Nothing like first instincts

We had a bit of a reorganization here at Chez JE this weekend. And even though I brought it upon myself, I was the one who at the end of the day was so freaked out by all the changes that I needed a glass of wine and a nice hot shower in my unchanged bathroom to keep myself from delving into a full-fledged panic attack. C was similarly afflicted, requiring a restorative stay in his room, while M and A jumped around the house in glee exclaiming "Look! How great! I love it!"

Now, because you are all going to clamor for such things, I present to you the pictures. With the caveat that once my sewing machine arrives from Santa there will be real window treatments and such...

Eating area before

Eating area after
It feels, well, empty. But it DOES make accessing the pantry easier. And if we ever get around to the kitchen redo, the eating area was going to be toast anyway. But seriously, since the renovation is several years out, do you think the empty space is going to look odd?

"Train room" before
"Train room" after
When I first saw the house, I saw this room and Rebecca and I both went, "Hmmm. What do you DO with that room?" We quickly decided upon eating area, but the real estate showing the house insisted sitting area. And so it became ingrained in everyone's mind that it should be a a sitting area. But there was no real way to configure the room as a sitting area. Clearly this table is too small for the space, especially since we are down to two chairs thanks to "you get what you pay for" construction. What do you think, if there were a larger pedestal table in there, with a small buffet against the wall to the right of the fireplace?

Family room before

Family room after

Not sure how I feel about this one. Clearly that wall is calling out for SOMETHING. We've moved the quilt up to the guest room for now as the kids kept pulling it off the wall, and it really didn't go in the room. I think the long term plan for in here is a sectional with this furniture moving down into the basement for the kids, as it has been basically trashed by them already.

Living room before


Living room after

This one I think came out well. M is less convinced, primarily because he can't figure out where the Christmas tree is supposed to go and refuses to consider placing the tree in the family room. I say you can't build a room around a Christmas tree that is in the house for two weeks a year, but clearly the Christmas tree placement is not quite the concern for me as it is for M...

So what do you think? We are not at all wedded to any of this, and are seeking input....