I posted this already and who knows where it is, but it's a crazy non-sequitor in someone's thread. And you probably saw these anyway. Here is a jib thanks to chijim and Arch. Digest. You can see it, but all this says is "THIS door isn't as important as the others". I have seen Obvious jib doors in dining rooms that said "The Servants Come in through here, You Don't". Speaking of Dining Rooms. See the columns here. Notice the wall thickness. Notice also that they ranked the orders, with lower order on the pilaster and higher order on the full column: This dining room would only be improved by DeGournay grisaille paper with the figures in color. That would be On Crack. Please do a scenic in your dining room. It would only add another $20K to $50K to the budget. What bugs me in this picture is the "smoke" coming out of the mirror over the mantle.

How about putting a ceiling in the closet? Would solve your lighting problem and reduce dust in the closet. If you stick with recessed cans, maybe try to find one with a deep black baffle. Depending on where the bed is situated, it may eliminate the glare from seeing the actual lamp (bulb). The con is that depending on ceiling color, a black baffle may stick out in your ceiling. The other option to reduce glare is an alzak reflector. Also use a lamp with a narrow beam pattern; even narrow flood might be okay. I agree. I wouldn't want pendant rods blocking my view out the window. Are wall mounted lights an option? You may lose some closet space, but it would definitely solve your problem. Be mindful of placement and bulb type to reduce the chances of burning something. Hmm..wonder if it's against code. If you go this route, I would still have ceiling cans so you don't end up with a dark ceiling over the closet.

CEF, even dumping $300,000 into our house, we would have to spend more than twice that to get what we want elsewhere. It is expensive in my neck of the woods! We are in an awesome neighborhood, with great neighbors, amazing school system (to stay in this school system we would have to pay double AND remodel) and we are very close to metro, shops, DC etc. we love our house and we want to make it ours! Our kitchen will only be about 120 sq ft. Same size. The four of us fit here perfectly. :) I hate needing lights during daylight hours so lots of natural light appeals to me. we also have a very nice back yard and look forward to the views. I used to really like separation. Now, I like a little, with some more open spaces. Our living area is actually large compared to the rest of the house. Just because you open it up doesn't mean you will lose the other spaces. I think it really depends on how you want to live your life in your home. What is important to you won't be important to others. I think if you live your personal life in a way where you are always saying "gosh, I wish this were more open so that I could (fill in the blank)" then I think it you should really consider it. I don't think you need a huge house to make yours more open. JMHO. I am considering posting updates on the small house forum.

Our remodel has finally begun. We went away for 2 weeks (Bay Area, Not-Yosemite, and Reno) and came home to a down-to-the-studs kitchen last night. In addition to the kitchen, we had our chimney removed, which necessitated completely emptying two closets (including the shelving), are moving the kitchen window, and are having our floyer floor redone. It feels like a lot My two busiest threads are here: one and here: [two[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/resuming-terrible-kitchen-planning-chimney-is-going-dsvw-vd~4869963?n=20) We are doing Chantilly White shaker uppers and pickled oak shaker lowers. I know pickled oak is not a favorite here (lol at the understatement), but it's what runs thru the rest of our 100yo house, including built-ins, and I like the idea of continuing it. Designer also gives it a big thumbs up. We are also doing Glacier White (or whatever it's called) Corian, SS Karran sink & appliances, light turquoise back-painted glass backsplash, turquoise Marmoleum flooring and a cool spot of Byzantine Bianco wall tile from Tilebar (alternating the flat with the 3d). Foyer flooring will be the Fine Line penny round pictured below. We were having a very hard time making a foyer floor decision, and when the designer brought this sample to us (completely different from what we were looking at), we fell in love. It's kind of expensive but the foyer is small so it's manageable. I am not posting the plans because I already know who likes them and who doesn't, and at this point the negative feedback is pointless. We have a small space and want to keep the footprint the same (aside from removing the chimney), and we are happy with the compromises we made. If you look at the "before" pictures, you will see how bad it was (esp the peninsula from hell). Trust me when I say that the new kitchen will be so much better and more functional. Idk if everyone will love the colors and style, but that's OK. I am very excited about them. Can't wait for my funky floor!! What I am not excited about is the process. We've got about 2 months to go. My kitchen is in my living room currently, and it is cramped (and dusty). We will have intermittent access to the dining room, so we will probably be eating in the basement a lot. My son's closet still can't be put back together as they haven't drywalled and painted the area the chimney ran through. He has a big closet (well, big for a non-walk-in) and I use it for household stuff as well as for his stuff. School starts in about 2 weeks, and both my kids have big transitions ahead (middle school and high school). Both have some special needs and do best with a predictable and mellow routine, and that's totally shot. The cat is also confined to the upstairs b/c of the dust, and he is a very people-oriented escape artist. Let's just say that he is not happy. Ugh. I know that it will be worth it in the end, but it's going to suck in the meantime. Oh! We're also painting the dining room. The upper part will be SW Rice Paddy, and the lower BM Chantilly Lace. As much as I LOVE my Marimekko canvas print, I have never liked how it looks on the white wall. The Rice Paddy will set it off perfectly, and it will give the DR some fun too. Pic of that below as well. Foyer floor Dining Room Wish us luck!!!!