Miranda You appear to be making all the right choices in life. I will be a little bit presumptuous by offering some advice on helping you to raise your child in touch with nature in this age full of all the electronic lures that keep the kids indoors. or, when outdoors, glued to a small screen, rather than the glory that surrounds them. I am writing a book about landscape architecture and have a section regarding the importance of embracing nature in the preschool years. - which I would like to forward that section to you. However, my computer skills are limited to email and US Mail. I don't even know how to attach a picture to the text. If you would like to receive this draft from my future book, send me your email or postal address, and I'll get it right off to you. My email is cascio.offsite@gmail.com Good luck with your new challenges and opportunities. Joe Cascio

Our island is 900 depth, 2400 wide, with a sink in the middle (opposite the cooktop), which works well for us. Plenty of prep area either side of the sink (mind you, it's a single undermount sink, about 500mm wide, with no drainboard). If we were going to use the island for actual meals, ours is only deep enough for a person either side of the sink. So, if you're thinking of having the island as a dining area, go to the 1200 depth. Just walk around it to clean it. On the other hand, if the island is going to be for prep, and a place for guests to prop up a glass of wine and chat while you're getting dinner, 900 is fine. Our dishwasher is to the immediate left of the sink, and we have pull out waste bins underneath the sink. We have 1200 mm space from island to the wall side and the range top, and about the same to the other ends. Our fridge, which isn't huge, is in a 900 mm+ cavity which would be big enough for a deeper fridge. It's in relatively the same place your fridge is, and works fine there. Hinges are on the non-kitchen side of the door, so it opens into the kitchen. Cabinets beside it are a bit more in depth, so fridge and cabinets line up nicely. 850 for your fridge seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't put that study where you have it: I think you'll need all of that butler's pantry for butlering type storage. My 5 cents worth based on new house, new experience, absolutely no kids in the equation!

Here are my flooring choices. Wood look tile vs. laminate vs. carpet. Coloring is a little off, the difference between the laminate and the tile is not as much as shown here. Sorry about the lighting. The existing tile in the adjacent/connecting room is laying on the tile samples. The furniture in this room is Techline modular office furniture in Cherry finish mixed with Maple desk tops and accents. Sample of the cherry finish also in the photo. I live in a hot climate so warm floors are not a consideration...actually would like cool ones!

We have an almost identical dilemma! Our floor plan is almost essentially the same and we cannot afford to remove walls - which would be ideal! We need two couch areas but not two dining. In what is the equivalent of your living, we’ll put a big sectional which I think would fit yours too. That could be where you all watch TV? I think we’ll turn what is your current meals (and our formal dining) into a sitting room/conversation/library area. Like you, we need enough room to walk through. You could even have a study nook there? Then the area with the kitchen will have a dining table and smaller couch. So where your dining is we’ll have a small couch/tv and our table will go next to kitchen (same location as your kitchen). I look forward to seeing what you do! As I may copy!