it there were a lot of people who love modern homes that cried. In a spirit of honesty that only one netcitizen can say to another -- work with the house not against it. Or at least live with it for a while and see if you don't fall in love with it the way it is and then come up with changes that will enhance it instead of making it embarrassed to show it's face in public. I think the fact that you are a traditional girl who's fallen for a modern home has the makings of a really great love story -- but only if you can love it for who it is and not by trying to change to be something it's not and never will be.