Follow-up to my first post containing my proposed layout for the space.

Thanks!

-Tony

I think the proposal looks great if you're determined to have a super open living space. However, I think you could probably make do quite well with what you have.

It's nice to have open sightlines for the kids, but honestly, having walls is NICE especially when they get older. My parents' downstairs living space is pretty much all open and it's maddening if more than a couple of people are in there, cooking + watching TV + having a conversation. It gets very loud, very quickly. I'm a big advocate of keeping walls, even though the "open concept" is super trendy.

Do you need to keep your formal dining room as a dining room? Once you have kids, you could turn the dining room into a playroom so you can keep an eye on them while you're in the kitchen and keep your eat-in kitchen as the eating space. Because, a) once you have kids, having a separate spot for their "stuff" will be VERY useful, and b) once you have kids, it's going to be awhile until you're in the mood for any kind of formal dining room. Once they get older you can transfer it back.

That said, even if you keep your basic layout as-is, could you fit in an island or a more usable peninsula? It would be great to have more counter space/storage in there...

I'd put a wall between the desk and the sectional L to make a clear demarcation, and also to contain noise better. A pocket door in the wall would work well for those times when you want a little more separation..

Maybe you should have "informal" dining room while the kids are little and eat all your meals there. Once they get a bit older, you can make it more formal (whatever that means to you.) What I suggest (And your new plan does that) is to not waste space having two sit-down eating spaces, unless you're house is HUGE. Eat your meals at the (one and only) dining table. It's ok to have counter seating for those quick meals in busy lives, but try to avoid having all your meals there as I think you lose something when all lined up like at a diner counter.

And I don;t the the backs of diner stools are a good decorative pairing for a "formal" dining room. They're fine, though with your everyday eating table. But be sure youre thinking of it in those terms.

Two-sided fireplaces are neat because the maximise the pleasures of fire-viewing in more than one room. Though while you have rug-rat sized littles, they double the safety issues. But you won't have toddlers for long.

HTH.
L.

Your current plan would work GREAT if you had a basement rec room or a above garage bonus room. If you don't, you will grow out of your house when your kids are school age/early teen years, IMHO. If you are planning to move to a bigger house when the kids are older, then this would not be a long term house for you so disregard what I say.

liriodendron is also referring to the same issues that I am raising. I am writing it in a slightly different way...

Since you do not have a basement, it is essential that you have a room where someone can go to be either noisy or quiet. It does not matter how it is used. Either way, you need a room which allows the person to be separated for noise, if needed.

reasons:
1. One kid plays a musical instrument for school, where to practice? Where does the other kid do homework? where does the adult read the paper/book, watch the news?
2. Kids are playing on the Xbox (or the new thing yet to come).. where does the other kid/adult go? Are you and your wife willing to hear the endless noise while making dinner, doing the extra work that you brought home? I guess you can force your kid to wear the head phone or you go to your bedroom with the laptop...

You can use the kids bedroom/adult bedroom for some of these functions. But it does not work that great if you make their bedrooms into communal rooms. For example, you can't really put the Xbox in a kid's bedroom. (many families do and you maybe one of those.)

Since you do NOT have a basement, if this was my house, I would close off one of the rooms and get rid of one of the eating tables. The closed-off room with a door will be used as either a quite room or a noisy room, however way it works best for your family. At different phases of your life, it maybe used differently. Either way, you have the option of a room that has walls/door.

Personally, I like enclosing the noise producing elements so that everyone else can have peace and quiet. Because of this, I would close off the media.

In your current space, if someone is watching TV, then everyone else has to go to their bedrooms to be able to have a bit of quiet. Not everyone wants to watch the same show or play the same game.

In your minds' eye, try to live in this house when your kids are 3(preschool), 10(school age), 15(teenager), 20(coming back and forth from college).

You are designing your house first. Then the kitchen fits in that house.