One of my friends just got a divorce and moved into her own house. She was so excited about picking up a whole set of matching waterfall bedroom furniture at a flea market. I must admit, I was sketpical -- my experience with waterfall has been a lot like everyone elses here, it seems - old lady-ish, chenille, the whole bit. She moved it into her bedroom (a blank white box in a newly constructed townhome) and kept the accessories sleek and minimal -- she has a simple satin-y coverlet, some solid colored floor length drapes, and that's about it. Since there's nothing else to distract your eye (unlike some of those wallpaper patterns in the ads above - eeks!), the furniture has really become the focal point in the room. You really notice the lines and the beautiful inlays and hardware. Her lamps and dresser accessories lean toward vintage glamor -- a vintage dresser, silver hand mirror, crystal perfume bottle -- she even has some vintage makeup containers from the 40s that she's scattered here and there on the vanity. The room is vintage without being dated, glamorous without being over the top, and basically very much suits a midlife woman moving on with the rest of her life instead of screaming "granny furniture". Like I said, I was skeptical, but I'm a convert.....just keep the lines simple and let the furniture do the talking.

Thanks for everyone's feedback! This was helpful. Your suggestions have prompted me to think about alternative options, especially considering how difficult it would be to detach the conduit (I thought I just loosen the nut thingies, but looks like that's not the case). I figured there's no way to replace or expand the current switch box, so I'll find a way to just add a second one alongside it and use two separate switch plate covers. After opening the wall more, it seems there's just a board running between the two studs (see pic) that the current box is nailed to. I plan to get another box that's the same depth and just screw it to the same board. Punch the holes between the two boxes, connect wiring through there. Not sure how many electrical codes I'll be violating haha...

@Anna & @NHBabs- I was trying to say add an above window pergola...not add a window =) We definitely don't have the room for that inside. I think with Dougs design a pergola would be too much though. We can definitely do a smaller, more affordable version of that gorgeous front deck. We are experienced DIYers and can do much or all of the work ourselves and with a few changes its completely affordable. I actually have more of the pavers from our walkway that can be added to the front area to widen that landing out some, though we won't go as wide on the left side as is shown because our yard gets narrower there against the neighbors yard. We can do stone that matches our existing stone out back on the steps and instead of stone columns we can do thick wood posts with black metal caps, and the affordable black aluminum railings that we had planned anyway, which would match our new back deck perfectly. We have considered stone in the chimney at some point in the future, though it won't be next year. It won't be quite as grand as Dougs design but gives a very similar look for alot less $$. I think to the left of the door we can add a long, covered, decorative bench box for wood storage in that space. That way we have wood for a week in the winter without trudging to the fire wood shelters out back every day or so. (We have 2 wood stoves that get used alot in the winters here.) We never use our entrance unless we are going out the front door for mail, and all our friends use the back entrance as there is ample parking out there. I can see us sitting out there on the deck with a glass of wine in the shade though. Since the only visitors we get out front are deliveries and people selling stuff, we probably don't need to add anything for sheltering them lol. Still struggling with house color. Currently its a pale yellowish color my husband hates (ditto for me) and it clashes with our new stone. We were thinking maybe something more earthy in a brown/gray...meaning not just brown or gray, something with a mix of both. Or maybe a darker beige. We'd like to darken it up a bit. The shingles are a dark gray but do have a little brown/tan in them along with the black and gray. Its called Canadian Driftwood.

@ Belaria Seriously? Keep the brick? Nah! I'm old enough to remember when this sort of edifice was new and the latest au courant thing in all the home decorating mags. It was a terrible idea then, and is more so now. Think about it. As a cooking area how does it rate? It does not have any "countertop" on either side of the cooktop. Where do you put hot pans? Across the room? How about storage? Where are the pots, pans, condiments, sauces, hot pads, etc -- all the stuff you use in cooking? Since this bomb-shelter was built kitchen design has moved on to arrange kitchens in task groups in which everything needed for a task such as cooking is located in the area where the cooking is done. It would be impossible to do that with the bunker still in place. There is no storage in this "cooking area" to speak of. It violates at least a half dozen of the NKBA's kitchen planning guidelines. I could go on, but I'm getting a headache. Sorry, but the brick really has to go. As to the rest of the kitchen, I agree with herbflavor. Hire a cleaning service to give everything a good scrub. Update the technologies (add electrical, new faucet, sink, range, refrigerator, etc.). Leave the cabinets alone except to load them with the latest pull-outs, swing-outs, drop-outs, fall-outs and organizers of all kinds, maybe replace the tile floor, save scads of money by not re-doing a kitchen that does not need re-doing, take a nice vacation to Miranmar with the money you saved.