No doubt- we are born at the right time to be good cooks! Now, to be more specific about my liquid soap. Any unscented liquid base will do. I use Dr. Bronners's unscented liquid soap, which I order, in quart bottles, from drugstore.com. I add 1.5 tablespoons spearmint Essential oil to a quart.(I also add a couple of glass marbles to the bottle, to help the oil to mix in.) I get my spearmint EO from Brambleberry.com. They also sell liquid soap base in gallon bottles. This may be better for you, since I imagine you will need larger quantities than I do. I hope this info is helpful.

I'm so glad both you and your DH like the idea. I really love it. That room would be so dark and little used without the slider. Of course, if we still had both kids living at home, one would have that as their bedroom and then the slider would probably never be open. The door material is solid and heavy enough to block sounds well from the living room if it was being used as a bedroom. What kind of walls are you doing in your living room? I think I'd be inclined to doing the same quarter-round non-molding type edges I have and then simply paint the door the same color as the walls in the living room. Then paint the bed/play/office room side to match those walls. Personally, I would rather have the door almost disappear instead of being framed with molding. However, a lot of what would look best aesthetically will really depend on your style of home. If you will have interesting moldings in your house, then moldings around the door might work quite well. I'll throw out a couple other door ideas for you. I have a friend who had display-case swinging doors built to hide her W/D in her combo kitchen/sitting room. They are on very heavy-duty piano hinges. There are small rails built into the bottom of each shelf to help hold things on the shelf. The upper-shelves hold things like decorative plates and books. I think she also uses museum gel (or whatever it's called) which is tacky and keeps the plates from sliding around but doesn't damage the items or the wood shelves. The bottom shelves are slanted back with a rail in front and she puts current reading material like magazines and books there, with the front of the facing forwards. I have been there when she has opened/closed them to do laundry and I don't recall that she has to be especially careful when doing that to keep things from falling or sliding. And they don't seem to be particularly heavy to move. I think it would depend on super-heavy-duty hinges to make them easy to swing. It looks great. However, she obviously doesn't have them open any longer than it takes to do laundry. If you want the doors to be able to stay open, you'll have to have enough room in the room the doors swing into to keep them open without being in the way. And, of course, if you want to monitor small children playing, the open doors could block your view. Just thought I would mention it just in case it appealed to you. Another option might be using barn-door hardware instead of sliding pocket door hardware. Something like this but, of course, open to a room instead of a bar. Again, you would need a bit more space in the room the doors are installed to make this work. You couldn't have furniture up against those walls. Just throwing out more ideas so you have options to consider. Personally, I like the pocket slider because I tend to be more of a minimalist in my style. YMMV I just measured and I barely have 1/8" clearance for anything to hang on my door and still slide into its pocket. So even a tapestry wouldn't work. I would even be leery of a piece of paper simply taped on it. I'm afraid it would catch and tear and somehow get into the mechanism and mess it up. But thanks for the suggestion anyway. Well, I've rambled on long enough. I really hope these ideas help you create a space that works for all your visitors and for your lifestyle when you don't have a lot of guests staying with you.

I agree that a few additions will go a long way. I definitely can see rugs or mats adding so much, and they are not big commitments and can be moved. Little touches of color are all you need. I think some of the stools suggested, if you can use them, would be great. And yes, a bowl of flowers, a teakettle or the like, and you will be very happy with your kitchen.

Consider a twosome or theeesome of pendants over the peninsula . It will pull the visuals forward as the side and back walls have function aspects for the most part . Tearing out the tile around the hood may not be needed. On the wall above the peninsula you show a round mirror??? Try more impactful art or a shelf or two w under brackets that are stylIsh . Obviously stools w backs will put in some detail. The peninsula is great in regards size and seating . I’d focus on that area first.