Hi Charles, Firstly, I am not a designer or anything but I have just spent over 12 months planning & designing my house so I've looked at heaps of plans & I've done lots of research. This is what I have come up with.. I think you can leave it with the same layout and just extend the wall off the rumpus. Yes it eats in to you bi-fold doors but I have a plan to counteract that & not sacrifice the light & open plan. Using corner stacker doors (much cheaper than bi-fold) will open this space right up to the alfresco area. Not sure what you had planned for this area but if you were planning on having a built in bbq area it could be done on the back of the rumpus room wall (in the space where I extended the wall). I also think you will have more flexibility if you have doors entering the rumpus rather than sliding doors as you can use the wall space without having to worry about the wall cavity. I printed your plan off & had a play so check it out & see what you think. I will not be offended however if you don't like my ideas as its your house & it needs to suit you & your family. All the best with it, I know how hard & stressful it is! Shae

I have not read all of the above. It must be tempting to render and paint the fireplace but if it is decided to work with it then maybe you can find your colour palette in the bricks. The new grey carpet will give you a fresh neutral but grey can be very cold. you might need a bit of warmth in the others colors chosen for walls or soft furnishings. If you extend the tile base in front of the fireplace that will give another opportunity to introduce more impact with the tiles. There are always lots of gorgeous tile options. I am loving some of the Moroccan looking styles.

Been away just saw this I agree with others remove round coffee table replace with a not too large rectangular glass. Wall hang tv, (my choice above fireplace) remove tv console (u could use a low shelf of book case for DVD etc. ) replace with chest. Another option if it fits: Relocate left bookcase to where black recliner is & put recliner in that corner with floor lamp maybe behind it. The square box coffee tbl also looks out of place. Also Could one of door openings be filled in if there is an alternative access out of the room to the right of fire place. Love the fire place & floors.

Hi Ann, yes it is the family room that we are considering as a dining space. Previously the kitchen had a peninsula and there were no bifolds so the room was split and we had a small kitchen and a small dining area. When we installed the new kitchen and bifold doors the intention was a kitchen / dinner but now I’m thinking I’d like a bench on the wall between the kitchen and family rooms with bar stools to sit at for breakfast and homework. I love your idea of ghost chairs - I hadn’t considered this. A bit like this: