I like the idea of an arched doorway, but really, I don't see how you can do this. You can't open it more to the right without losing counter space/cabinetry. And if you open it more to the left, the extra width will fall in the middle of a staircase! Unless you're planning on completely reworking the connection between the two levels (like changing the orientation of the steps), this seems like a poor idea.

1. i love your house. 2. i love your house. 3. if you open the doorway more towards the stairs, is there room to move the stairs over as well? 4. a pony wall will close things up more... the opposite direction you want to go. i'd do an open railing with square balusters. 5. i love your house.

I bet if we did a walk-through of your house, we'd find a lot more beneficial way to do something special than just complicate that already complicated door, landing and stairs.

First rule of old house ownership is do no harm. That said, the kitchen has already been remodeled and the den is not original. I would be 100% in favor of a new larger cased opening between the two rooms, though I don’t think the arch works with the pine walls, I would just match the current Door height but make it wider. A Drywall knee wall or pass through screams remodel. I would prefer a wrought iron railing duplicating the existing in that spot.

First, thank you for your kind words This is a very sweet old house and our goal is to do nothing to mess it up, for sure. We did a careful kitchen remodel before we moved in, mostly leveling the floor and ceiling and undoing some odd things that had been done over the years. We would be very careful with this as well and so I wanted to mine the depths of experience in the Houzz community.

Our first grandchild, who will be two in July, has made us appreciate that being unable to see into the family room is more than a minor inconvenience. I believe that a thoughtful approach could produce a room that looks like it has always been more open.

Taking the photo a little further to the right shows that the stairs are not an issue. The landing would not be affected. As you can see, a previous owner tried to make more of a connection between the rooms by adding a funny internal window. We don’t find it helpful, just odd. Other than the contractor needing to go under the kitchen floor to look for the proper footings and adding them if needed, I don’t think there would be a structural problem.

Hmm...I was thinking that a half wall or maybe just a wider doorway would feel less split-level 70’s vibe than an open railing would. I’ve seen photos of half cabinets and a post between dining rooms and kitchens as well as in entry ways in this era of homes. That’s kind of what I was envisioning. I’ll try to find some photos...

We are totally averse to remuddling

This is what I mean by pony wall - different setting but similar home era

I don't have a good enough sense of the layout to offer suggestions, but golly, that's got to be one of the nicest garage conversions ever, isn't it?

Fori - that old, ambered paneling is sweet! It is a good garage remodel