I would vote for the extra upstairs space, especially if all six beds are occupied. I know you did not ask, but the bathroom area makes me clautrophobic with all of the walls and little enclosed spaces. I think the bathrooms can be designed to feel more spacious yet still give privacy for 6 to use. Also, I would make the laundry area open to the hall. The two door entry from both bathrooms "wastes" wall space that could be used for a folding/sorting counter and takes space that could be better used by the bathrooms. This is all just my opinion, and I understand if the design works for you and your family.

Thanks. I e-mailed a local paint company with a good reputation, and their ballpark was $3000-$4000 including the ceiling. Yikes! That's still quite a bit higher than your figure. I was actually hoping to do it for $1000. $1500 tops. I used to live in Chicago, and from what I can gather, painting costs are a lot higher in Philly. Anyone know a good painter in the Philly 'burbs who would work with me to do this for a fair but reasonable price?

I just used Aura matte in our playroom/guest room and it turned out great. Beautiful finish. I wanted a matte surface but it had to be scrubbable. Here's a link that shows the photos from the room. The color is not a BM color, but it was paint matched in BM aura. I liked it so much that we're doing our kitchen in BM aura matte, too. Here is a link that might be useful: My first before and after pics

The demilune table you have is very nice for the spot. Don't make the mistake of thinking you need to fill the whole wall just because it's tall. Try to keep things in proportion and remember to "decorate where you live". That means hanging artwork, mirrors, etc. as if your ceilings were 8 or 9 feet tall. Whatever you hang over your entry table should be about 2/3 to 3/4 the width of the table and no taller than the height of your door frames. I know it seems like there's going to be a lot of empty space, but that's okay. I moved from a 1949 cape with 7 1/2 foot ceilings to a house with 11' vaulted ceilings and had to learn that things really do look better hung at normal height. The current chandelier seems to be well proportioned for the space and hung at the right height. When you replace it, try to stay to something in that same size range. Congratulations on your new home!