Thanks all for the honest advice. The furniture on the left is small china cabinet with our crystal barware on display. I don't have to keep it here, but I'm not sure there's another great place for it in the house. Behind that there's a doorway to the kitchen + breakfast nook. I'd hate to redo the drapes since we just got them and they were pricey. They are pinch pleated dupoini, so while not heavy, they are not quite as casual as they appear in the photo (although they really need a good press still). We did think about going taller with them, but got talked out of it at the store, since they said that raising the hardware too far above the window would put it in no man's land--just kind of floating disconnected from the window. I hadn't thought about painting the angled portion of the walls all the way to the ceiling. We've kind of been treating it as a giant tray ceiling and considered that angled part the ceiling. Maybe extending the painted part would help bring the ceiling down a bit? I also like the idea of more/larger art on wall for texture. aktillery--I like the light you posted. Do you know who makes it?

First of all, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this, look at my plan, and assist me. In response to some of the questions/comments... The right side that desertsteph mentioned not being able to see/read on the drawing - right now there is a large old butcher block table there, with 3 wall cabs and some shelves above. We do not use the table - it basically collects junk. I think that area could be used much more efficiently. Yes, this is mostly "steamlining and prettying up"! I'm not opposed to changing things *if* it really makes sense to do it but am not looking to change things just for the sake of change. I think I have a good base and there is no need to tear it all out and start from scratch. I just want to be sure that I am making the most efficient and effective decisions. I was thinking of putting another oven beside the refrigerator; it seems like the easiest place for a new appliance. I do have a floor-to-ceiling pantry that holds a ton of stuff. If I don't put in a second oven, the space beside the refrigerator would probably be a combo of deep drawers and a good sized pantry cabinet, and/or some kind of built-in microwave as right now we have a countertop MW that just sits on an old dresser! The floor is pine planks - very pretty, warm color - all the first floor floors are the same material, and it will remain. The hall door sees the least traffic, so it seems like the cook center is already in the best place given that I need to keep 5 doors into this space. The space between the island and the kitchen table is basically a corridor to the living room, so that needs to stay clear. I briefly considered a new countertop with an overhang on that side but the overhang would make my existing top drawers unusable, so I ruled that out. We do not have an entry room or mudroom at this entrance to the house; there is a brick patio outside this door. Our laundry room is as long as the kitchen but about 6 ft wide; part of this is a half bath, some is laundry, and the rest is storage and "mud room" functions. There is a lot packed into that little space but it works pretty well. I have aspirations of building a covered stoop at the back since we do use this entrance all the time, but that will be a few years away. I don't think our site setbacks would allow a full mudroom or entry here. I like the shelf above the cabinets too, although I'm not much of a collector, so I don't know what to put up there. I'm short so it is too high for me to access for storage, and works as display only. I'm having outlets installed above the shelf as part of this project so I can install lighting up there to light the ceiling. My finish plan is: *keep the floors *cover the ceiling with an anaglyptic wallcovering that looks like tin tiles which will be painted white *install crown mold all around, painted white *paint the cabinets white, add a "light rail" piece of trim to the bottoms, switch out the hinges with something less obtrusive, change the pulls on the drawers to bin pulls, and change the door pulls to new ORB/white porcelain pulls *paint the wainscot and trim (now blue) dark brown, picking up on the darkest brown tones of the floor and the dark brown fleck in the laminate countertop *paint the walls a very light cream/yellow (BM Pearly Gates, I think) *I'd hoped to replace the countertop to the left of the range with Corian to match what's on the right. It's probably 20 years old and it looks great, but this CT is so old that I am having trouble matching it. I am still looking at options here - would like to use something white/light colored but have also considered the Ikea butcher block for economy reasons, although I am not sure I am up to that DIY project *I bought subway tile for the backsplash at the range, but I have to replace the CTs first because they are not currently at the same height (only a fraction of an inch off, but against the lines of the tile it will be really evident) I guess my biggest question is - is it worth it to consider moving the sink? Would I gain the same benefit by undermounting a new sink at the existing location on the island and having a butcher block piece made to cover half of it to expand the prep area? That would certainly be less expensive, but would it be as effective as the combination of a main sink and a prep sink? I appreciate your time and your thoughts. Thanks for your help!

Rose I really like that light fixture you posted for the front entry. I think it will be a fab flip for the one you have currently. Classic style, goes with a lot of other things, and practically can't go wrong. I am a firm believer in getting the most bang for your buck. Change out that one, see how it plays with the dining room, and if you still have the money and inclination to go further, then on to the dining room. You will either like the contrast or find that it is even more of an imperative to change out the dining room . . . I have a really nasty brass "tulip" light in our dining room, it came with the house. We call it "Audrey" because it unfortunately bears a slight resemblance to the star of "Little Shop of Horrors." I am looking to replace it with a plain black iron chandelier, one I could dress up if I miss the bling, and dress down if I'm growing tired of that look. Honestly, though, the light you have in the dining room is the least of your worries. You should have to live with Audrey . . . Can add flame lights, beads, crystals, or little lampshades. Or serve plain.

It's been awhile since I made an update, but this is where I'm at now: Crown moulding is installed and painted. Double-curtain rods and sheer curtains are up, but talked to my aunt who mentioned that I should consider reinstalling them above the window to give the windows a longer sleeker look. Took down the art deco chandelier to have it cleaned and fixed, but I accidentally tipped it over while it was on the floor and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Turns out it was made of cheap pewter. So I found and installed a Turkish style chandelier I received from a seller in Turkey on Etsy. I also installed similar styled Turkish sconces (I'll be replacing the globes with more colorful ones soon). I pulled up the carpet from both rooms. I painted the fireplace insert black. I painted the ugly gold lamp stands black, and added new shades. Things still left to do: I'm still looking for a chandelier for the living room. Repair and refinish the floors (the floor needs a number of boards refilled). Figure out what to do about the gap between the floor and the quarter-round/baseboard that was revealed after I pulled the carpet up. Replace current projector screen with a floor-rising one so that I'm no longer covering 80% of the front window at all times. Install a picture rail about an inch and a half under the crown moulding. Update/add electrical outlets (which will include an upgrade to my breaker). replace carpet in the living room with a Persian style carpet that's approx. 9' x 12'. Replace couch and coffee table. Retile the front of the fire-place. Have a number of the cracks in the plaster repaired. Acquire and hang paintings and framed posters on the walls. And that's just the Living Room and Dining Room. Sigh...