I'm downsizing by 50% so feel your pain and am experiencing similar dilemmas. I have a library of thousands of books and did manage to cut those down by about half. I love my books, and am an avid reader. Since I've had a library in my past two houses, having walls of books in my new home was a top priority. Are your books a priority to you because you're a bibliophile, or because you're so used to having them that you can't yet part with them? I ask, because I'm also a retired psychologist. It was my professional books I had to let go, knowing I would not practice any longer and that many books had become outdated. So, my first question is whether you are hanging onto your books due to sentimentality and habit, or do you plan to sit and read in a space that makes you say "aaaaah"?

Secondly, the dining room dilemma. Most people rarely use their dining rooms. I have one in the house I'm remodeling, and my daughters have already commented that it's the room that will "never be used." I tend to think they are correct, because we will probably use kitchen dining on a daily basis, and the dining room only when company eats with us and on holidays. If you are in that same position, why not consider using the dining room with the secretary and printer chest just as you did in your old house? You could use a gate leg table that expands when you do have company.

Thirdly, your crafts and television. Is this where and how you spend most of your leisure time at home? If so, this should be the room you feel best in. My personal taste is to have built-in book shelves and cabinets for organizing things. One example is attached. As you can see, there are book shelves with matching built-in cabinets beside them. The cabinets hold all my office supplies and items I don't want out in the open. You could do something similar by hiring a local handyman to build them in place. Another option is to use IKEA cabinets or the unfinished types you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot. If you don't have the skill to trim them out yourself, you can buy the trim and hire a handyman from Angie's List or by word-of-mouth and s/he can cut and install the trim for you. Since you're into crafts, painting or staining cabinets and shelves wouldn't be too difficult.

Fourth, the cable outlet is something that can be easily moved by your cable company, probably at no charge. I'd move it to fit my lifestyle.

How's it going? :)

Quite a while since I did the last post.

1) The dining room ended up being same as in old condo. Functional office with gateleg table, newly-acquired file from Craigslist, and newly-installed wall socket (electrician cracked a window above it in the process but at least paid to have it fixed). One down.

2) Sun room has become craft room with TV in it. Made a devil's bargain with Time-Warner: free installation (they had to run a totally new wire into the house, free) for $100/mo total TV, internet, and useless phone which isn't a landline so it's no more reliable than a cellphone. Will probably change this plan, although ironically it's no more expensive than landline + basic-only cable + internet in Maryland (new plan has 200 channels, possibly 5 worth having in addition to real-time news). Two down.

3) Third, small bedroom had preexisting unaesthetic wall shelves. Left them up, put another standing shelf below them, and finally have perfect display space for large collection of fossils from Maryland and upstate NY. Will add either some kind of futon/small sofa OR table with chairs in room without rug for doing messier craft stuff (QUESTION: ANYTHING DECENT LOOKING THAT COULD BE PUT ON FLOOR IN CASE DYES AND OTHER NASTY THINGS SPILL?); most of three down; which leaves

4) THE BIG ROOM, STILL NOT COHERENT. One end (by sun room) now has craft shelves (moveable) for most immediately-used crafts, used around corner in sun room, decorative Chinese shelf with porcelain figures on other wall. The other end still aspires to be a reading area. I went through two excruciating experiences trying to get some handyman to do some shelving that would be under $2000 and the projects fell through. Not only for price, but because anyone doing built-ins wants to destroy the baseboard and do a lot of wall attachment, bigtime messing up room for any future reusing as a bedroom. So I will settle for a couple of big standing shelves on sale from local furniture store, will look for a short (2-section) barrister bookcase for under the windows, and hope that's enough for the books. Then, theoretically, I'll put a nice rug and something comfy to read on (chaise longue, probably) on that end of the room. This room still isn't terribly coherent, but this is the best I can do with the imagination and money I currently have.

Retired teacher, you must love being retired!? Well as to dyes etc. I think of FLOR's recycled carpet tiles [plastic likely] which they say can be merely lifted up, rinsed, and replaced. By email I received notice that they're offering 3 free samples.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the floor is hardwood and I don't want to put anything sticky or permanent on it--thinking more along the lines of a rug that can be easily cleaned but still looks decent.