My parents' old house had a wonderful oak front staircase that my six siblings and I used to race up and down, taking them two or three at a time, with only a casual hold on the railing. I don't know how we managed to never slip or fall. Now, the timber backstairs were steep, and had narrow treads and were poorly lit. We NEVER ran up or down them, but held tightly to the railing and hoped to heck we managed to stay upright. As an adult, my previous home had carpeted stairs, which I slipped on (wearing socks) and fell down twice, though thankfully I was closer to the bottom than the top. My current home has timber stairs with three narrow stainless steel runners stood on edge and inset horizontally across the front of each tread (this is supposed to help reduce risk of slips). I doubt I will get over the anxiety of taking another tumble, so I never go down them wearing socks, and if barefoot, I hold onto the railing for dear life and take it nice and slow. So far so good.

Switch the front window and your side entrance door, this way your door is visible from the street. Then turn the window in the pantry into a door to gain access more directly to your kitchen, a closet and maybe a bench for gathering items on the way in or out. It looks like you have to go up a small flight of stairs to get to the door, otherwise I'd say put the additional entrance on the cellar wall on the left of your plan. Depending on space you may need to slide this new mud room entrance to the left and you might have room for a longer closet along the pantry wall and a bench opposite the closet along the outside wall. You would lose the cellar but I am not sure if that is another storage area or access to a basement. Just some ideas. Really like the rest of the layout. Hope my little picture helps to explain my ideas.

I had pure wool in my former house, it always had fluff ... Even 10 years down the track ... The other thing is it had some type of bug eating it ... It did feel great but I am keen at looking at new carpets that are natural & low allergy ... Love the feel of them but been a little while since I looked as it is the last thing that will go into our home when we finish Reno ( ps still love pure wool

Hi Stacy with carpet there are 3 basic types of finish, each with certain advantages. 1. Loop pile. As the name suggests the yarn is stitched into the backing and forms a loop. As the fibre is continuous it is the strongest construction and if you place the loops close enough you get a very hard wearing carpet. this is why most often the loop is used in commercial carpet. Use wool with this style and it lasts for years. Comes in plain colours (eg sisal) or with a multi flecked (Berber) 2. Cut pile. When the yarn is actually being stitched into the backing, the loop is cut (hence the name). There are two styles in cut piles, being the twist and the plush pile. The twist has a textured look due to the yarn treatment, and the plush has a very smooth velvet style of finish. The plush is the one you see the footprints /vacuum marks in the most and when all other things are equal it is also the weakest style. 3. Cut and loop. Manufacturers create patterns by doing sections in loops and sections in a plush. I mention the above so you understand what it is you are looking at. I caution my clients on wool in a plush pile as it is very prone to what is called watermarking. This is where the lie of the yarn changes direction in patches permanently and you get a two tone look ie it looks wet in patches. we have just installed a high quality 100oz twist pile (in a chocolate colour) on a thick underlay to our bedrooms, theatre and lounge... Looks stunning and it is DELUXXXXE to walk on in the morning with bare feet! hope that helps... cheers