Moving the fireplace would take serious engineering. I like Sunnie2day's idea of covering the rock facing the door with sheetrock and creating a foyer. you could just put a hall tree there or a mirror and shelf as a console table. Sheet rock the other side and add narrow shelf with pegs or hooks for guests' coats. also a folding screen or large plant(ficusor palm) next to the door could help divide the entry way and the living room
I love the diagonal tile and know what a pain it is cut. Check to see if the former own left tile scrap for repair. there might be enough to cover where you want move the island. With the sink it will be tricky too but it would be nice to have it against the passthrough to create a serving bar to the dining room. Then add window seat storage and tiny kitchen table for a breakfast nook /prep table.
lots of possibilities.

If you really want a flow throughout the space, then move the same flooring throughout. PERIOD. Once you have decided on your furniture, think about the fireplace. You can hire easily a designer who will come in and faux paint that rock to any texture and color....I have seen a fabulous Rundle Rock flreplace made out of similar rock that you present.......FIREPLACES produce SOUND...they give off WARMTH....they DRAW people to your space, and they say.....Come, share my space with me....KEEP IT! IT appears tall and thin, and that may be bugging us, so to create sitting space you could wrap around rock for people to sit, get's some big pillows to prop up against the fireplace......So your kitchen is likely a space that people want to gather, there are FOUR different colors going on that make it not really very inviting......black appliances, and a grain of wood that needs to leave........!! Something happy and light and airy in your paint choice...close in color to your flooring so they blend together.....either direct your energy to the black appliances (ie. add black granite to your island) or add a wood top island that has a "cutting board" section...I have done one house like this, and it is gorgeous....makes the room look big...you could extend the island top out so that people could sit at the island on the end, and the side.....not sure of your room, but people do love to watch the chef COOK! ...and with some really nice wine! Good luck!

...ummm..one last thought, if you are on a tight budget go to Pier I Imports and look at their bamboo patterned rugs...they can tie the parquet flooring together, (as the colors are "similar") and pull the kitchen space ....giving you a flow.....

Bamboo floors trout even kitchen. The tile is taking away from room size which is nice. Paint whole house one color. Get samples put on wall before buying. Red kitchen has to go I like the grays out now very nice. Not too dark on floors. Kitchen looks like you could stain cabinets a expresso. With brush nickel long pulls. The gray walls would look good with black appl. Entry is tough, without putting in a short wall you might try putting a screen by door and a big palm sitting in front of it. Window covers keep simple. Just panels in white to the floor. And for privacy. Pleated shades or roman in white. Take down chair rail. Very large art pieces on walls. This room needs big furn but not over done choose wisely. A sectional would work.

New chandelier in dining. No chair rail. Also no gold, dated. Place light 38" above table top. Area rugs in dining room and other areas define space.

Love pass though fireplace. Just some candles on mantel don't over do. Stone is very busy. A tall 4 ft pot with heavy bamboo would define door with screen and palm on other side would Create entry.

Room seems dark so go light wood. Keep walls light too.

Island does look to close to refrig? If so remove Island. If you can take down walls even better. But get rid of tile bamboo very sturdy. Will work in kitchen.

Is island only sink? I'm not of fan of painting wood. Will chip. Stain is the way to go. Some people are saying keep parquet. It's very dated, I say no. Dark cabinets and light floors will look very updated. But I agree it's a strange layout.

Is that a pass though in dining area? If so take that whole wall down. Looks strange. It's just dry wall. You are not taking beam across top down. Is that wall going into kitchen? If so more reason to remove.

If you hate firepl. Dry wall it and then paint it 2 shades darker than walls. Add art.

After you get all floors done, walls painted one color. And do something with firepl. And take out island, and wall. You can start on furn. Start a new thread when doing furn. So you won't have so many comments. Keep us posted and show pics as you go. This will be fun.

It looks to me as though the parquet floored space is meant to be a formal dining area, and the lighter tiled space meant to be a living room, which would explain the two hugely different floor coverings. I still think I would build the short wall facing the door I suggested up thread to create the sense of an entry. To me the entry area looks unfinished without a visual to define the two areas.

After thinking about this overnight, I came back to ask MissColorado if she's thought about opening up the flow between kitchen and dining area by knocking a bigger pass-thru or even taking most out of the upper half of the wall between the two spaces? A counter bar for people to sit on the dining side and be company for the chef would really open that kitchen, and compensate for the oddly placed island. A load bearing wall can be re-framed to allow for the bigger opening.

Since the island has the only sink in the kitchen it has to stay unless the budget is big enough to cover the cost of moving the plumbing. If the house built on a crawl space foundation that's not as expensive but a pad foundation is going to be ouchie-pricey to rip up in a re-plumb.

Maybe a counter depth fridge-freezer would add back some space between the fridge and island?

We want to knock out that wall. Darker Bamboo flooring throughout whole house! Lighter color walls. New brick/shale on fireplace make it wider. This is going to look amazing....one day!

My unprofessional 2¢ - Removing the island will open things up, but will limit your storage and work space. An alternative - recess the fridge into the wall and purchase a counter depts refrigerator. Also I understand the latest cabinet hardware (via the decorator magazines) is NEW antique brass.

Which photo shows the front entrance, can you take a photo entering.....(let's see the light it projects) and another one exiting.....and then stand in the middle of this space and take a photo....is it where the chandelier is presently?

Do you have animals/ If you do, stay away from dark flooring...how do you live? are you a neat freak....dark floors show everything....every speckle of dust.........Honey colored floors will make the room feel warmer, and brighter....but if you are pushing modern....maybe that 's the feel you want..............

The door pictured is the back door taken from the front entry way. I will try to take pics the next time I head over there.
I have a dog and cat. I was thinking a griany wood like bamboo will not show as much hair? I have light colored wood now and you can see all the dust and wads of hair.

i will wait for photos, take a photo in the morning, when you normally get up, see the light......take one late in the day, and at dusk....or just about the time guests would come through tha door ....what does your light look like...?When people walk in the front door...where will their eye travel to...? A point of interest........a large mirror.......flow through.....what is the feeling you want to project...this will help YOU pick the feeling, because it has to be your DESIGN, and your journey getting there, is the most important part..........I have two yellow labs, pine floors and a dark mudroom floor.......you can guess which shows the MOST hair.....I recently purchased an automatic robotic vacuum at Costco .......my new best friend!

TEAR EVERYTHING UP AND THROW IT...

I'm stuck on the kitchen. First thing I'd do is remove the island. As for the floor? What I did would depend on if that island was put in before or after the tile. If there is no tile under the island then I'd remove it all and put in a quality lamanent that flowed through the rest of the main rooms. I agree, a dark floor would probably be dissapointing but a medium shade of flooring with look great. Light flooring would not off enough contrast with the fireplace.

I don't know the view from that kitchen window but I'd look at opening that window up and putting in sliders or french doors that lead outside to some type of patio.

I painted my kitchen cabinets white and have cocoa brown walls. The counter tops are brown/grey/rust slate style. This made my kitchen very warm and inviting.

re: showing animal hair- dark floors show dust and hair even more. So stick with lighter floors.

This home looks like it has much potential! Your wish list has an official entry which doesn't appear to have been addressed yet. Is that the front door in the first photo? What do you envision as an official entry? Maybe add some columns to define it; or add a wall on either side of the doorway? What traffic pattern would you want to establish when entering from this door? Maybe a floor plan drawing could help.

You've gotten some great ideas here, and your home has some good bones. You might focus first on the kitchen (that longs for a light/neutral re-painting). Appliances too can be repainted, and in this case black does you no favors. The re-painted (light) refrigerator could change places with the cabinet to its right. Then, instead of an island, keep the plumbing stub where it is and create a peninsula perpendicular to the current position of the refrigerator. More counter space; no obstacle to flow. You could even add a tiny moveable island in the new 'center' of the space.

Pass-through windows seldom work well, and steal valuable real estate. The only advantage is the light & conversation opportunity between rooms. So compromise. Widen the nearby doorway (for light) and use reclaimed wall space for more storage. But don't site cabinets too near the door. Doorways represent the skinny part of an hourglass visually, inviting passage with broadness on either side.

As far as the fireplace and parquet floors - they're great. Love advice from 'Changeyourspace' re: a lighter wash on the parquet for continuity w/the tile - that's a compromise for your purse too. If the purse allows it, I agree that finishing the room in parquet would be the ideal (no more tile).

But as is, the challenge for you will be softening the now rigid transition between tile and parquet, and creating the illusion of height in the larger room. That can be done with floor to ceiling window treatment or storage units, new lighting (indirect would work well here) and with taller items placed skillfully about. But I 'wouldn't' switch flooring. Parquet is incredible - timeless quality. Trends come and go. Work with your existing bones.

You might search Houzz for photos of well-done basements, often overcoming the same scale challenges. Please do submit photos as you proceed. We all wish you the best.

The door pictured is on he back side of the house extending to a beautiful cemented patio. I would love to put in sliding/french doors to the grounds, maybe 2 or 3 to cover the whole wall. I don't know what it will take to do this as the exterior is a beautiful brick. Not sure if it will mess it up, I will have to do some research when the time comes. My first plan is painting, possibly moving that giant island. There is tile under it but it contains the kitchen sink and dishwaher. I will have to seek professional help in figuring that out. As for the floors it will come later on. Many other things need to be addressed before the flooring, most likely that will be last.

it certainly doesn't flow with the raspberry kitchen. it's a dead stop. it could flow with that color if that's your choice by incorporating that color throughout without painting all the walls. but keep in mind dark colors make rooms look way smaller. whatever your floor choice is I wouldn't recommend shinny wood floors especially if you have animals. it's murder to keep clean. I would choose a lightly distressed light color throughout the entire floor using the planks lengthwise as u walk through giving you more visual length and illusion of a bigger space. If you are keeping the parquet, use the same throughout. don't break up floors with different choices.

A compromise to keep the tile for now yet soften the floor symmetry might be to parquet a radius and return to meet the fireplace (see yellow lines on attached screenshot).

The peninsula concept would allow your plumbing costs to be minimized. So too would keeping your brick exterior intact by switching-out the existing door for a large single lite patio door, with the same bottom edge elevation as the windows to the L. (see grayed-out door glass in attached photo). Patio doors are over-rated and might conflict with the vintage of your home.

A lighting design pro could brighten the space; lighter appliances, walls and cabinet colors would compound the effect. And more light coming from the glass doorway would all be positive. Baby $teps spare getting tripped up..

You mentioned an entry of some sort. I agree. I am not a fan of stepping across a doorway and directly into someones living room. A foyer is gracious. It greets the visitor, allows them.to wipe there feet, take off a coat, allows the home owner a space to greet the guest, etc... A 'not permanent' solution would be to place a folding screen of some sort on one side, have the back of a sofa and sofa table w/ side chair behind the sofa facing the 'entryway'. W/ an umbrella stand, coat rack, lamp, area rug, you have an entryway w/ ever having 2 deal w/ drywall....and you haven't stopped the flow of light through the space either....

Boy... lots of good ideas here!! In my humble opinion, I would make the floors all the same throught out the area. Love the hot pink in the kitchen so I would place little punches of the same pink through out the are as well. Maybe in pillows, pieces of art. A small chair with hot pink pillow or painted hot pink. I think little things like that would probably achieve what you want without too much expense. I always think of the cost because I do not have much money to do big jobs. I like to recycle and reuse items by paint or fabric.

Add a wall with a small closet or coat hooks and a bench to the right of the entry, but not all the way to the fireplace if you don't need to do that. Put a silk tree or some other tallish ornamentation on the other side of the door. The Burgundy and orange in the kitchen is one I see a lot for some reason. I hate it and would change it to a pastel orange, peach, or yellow. Change out your cabinet hardware with anything more modern.

Regarding the island, if you put in a cabinet depth refrigerator that will make a difference. I have an LG french door one in my apartment, it's a galley kitchen, and it is great, plenty of room. The one sacrifice is I did not get a built in ice maker, since cabinet depth is already smaller that had to go.

Nice that you can go either rt. or left as enter. I'd put in a half wall on one side like someone suggested OR
Put wooden antique? sideboard, cabinet, dresser, etc. against side of fireplace & facing front door. Lean a large mirror on it against side of fireplace, put a large area rug in front of it and a tall plant on one side of cabinet and maybe a chair on the other side with a throw and pillow. Flowers, etc. on top of dreser/cabinet.

I am just wondering where the kitchen comes into the actual floorspace.. and where does the wood flooring lead to? And I presume when you walk in, you are looking directly at a rock column, with the fireplace being a two sided unit, is that correct.. I believe it is really difficult to incorporate an entry without actually seeing the floorplan from above.. to see the actual layout of the rooms that the two different floors lead into.

Whilst the photos sort of allow you to think the kitchen is in front of you to the left?? I guess..
did you want to leave that area as open living space. If so, as others have mentioned, you will have to divide it off to create a separate entry..

I would look at putting a built in glass waterfall (two sheets of glass with water running in the middle of them.. you could use small square rainshower heads to create the waterfall.. placing a few of them along the top of the pelmet framework) with soft lighting.. and recycling into a really modern stainless trough .. filled with small rocks similar to what the fireplace is made from.. then you can see into the space, but it is still divided off. You have the advantage that it will be double sided and seen from both rooms.. and also of listening to gentle water sounds.. on the wall, where the wooden floors are, have a huge mirror installed, which of course will add more visual area to the room, without having to do much to have the look.

OR: if you prefer the not so modern contemporary look... I was thinking you could perhaps create a half wall separating the white tiled floor area, using glass bricks.. in a framework stained the same color as the wood floors on the other side.. thus unifying the two spaces. Using a few tasteful decorating pieces placed on the wood framed mantle and a large modern clock on the wall adjoining the spaces, whilst still separating the room. CB2 have some great choices in modern looking stuff. I purchased a 36in clock in diameter.. and get comments everytime someone walks into the room.

With the fireplace rock wall directly in front of you, I imagine the whole look will need to have very careful decorating taste.. perhaps some tall dark colored stick like figures alongside a large terracotta pot with tall bamboo (or maybe use for umbrellas). Always good to group things in threes.. so think of this also when planning. Uneven numbers are preferable in small groupings.. but don't overclutter. You are trying to create a modern classy look. This way your money is spent on leaving what you have and pulling it all together using clever manipulation of decorating.

I would then use large tasteful rugs, (I have a thing about beautiful Persian rugs..There are some designs that are cream in color with many tones of blue and browns) which will enrich the white tiled areas, and also tie in with the warm wood tones of the other flooring, and still be very classy.. so that way you can live with the two floors together, but they are still separate living areas.. beautiful long primitive wood table and chairs (once again tying in with the wooden floors opposite), which leads into the kitchen area.

Then the other side .. use matching rugs or large white woolen shag rugs (lighter colors will pop more, as the floors are darker).. and low lying leather furniture with low wood tables .. trays on the tables for magazines etc... blended with great lighting.. giving a warm modern feel, but still fitting with the natural aspects of both wood and tile.. which flow from the other room.

Well I could go on and on.. I hope that maybe these ideas will throw a different angle on another way to do the entry, and tie all the rooms together... and I totally would change the color of the kitchen to blend with natural earth colors if you go with this sort of scheme.

By using earthy colors, you can still incorporate blues, browns, greys, greens and even a little of the cerise color there now, but not so much of one color.. put them together and think about which way will best incorporate all the living areas that come into the rooms and what suits your personality.

To use colors that fit well together, but still add pop.. look at using the color wheel, knowing your base color of what represents who you are. Take that color (the first color), then look at the opposite colors that go with it, remembering you can do this on a two (directly opposite), three (divide into three and use those colors) or four opposite both ways.. like cutting a circle in four) way match.... and you will find rich colors that should blend well if you use them in ways that bring out the natural look of wood, rock and fire..and of course your personality. I am sure that you will find exactly what you want.. hope you have a handyman husband.. :)

Good luck with whatever you decide.. I am sure you will be happy with the end result.. what a great way to get a diverse range of ideas.. asking others who are also looking for special ways to do their home. You will have to post photos.. so we can all see what you did.. have fun!!

The floors make the rooms look dated. I suggest wood or wood laminate to give it a clean and updated look. I would remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room and add an island with an extended top. This would give you ample cabinet space and extra seating. This will also give you an open floor plan and will allow you to mingle with guests when having a dinner party. I suggest painting the walls a neutral color like a soft gray or blue and paint window trim, door trim and chair rail white. This will add soft color to the walls and white on the trim would soften the harsh dark color of the wood. Use the same color throughout. This will allow one room to flow into the next and create a uniform and clean look. I would update the lighting of course. I suggest the “Clarissa Glass Drop Chandelier” from Pottery Barn or a Drum Pendant for the dining room and recessed lighting for the kitchen. Home Depot has some kitchen cabinets called “Holden Bronze Glaze”. These cabinets with a black granite will enable you to keep your black appliance for a while which will hold down your costs. You can always upgrade later. I would do a black free standing island with “blanco” granite or Carrera marble. This will tie your cabinetry together.

All the flooring should be the same. I would recommend Hardwood rather than Bamboo. You can't refinish Bamboo.

How did your project go? Any pictures to show what you ended up doing?

haven't even started yet....we've been working on the bathroom/master bed. I am looking for help though, I've added more pics and ideas but I need a master plan.

I have updated this discussion with more pictures asking for more ideas

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/10811316/thumbs/Open-Kitchen-Concept---HELP---Can-someone-help-design-this-space-

I posted a couple of 'immediate thoughts' on the new ideabook, thank-you for the added pics!

Can some one help me with appliance placement

Am I the only one who likes the fireplace as is? It definitely throws a vintage-y vibe, but sometimes I feel like people can update the personality right out of a house! I like the idea of one unifying paint color and one unifying wood floor but I would leave the fireplace as is and celebrates it's individuality!

I can appreciate your thoughts. Nothing is final, I like all the ideas.

house project is coming along. My poor hubby is doing it all, he is so tired.

the kitchen, living, dining is all gutted. Still needing Ideas for open concept kitchen to match the fireplace. I bought the kitchen already...just waiting patiently to get it put in, went with peppercorn color cabinets/stainless appliances

Yea! I was wondering how this was coming along! What all are you doing? Love the tile in the bath, lovely!

we are redoing the whole house. Thanks, my hubby did a great job!

I will post pictures soon, it turned out amazing!!

I like the central fireplace! You said you wanted to make the rooms flow together: how about flowing around the fireplace. It makes a fabulous pivot-point in the large space. Although I love parquet, making the floors the same all-through will help unify. Also, blinds, drapes, or curtains on all windows the same. Someones console table at the front door helps contain all the junk you bring in the door. You could use a curtain, ceiling-hung screen or standing/folding screen to define the other side of the front door area.

In the kitchen, I LOVE the raspberry, but not everybody can handle really bold paint. Ditch the black appliances for white or stainless; they will reflect light coming from that great, large window, which cries-out for a bench seat? If money IS an issue, get new appliances and keep the cabinets, but paint them white with new SHINY chrome or crystal knobs & pulls.