I ordered my custom-width oak bifold unit from Home Depot (a 30" was cut down to fit my 28" doorway, it was only 1/2" from each side of each panel so it wasn't even noticeable, so they could cut down a 36" to fit a 34" width), but they may not be able to do one that short and the paneled or louvered style isn't really conducive to cutting it down in height, just the slab if you chose one of the solid core styles. Slabs can be decorated with moldings to make them less blah. There are several manufacturers of custom bifolds on the web - Google "custom bifold doors". Sturdy wooden shutters could be used the same way if hinged together, and come in many different styles. I have never ordered anything from there but I think the offerings from Kestrel are particularly attractive. I also found a fairly inexpensive source of custom-sized wood shutters, Architectural Depot. I would not use a fully louvered door, I would use one of the dressier paneled style or at most the part-paneled-part-louvered style. Kestrel also has a tongue-and-groove option that would echo your beadboard quite charmingly. You can also have a local carpenter make you up a set exactly to your specifications. While French doors could be cute, I wouldn't envy trying to find a set to fit that doorway, and that extent of customization would be pretty pricey. The best way I can really think of to do it is to try to go through a cabinet door company. French-style large cabinet doors via architectural salvage might be available but they tend to be viciously expensive!

In this one, the laundry room access returns, but at the expense of a sink. There might be a way to have it all if it's played around with a bit. I took the liberty of making a change to the bedroom wing: I don't like a direct view to a bathroom, so I moved Br 2's door, and moved the bedroom hall's entrance to the foyer. Maybe it gives a bit more privacy for the bedrooms, and more wall and usable floor space in the great room, now that it doesn't to serve as an entry to yet another space. And it lets the foyer do more of its job, channeling people to where they want to go. And see how it's a straight shot from laundry to bedroom wing? Oh, and I made it a one-sink vanity. More storage. My kids have a two-sink vanity and one of them just collects dust. The sink, not the kid. Wait, maybe both... Edited to add, the vanity shrunk to one sink in the master because I lengthened the shower...

The office in the gallery section is only a small office for the wife to jot down notes, pay bills, write down memos. Primary office will actually be in the library room that is right of the foyer. I wouldn't want a separate office for these small tasks -- I think the things I'd want would always be in the wrong places. As for jotting down notes and memos and paying bills, that accounts for about 15 minutes a week for me. And as for watching the kids eat, how's she going to do it from a separate room across the "gallery"? I'd say sit down and eat with the kids ... and if this is all you need to do in this small office, consider instead a small desk area to the side of the kitchen or in the mudroom. Main laundry is on the second floor. First floor is for my mother to use and for wife and I to quickly wash any kitchen towels or other small articles of clothing. I know some of you will comment why it isn't then incorporated in her suite...well grandma refuses to have it in her suite area and this way rest of the family can use it too. Initially the w/d was to be a stackable but didn't occur to us until late in the floor plan process that grandma is barely 5' tall and would have a slight issue using a stackable. Therefore architect changed it to current layout and didn't make any other significant modifications to keep his cost down. Hmmm ... I'm 4'11" tall, and I can reach a stackable. If she needs use of the machines, why not move the laundry and half bath over to area that's near her space /marked library ... and move the entire office /library space to what's currently three choppy rooms -- you could then have more library shelves under the staircase. I'm not ecstatic about how entrance to powder room is curved but I don't think it's that small is it? I think the half bath space is fine ... it's the curvy path that I don't like -- it seems contrived and forced by the closet.

I think my closet plans fall into the range of "real people". Most of us don't have Oprah-sized closets or the number of shoes owned by -- is that Mariah Cary? Most of us -- even if we had the space -- wouldn't install a custom island topped with granite. After all, as lovely as these spaces are, they're closets. Here's my inspiration picture -- though at 7' wide x 8' long, my new house closet will be a little bigger than this one: Specifics that matter to me -- obviously, you'll have way more space and will be able to have more: - 3' of walking space down the middle of two aisles. - A pretty light in the middle of the space ... and maybe a couple canned lights on the edges. This is, of course, not important in terms of function, but I want a bit of fancy in the closet. - Since I am only 4'11", I will shorten my hanging clothes area. I want matching hangers. - Plenty of folded space -- we are on the cusp of retirement and won't need lots of dress clothes. Plus we want no dresser in the bedroom, so we want space for EVERYTHING in the closet. - A couple built-in drawers for unmentionables. - Space for roughly 30 pair of shoes for me, 10 pair for him -- plus several pairs of boots for the two of us -- but our footwear doesn't need to be showcased as if they were something special. - A few attractive baskets up top for "boxing up" traveling items, purses, out of season items, etc.... and a planned space for a step stool since I want to access those baskets. - My inspiration pix shows wallpaper on the back wall, but I'll probably paint something pretty with a stencil. I have a round mirror, which I plan to repurpose on the back wall ... and I want a shelf underneath it, which can hold jewelry, etc. - A fluffy rug in the middle of the closet. - A valet rod on each side of the closet for "hanging out" church clothes. - One narrow "open locker" at the doorway on each side ... with a couple hooks. This will be for clothes that we plan to wear again ... a once-worn nightgown, workout clothes, or jeans. This'll keep them separate from the "completely clean clothes".