Terrible design on multiple fronts. But your request really mucked up things. Go back to 120” ceilings, and fix all the rest too. Or start over with an actual licensed architect.

I am so glad you posted here. The lovely folks at Houzz will help you get this going in a better direction. I have lived in many poorly designed homes over the years. Yours has multiple things I consider non functional for real life. Double doors, guest room right off great room, giant open to below areas that are impossible to heat/cool, clean, change light bulbs, tons of wasted hard to fit furniture spaces, open office window to below great room? Naw...

Make a list of your priorities, must/don'ts and goals for the home and start over.

Hi. This is such a big complicated process. Hang in there. If you want the ceiling in the great room to soar to great heights, I feel like it should be the whole great room or not at all. It looks now like there’s a square tunnel in the center of the house. This is the first draft so plenty of time to adjust along this journey if you change your mind. I would definitely open that top office room up and make it a flex space unless you want a movie room. I’d add a bit more closet space to the guest room. Do you need a breakfast nook a dining area and a dining space? If so, no worries… just seemed like a lot. Make sure a table fits in the breakfast nook with what looks like a lot of built ins. A little thing.. the wall that you look at when you walk in the front door? I’d make it even with the foyer… it seems a little off center.

Your 23x17 Great Room is not perceived in a way that needs to be broken up by a variated ceiling, because you have circulation routes needed for the Foyer entrance, Guest access, Sunroom & slider access. Lay out a to-scale furniture plan, and you may find improvement needs to happen with circulation and the associated ceiling.

Not a good plan. It begins when you walk in the front door and see a unimpressive foyer with a door to a bathroom and a wonky staircase. Look to someone else to design your home.

Do you realize just one thing is that you have no room for furniture in your living room because you have to get to the bedroom and sunroom on either side of the fireplace? And I could mention at least 2 dozen other reasons why this layout is poor including an unworkable and dark kitchen, 3 main eating areas (4 if the island has bar stools),walking into one of the bedrooms and walking right into the bed. I could go on and on.

Have you considered finding a person of design talent to create a house that will be a joy to live in because this isn't it.

Start over with an architect.

We had an interior designer help us along with an architect. They will help you with functionality along with the aesthetics. There is a reason that good architects are expensive. Building is such an emotional and expensive undertaking. I understand where you are right now, but don’t try to be too economical with this part. Hang in there.

If you pulled the office forward, you could create a hall leading to the guest room and close off its door to the living room. that gives better space in the living room and privacy for the guest room, and even allows the potential for a ”suite”, if the guest becomes long-term and wants the office for a living room.

What Mark said. I don't know who your designer is but the plan has multiple problems, for all the reasons listed above and more. A competent architect will cost money up front, but the value provided will more than pay for itself over time. Remember that your ultimate goal is to be happy living in this house.

And no one is talking about it here, but a well-designed house not only satisfies the occupants but also complements the site and responds to the movement of the sun throughout the day.