Regarding a pocket office--- In my previous home, I had a big office space, but because it was upstairs, I went up there only when I was writing or editing for hours at a time. The day-to-day stuff was downstairs. Now, my office is my favorite new piece of furniture that is at one end of my long, narrow living room. I bought a secretary/desk from Arhaus where the inside space is large enough for me to connect my large monitor when I need to edit. I bought an adjustable leather stool, rather than a chair because it forces me to sit correctly when writing. The bottom area locks, has a file drawer and a printer shelf. Everything I need in one place! I also have an antique pie safe (with glass doors) that belonged to my grandfather. It is coincidentally the same height and width as the secretary. It's at that end of the room, too and I use it as a bookcase.

Morgan, I do not mind hopping over to this one to give you additional advice. : ) I am going to give you a heads-up: the further back you go in time, the more difficult it will be to build an exact replica. But, based on experience, I will not tell you that it is impossible because it truly is not. It will just require time, work, and money. Whenever I speak of my project, I like to provide a disclaimer about my involvement. We sought an architect after I researched (extensively), brainstormed, and created schematics for our project. My partner was okay with me taking the reins because of the wealth of knowledge (from design to code) that I had accumulated in regards to the project. Due to our lack of professional experience, I was adamant about getting an architect on board once I knew exactly what it was that we were wanting to create. We sought out architects classical backgrounds--one with notoriety and the other, less renown. The first offered to take my work and create plans. . .the second was willing to jump in and work off of what I had created. We choose the second one for the collaborative experience, and he still has an active role in our project. Anyway, I would recommend that you and your partner sit down and try to come up with a budget, the degree in which you want to replicate a historical home, and how much input you want to contribute to its design. You will need to decide if you want to give the architect or designer unlimited creative freedom, which could be fun to see what they come up with on their own. Or, you can decide if there are any non-negotiable design elements that must be present in your project. But, before you begin, you must do a bit of home work to find out what it is that you truly envision for your project. Like many others who have gone this route, I have accumulated quite a book collection about historical architecture and pattern books. Of those, the two books that I found most helpful in the beginning of our project were: A Field Guide to American Houses (this one because it included all of the American architectural styles in one easy to read text) andGet Your House Right (it provides information for lay persons who are interested in learning more about classical architecture).

I need help deciding on how to arrange the couches and chairs for my living room that has an odd fireplace layout in an open space concept.I also need help deciding on whether to put a TV above the fireplace or not.

I have a huge family and we were raised in a home that was custom built for our family. We were used to having something that functioned perfectly and was highly customized to fit our particular needs. Even the furniture was built to match the architectural details on the outside of the home. Nothing was left to chance. My siblings and I have bought and built homes and some functioned really well and some not so well. The best build was my sister's build. The second best was my other sister's build. Neither of my brothers did as well in planning their builds. I didn't build, but found the perfect home for me while planning to build. The difference in functionality was the thoroughness of the planning stage. I will take you through the differences. What worked, what didn't work. Tom - Tom built a 1500 sf home when he was in his late 20s. He was married, no kids, went to an architect and explained their needs and budget. He wanted a simple 3 br/2 ba ranch for his family which would include 2 children. He also needed a 4 car garage to house his boat and toys and a full basement to store all his excess fishing and hunting equipment. He and his wife have lived in this home for almost 40 years, raised their two boys and are empty nesters. It worked, but it was tight. The kitchen was not well designed, part of the basement became an office, part became a playroom for the kids and when the kids were in high school they added a family room. They moved the laundry from the basement to the garage. Just this year they renovated the kitchen. I think they were very young and didn't fully understand what their needs would be. Betty - Betty owned a home, then moved with her family back to my parents home after my dad passed away. She knew her first home was a starter home and the second home was too big for a small family. There was a development being built just a few blocks from where my parents lived and she selected one of the plans the development was offering and made just a few changes to make it work better for her and her family. The kids didn't need much, as they were both in college and just spending weekends and such in the home. She picked a plan that had the two boys rooms and a large bathroom on one end of the house. She extended the other side of the house and had them make it 5' wider. Those additional 5' gave them storage in the garage, additional closet space in the bedroom and a 5' wide, 12' long pantry off the kitchen She knew from experience that they didn't use or need a formal dining room. She made the space that was the dining room into an office. She also added a sunroom to the back of the house (off the eat in area of the kitchen) so that they could watch the birds, build puzzles, have morning coffee . . . in a space separate from the living room. It also could be a second seating area for the times they did need a bit more dining space. There home functioned very well for more than 20 years. The only thing that didn't always work was the limited space in the eat in area of the kitchen when she had more than 2 additional dinner guests and had to put in the table extenders. It worked, but it would have worked better if it were just 2' longer and 2' wider. Len - Len had owned 2 homes previously, was on a second marraige and she had owned 2 homes previously. Kids were grown and the home was just for the two of them. They bought in a development and selected a 3 br, 2 ba ranch with a full basement and 3 car garage. They made no alteration to the plan. For the most part it works, but the kitchen and dining areas don't work as well as they could. They added a second kitchen in the basement since she loves to can and bake and cook, makes her own sauerkraut, jams, jellies, tomato sauce from tomatoes and the kitchen upstairs is a small, white on white kitchen without nearly enough prep space for her projects. The eat in area of the kitchen fits a 2 person table by the window and the dining room does not have room to walk around the table. Having the second kitchen in the basement is not working out as well now since they are aging and the stairs are more difficult to manage. Side note - basements that are being used for anything more than storage should have a powder room! Urgency and old age makes basements without a powder room a double risk. Susie learned from the others. She owned 2 homes prior to building her current home. She took her time planning the build. She created a notebook where she measured all the rooms in her current home and noted how they used each space, what worked, what didn't work, how much storage space they needed in each space and how often they used the spaces. She determined that the formal dining room and formal living room were used only on holidays and that the space could be better utilized. She visited new build communities and took notes on the houses - what she liked and didn't like. She talked to friends and family who had built homes, visited their homes and asked what they liked and didn't like and kept meticulous notes. She understood her needs and clearly defined those needs. She was not opposed to using an architect to design her home, but found a home plan on the internet that met most of her needs and spoke with the builder who said they could modify the plan and make the necessary adjustments to make it exactly what she wanted/needed. Her home functions beautifully. The original design that she purchased was for a Mediterranean style home. She wanted a Tudor style home. The builder was able to easily change the styling to match her style while using the floorplan and room layout from the original plan (with the modifications she wanted.) My parents used an architect to ensure that their home met all of their needs, but also spent the time determining what their needs were. How much space they needed for each designated purpose. The architect was able to incorporate all their needs into the design. Susie found a design online and had it modified to meet her needs, but again, spent the time and energy to fully understand all their needs and made sure their needs were met. When I planned on moving and was contemplating building, I also made a notebook, measured each room and storage area, took a very close look at how I lived and what I wanted and needed for a home to function well for me. I happened across a home that was so similar to what I was planning it was uncanny. The only real difference was that it was bigger than I could afford to build and had a larger lot than I could have afforded and it needed cosmetic renovations. It was a single story 2000 sf, 2 br, 2 ba home with a windowless office (required by my job - computers cannot be visible from a window), a private backyard with room for my gardens and plenty of space for an active dog to run and play, lots of closet space and lots of living space with the main living spaces connected to the back yard. Not the perfect home for resale unless you sell to empty nesters who need space for their hobbies and entertainment areas and don't need more than 2 modest bedrooms. Lessons learned - don't worry so much about what ceiling height each room will have or if the openings are arched or square - figure out how much space you need in each room and how you will furnish the rooms to fit your needs. If you spend every evening sitting on the sofa and watching TV with half a dozen friends/family members you need a large living room that will accommodate 8 people watching a movie and eating popcorn. Do you like to watch TV while cooking? Do you eat in front of the TV 6 nights a week and only use the table once a week? Would a sofa back table that has a few stools be better than in the kitchen island seating? Do the kids need a separate space or do you all share one space? Do you need a table somewhere in the TV room because your family likes playing board games or do you need a separate game room for game nights that you host every week? Do you buy ready made food and warm it up in the kitchen or cook gourmet meals from scratch? Do you own every new kitchen gadget and new appliance or have your tried and true pieces of equipment? Do you actually use all the gadgets and toys or do they sit in a cupboard unused and just taking up space. Will you ever actually need two wall ovens or will one store your big roasting pan that you have never used? Be absolutely honest in your assessments and thorough in your review of your needs. Knowing how you live and what activities you do when in each room of your home will ensure you get what you need either through the use of an architect or by buying plans and having them altered.