Try uploading photos and floorplan.

Thanks @apple_pie_order. Doh. I did but then I had to start over and they didn't follow along.

Very good hand sketches!

I like the V1 option, except the bedroom door location and living arrangement. For the Bedroom I'd open up the french door to the Kitchen and put the Bedroom door to make a square room (don't know what that thing is on the wall that looks like an electrical meter). For the Living I would have the couch where the tv is now, and the tv on the opposite wall, so when entering the unit appears bigger and open. V1 seems like a simple, natural layout where V2 seems forced and contrived with odd room proportions.

Thank you @3onthetree. To be honest I hate bathrooms off kitchens. It's one of those things that really bugs me. Hence the hallway there. If I open it up I still have wasted space there - it just looks more open I suppose. But at least as it is I can a mirror and some art and coat hooks etc on that wall opposite the bathroom. The second thing that really bugs me is a sofa facing a door and then the TV on the other side. I would feel like I was in the hallway all the time. I was planning to swap the direction the front door opens for both versions. Can I ask about V2 and what feels contrived and what it is you don't like about the proportions?

In V1 the sofa certainly doesn't work facing the wall like that. In small spaces functions do double duty - so circulation is captured by other functional spaces to make them seem larger. This circulation from the front door becomes play space for your kid, open to the seating instead of backs facing it. I presume a front door might be closed most times, so it just becomes part of the wall - the space is big and open so there won't be a feeling of a "hallway." When left open it is another window matching the french doors. V1 allows both french doors to be open in the main congregration area, so I envision a bright airy space. If you could move the toilet plumbing, though, I would flip the bed/bath so the bedroom gets the french door.

Don't worry about wall hangings and where decor is placed - unless you are a museum - that just muddles creativity and forces additional restrictions. Get the bones done right first.

If you don't want the bathroom door to be viewed, this version has extended a wing wall to limit that visual. However, in a small studio/1 bedroom you have to shift gears in how you think compared to a 2400sf house. Leaving off the wingwall places the french door more within the kitchen/living - the bathroom door can be kept shut, or left open with the bathroom window bringing in even more light and air.

V2 spaces are further from 'golden rectangle' proportions. Bathroom wastes space. French doors would be better in the living spaces. Enter into kitchen area.

Thank you again @3onthetree. The visuals are helpful. The room where the sofa is is around 3.7m wide so maybe once it's done if I go with V1 I'll play around with sofa placement. I lived in a house where the sofa faced the door for 3 years and didn't enjoy it. I'm wondering if a holiday let will feel differently.

I like that little wing wall you've done. That might work. Unfortunately I think the cost of moving the toilet is just not worth it for the infrequent use the place will get. I wish it was as it would be much easier. The decor comment is not about designing a museum though. It's about useable, practical space for me. I know the living spaces in V1 are larger and more airy but is it making best use of all the space is what I keep coming back to.

As for a 2,400sft home. I had to laugh. I'm in Europe. I've never lived in a house that size. Nor have most of my friends. The above is a lot more my usual size. But it was "designed" by my grandparents who if they had their way would have lived in the barn with their animals and wine barrels so I'm trying to work with some pretty impractical door and window lay outs.

There's 60cm between the end of the bed and the wardrobes in V1. Is that enough do you think?

60cm is 24", tight but doable. I know you'll be staying here longer while the other house is built, but for a weekend or week trip I'm odd in that I've never actually unpacked into a dresser so I don't know how often that many wardrobe cabinets would be used by a normal person for a vacation rental. I would definitely prioritize the living space over the bedroom space though if you are thinking of sliding the wall out.

We'll be here on and off so I'm flexible on that. I am thinking about reducing the wardrobe space there to make it visually lighter too. Definitely wasn't considering pushing out into the living space. Thanks very much.

Greece! Hummm! Is your weather temperate all the time or do you get wintered-in as on Lesbos? Any way you could modify VI to put the shower outdoors and use the same plumbing that's there now? Or would it be in view of your new home? I think it would appeal to B&B guests (I've been in the vacation rental business since 2003.) Consider low cabinetry left of the front door with TV wall mounted above. Then float a 3-seat sofa perpendicular to the "east" wall with its back to the kitchen and a drop leaf table pulled up behind it. There may be room for a coffee table or a chair. You could also put the table on casters so it could be pulled around in front of the sofa if more than a couple of people need to be seated to eat. If you use a sofa bed, you could rent to more guests.

Country French Cottage - Living Room 2 · More Info

Farmhouse Furniture · More Info

Thank you @decoenthusiaste. Greece has properly cold winters all over. Where this property is a pretty wet part of the country as well so an outdoor shower wouldn't work unfortunately. I really like that sofa layout suggestion though. I'm going to try that on my sketches and see how it looks. We were planning a sofa bed so we could rent to a family if we wanted to.

Here is a V3. I think I can stretch to putting the kitchen sink on the external wall and running the pipes that way. Can't do the same with the toilet waste I don't think so that has to stay on the "back" wall so I don't have a pipe for it running around the exterior of the house. What do people think? I've lived in a house with the front door in the kitchen and loved it. Also very common in holiday rentals where I live. The seating island is a table height island rather than a breakfast bar.

If you can center the bed and add deeper drawer chests either side that are large enough for some clothing storage, rather than just night stands, that would be helpful. On your V3, only someone sitting at the table and opposite the TV has a good view. Here's another opportunity to float the sofa perpendicular to the "north" window and mount TV opposite the French doors. How far are you from any restaurants? Not everyone wants to cook their own meals on vacation! I know you'll be living there for a while, but your idea of a smaller efficiency kitchen tucked in by the front door would work well.