Have you considered taking away the cavity door beside the stairs and open a section of the wall opposite the stairs to create a 2 way open ended shelving with some down light for displaying purposes? A series of full height vertical blade screening beside the shelving can then help add visual depth in the living room and still define the living room. It will also help frame the tv cabinetry with the existing nib wall on the other side. You will have minimal issues with reducing structural integrity of a potential load bearing wall. The existing fireplace is too nice to remove or make alterations to as it nicely divides dining with the living room.

My Suggestion is a little different. I would begin by getting rid of the the pantry and wall/door from the entry to the family room. this gives you a big open space incorporating the kitchen and family room. then, block off the door from the kitchen to the dining room and this now gives you an amazing space in which to create a new master suite with bedroom, bathroom and walk in robe. This gives you privacy and space from the other bedrooms. The kitchen/family area can then be redesigned as follows: put the kitchen cabinets around the walls in an L shape, extending along the wall with the rumpus room to the doorway. There's space on that wall to put cabinets to the ceiling, incorporating a fridge and pantry, and still leave you with plenty of bench space. you should be able to keep the sink where it is and centre the stove on the shorter wall that used to house the doorway to the dining room. This leaves you plenty of space in the family room for dining and you may even fit in a small island in the kitchen. I also suggest block the laundry from the new dining room, reinstating the original doorway from the laundry into the rumpus area and adding a new external door out the side of the laundry. This will only work if you suitable space at the side of the house. To give you more usable wall space in the new dining room, block off the linen cupboard and convert the space into an extended robe (or built in desk?) for Bed 2. You could do a similar thing with the linen closet in the laundry, giving you a longer wall space to build a bigger linen cupboard. Of course, if you have the money to move the plumbing for the kitchen, you could redesign that entire kitchen/dining space however you wanted, What I like about removing the pantry and the entry wall is that you can now see through to the back of the house as soon as you enter, and this gives a great feeling of space.

I would prefer to see both ceilings matched with shiplap, to help tie the space, we all tend to look up. This would also mean that the wall between both rooms can be removed and therefore make the room appear bigger, as the height of the ceilings in each room will make them appear smaller if the wall isn't removed

An entertainer’s delight, and a holiday-maker’s dream... This is one family home that uses our large glass windows and doors throughout to take full advantage of its picturesque surrounds. From its modern open-plan kitchen and living space to its various indoor and outdoor entertaining areas. This beautiful three-storey home has a resort style feel anyone would enjoy. Beachside Dream's focal point is the centrally located pool. Two-panel sliding doors lead out to the pool from the guest bedroom and from the home to the various entertaining decks. This beautiful home is custom built by Pacific Blue Where would you use glass windows and doors to open up a space?