Hello, your drawing caught my attention because i have designed something similar, recently. i copied a pic for you to see. it is almost just like yours. notice the patio door unit. My suggestion in case you are considering that change. I went with a L shaped island, with a wet bar, high cabinets hang from ceiling with rack to slide & hang your crystal bar gasses. ability to watch the ball game from the kitchen while cooking. (my plan has 10 ft ceilings, as the floor has been sunken 1ft.) the kitchen is layed out to seperate cooking from cleanup, as the peninsula side of the island provides the seperation. Dishwasher, sink, compactor, g. disposal, and recycling center are grouped together to one side with a nice big 48" fixed round window over the sink. cooking, prep, ref, freezer, pantry, storage, dbl convection oven, are grouped within quick reach to make cooking more efficiant. I stuffed these rooms with furniture with the intent of having large groups of friends or family over to hang out. the fireplace is positioned in your house about the same as mine. Unless your house is not build yet I say moving the fireplace is out of the question. Let me know what you think good or bad, I like feed back too. p.s you can buy a swivel arm for up to a 55 inch flat screen for about $80.(best buy, video only, internet, ebay. shop around they are cheap) You MUST mount the arm so that you nail into the wall at the studs.

Homes with predominant garages and driveways cater more to the automobile than to pedestrians, to say nothing of eye appeal. Your front walk is likely too far up the driveway, a common mistake by most builders. Remove that tree and redo your front walk so that some part of the front walk is visible from the sidewalk or end of the driveway. This is more welcoming to visitors who arrive by foot. Also, if there are cars in the driveway, give people some paved surface to walk comfortably to the front door - not having to walk in the grass or rub up against a car to get to the front door. This usually can be accomplished by widening the walk, lengthening it so that the entrance to the walk is further down the driveway, and by adding a carriage walk along the driveway. Remove the tree, it is a negative. Not worth transplanting. Achieve privacy by other landscape elements. I will find some photos as examples for you and post separately.

The manly TV stand -- possibly because in your pic we can see the 'orrible tangle of wires. Very manly, that. But also because it's got a bit of a stark, industrial look. But if you like it, and you can figure out some way that you don't get slapped in the face with the wire mess, keep it! Yes of course you want gorgeous curtains. And during the day you can pull them right out of the way of the window if you have your curtain rod wider than the window (but don't be stingy on curtain width -- twice the width of the rod is what you want).

A big floor rug with plenty of texture, a few vibrant cushions scattered on your sofas and a nice statement light fitting. You won't believe the difference that makes. If you feel you can only afford one, make it the floor rug. That instantly grounds the room and gives a lived in feel.