Do you have the list now from the builder of ALL the things they want to approve at the meeting? If not, get it - take a week off work, delay your meeting and research like mad! You need to see everything in real life, not a picture, if possible - so go to the company's stockists - and see what other options are available. (Your builder won't accept too many ideas from stockists that aren't his own. I held out for a bath with an armrests and a headrest - but pick your own battles!) Look at every room on Houzz - laundries, lounges, mudrooms (especially since you're in the country), kitchens, bedrooms, study/home office - and check it against your list. You will be asked to decide on things you never knew existed - bullnose (rounded) or flat edges on your kitchen benches, for example? Cornices, architraves, doorstops for goodness stake (for some reason, our builder went with silver doorstops - we went with gold). My experience is that just about every default option a builder puts in for you is wrong . . . go armed with your own pictures, brand names and numbers. (Yes, I want the IZ450, not IJ320.) If the builder has some display homes, make sure you look at all of them (top of the range to bottom of the range) for ideas. For a country house, maybe consider half-panelling on the walls in the kitchen and maybe dining and lounge rooms, or some ceiling roses (yes, you can still get them) to give an old-style feel to the room (and you'll need rounded cornices if you go for the ceiling rose). Honestly, this is the most exhausting, draining and stressful part (well, apart from signing the cheques). But the effort you put in now will be well rewarded. And I think Hamptons and French Provincial style are mostly white or white-ish? So Barbara's colour recommendations are spot on. PS Have you asked for hidden drawers behind the kickbacks in the kitchen?

Hey ginette72. I agree with kooky_karen. Just don't make the French doors too fancy, though obvioulsy the overall style of the house (which is btw??). You will also need to consider light into the Theatre room - will it affect the viewing? If so, you may need to consider some way of reducing or completely shutting off incoming light. Difficult to really advise overall without seeing what else is going on around that room, overall style of home, etc., but I would definitely have at least one pair of French Doors/larger entryways into this room, regardless of the feature wall.

The upstairs 'sitting room' is quite difficult to furnish, almost no layout will work unless its 'floating in the middle of the space. The master bedroom layout while being large in square metres isn't ideal either. Both these areas once reworked will be quite good sized spaces that are usable. While they're at it have them rework the rest of the upper as its a very inefficient use of the space available. The downstairs ENS is a bit clunky but not as big of an issue as the upstairs area. Go back to designer and have them fix it. Once its sorted out, the upper area should contain the second living area you require as well as better bedrooms and bathrooms. Get them to add in furniture as well to the living areas to convince you its ideal!

Another option instead of a light well is to have a glass floor section in the ground floor just above were the stairs lands. and open the wall in the sitting room/use steps hanging in a wire. so there is plenty of light coming in one side of stairs plus light above the landing area. this brings some cool features to the house, which i am already thinking to have a glass floor section somewhere and a mesh floor section somewhere probably in the first floor above entry. Light is not an issue anymore again the big question is when you enter do you want to see the stairs going up or down. Hmm.. tough decision to make