I am not an expert, maybe someone else will post that knows more than me. Here is my experience with my set that I put into my bathroom during a remodel: Check your manual or go online to find it. There should be vent length recommendations in the manual. There is also a standard calculation to determine the length of vent pipe you can use. There are several considerations. One, for example, requires that each 90 degree turn = 5 feet of pipe. My max dryer vent pipe was listed as 33' but the actual length is no where near that long. My three 90 degree turns used 15' of vent in the calculation from the start. I have about 13' of actual length to get to the outside wall, so that adds up to 28' run of vent. If you can't make the distances work you may have to get a buster fan that is installed in the pipe to help. Another concern with putting the W/D upstairs is the flooring. Is this stacked set going along a load bearing wall? My set requires this setup. If you put it in the middle of a joist span it will bounce too much. Front loaders create a lot of energy with the high rotations.

I just lost my reply -- let me try again. I agree with not painting the stairwell and ceiling all in navy. I think that it might be possible to pull off something like that, but I think you'd need to do a lot of planning and behind the scenes kind of work to do it. (Keep in mind that the LR photos above have lots of white trim, light wood floors, and furniture to break up the navy -- a stairwell doesn't have all that.) I think you'd need to put in additional lighting for starters -- along the stairs, in the risers, runway lights, path lights -- something to define the steps and avoid serious injuries (yours or a guest's). And they'd probably have to be on all the time -- day and night, or at least anytime anyone might be on or approaching the stairs (motion detectors nearby -- and what happens if they don't work?). Definitely would need more overhead lighting too. I'm about to flip from design to lawyer/insurance mode. Just don't do it. LOL I think you can do one wall and carpet navy and the other wall and ceiling either in the pale blue or white -- just make them both the same. Don't do a white ceiling and light blue wall. Make it a clean 50/50. I like the idea of white if there isn't a reason you need the light blue to continue there. Look forward to seeing the carpet installed.

Dress designers first make a trial copy before they cut up their expensive fabric. You might try something similar yourself. Before you start replacing columns and garage doors and shutters... Try painting. I always think front entry garages look better with the door disguised. If we could make it disappear, even better. Pick one of the colors in your brick ( which I don't think is yellow, I think it's really a nice beige with some good dark accent bricks), and paint the garage door that color. Those round pencil columns are attractive. If it were my house, before I did anything to those columns, I would paint the shutters just a little bit darker than the dark brick. If the brick is chocolate, I would mix chocolate with black paint for the shutters. Then ignore it for a few days, and sneak up on the house and look at it with a fresh eye. That will help you decide what color to use on the front door. My first impulse is often a deep lacquer red. It's a beautiful house. Have fun!

If you have the space, you could build into the room itself, creating full or partial height wall to block the cold winter winds and give you a place for the jackets, mittens and shoes. You can actually build it if you own the place or fake it with cabinets/bookshelves.