I have a "closet office" off the living room. It's 5' wide, by 7' long. One window. The door opens out into the living room; the door is on one of the 5' walls. It's cozy, to be sure. At the moment, it's utter chaos; I'm making do with a cheap, small, unfinished corner desk, and papers I'd dearly love to have in filing cabinets are piled on the floor against one wall. The desk is against the wall opposite the door; I sit with my back to the door. I've been planning builtins, which I'll build myself, so I don't have to try to find as-built furniture that fits. The interior 7' wall will be bookshelves, floor to ceiling. Planning to make the first 30' or so be slightly deeper, with sliding doors. Above that to ceiling, open shelves. Deep enough for small hardcover books, no more. The desk will be narrow, with a narrow filing cabinet under on the lefthand side, and the righthand side supported by the base of the bookshelves. Desktop computer under the desk, perhaps in the base of the bookshelf. It's never going to feel like a large space, but we had a similar issue trying to pack in all the functional areas we wanted into a small floor plan. I think this will work out fine; I can fit quite a bit into this space, I think. And frankly, I rather like a small space. Everything's close at hand. Heck, I'll be able to reach a lot of material on the walls without even getting up out of my chair. :-) --Steve

@suezbell: No countertops along that one wall (that's a window to the outside, not a pass through) as it will become a breakfast nook... so there will be a table facing the long built-in bench, and two chairs opposite... leaving space for the fridge to open. Tested the veggie drawers etc in the store, looks like it will behave like the old fridge and come out. Great point about the bathroom vanity... So I measured my largest pans as well as other appliances like the instant pot, deep fryer, etc (as the new unit will also need to store these) and after reading all your feedback I'm thinking I should do 18" cabinets opposite the stove. This allows for a 45" aisle. At the moment, my regular pots and pans fit into two 21" (inner depth) x 30" (outer length) drawers. So I'm hoping they might all fit if I turn the entire bottom section of the new unit into storage for pots/ pans/ appliances. Something like 3 sections (24"/ 30"/ 24") of double pots and pans drawers.

Personally, I don't think that current furniture fits your cabinet. You also might paint it white so it would work with handrails. If you can switch your workplace with the tank, then I'd go with an L shaped table.

Can you take a photo of the wall that has the stairs…the one people believe will be able to accommodate a huge TV for your family? This is a young family who has tried to create some storage for their young children by building the storage beside the fireplace. Perhaps you can add an additional shelf area above the book shelves that have been created, as Beverly has suggested? But, that said, it isn’t necessary to do so. The idea of a long sofa against the bay window is a lovely one. A large open area with a few chairs (swivel), an ottoman coffee table, space for children to play…. Imperatives for a young family!