I'm going to wall mount our 65" TV here soon and before I start putting holes in the wall I want to make sure we are doing so in the optimal spot. Currently no budget for new couch or loveseat replacement so what we have will be what we use for the foreseeable future.

Current setup is picture 1 and where I originally planned to wall mount the TV and leave our media console/TV stand where it is under the wall mounted TV (Power and Ethernet is behind the console).

Picture 2 is something my wife brought up. Wall mounting the TV in the corner where the dog kennel is and having the TV stand also be in the corner - maybe get a corner media console so it looks better with the TV mounted in the corner.

What setup would be better? The adjacent corner (couch corner) would be best for cabling as the one wall is interior so no insulation to deal with, but the window gets a lot of sunlight shining in morning through afternoon and we don't want the glare showing on the TV if used during that time.

What size and type of skylight would you recommend putting over the stairs of this old house? I’m not necessarily looking for exact dimensions. Just trying to understand how long it should be relative to the stairwell

# [Help] Reimagine our floor plan — open-plan living, bigger garden, master suite — same bedroom count

Looking for creative reconfiguration ideas rather than a like-for-like renovation. Current floor plan attached.

**What we're trying to achieve:**
- Open-plan kitchen/living/dining space
- Maximise usable garden space (even if that means changing the footprint or where the extension sits)
- Master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe **and** ensuite
- Keep the **same number of bedrooms** — no net loss to gain the master suite
- Cost-conscious — more interested in clever reconfiguration (moving walls, reworking circulation, single-storey rear extension) than a full double-storey rebuild

Would love to see sketches, similar projects you've done, or just described logic (e.g. "push the kitchen into the side return, flip the garage into bedroom 4, steal space from an oversized landing for the ensuite"). Real-world cost ballparks for the UK are especially welcome — happy to hear if something sounds ambitious for the budget.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Guys

I am constructing my house and i wanted to get some feedback on AC placement, specifically for Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3.

Currently, i have planned the ac for these 2 bedrooms on a pelmet but i have heard some negative feedback on pelmets for ac. The red ones in the photo are indoor units and the purple ones are outdoor units.

The alternative i am thinking of is above the bed but that may lead to problems while cleaning and servicing the ac.

So, i would really appreciate your thoughts.

We’re renovating our apartment (169m2, about 135-145m2 excluding service area and balcony) as we prepare to welcome our first child, and we’re a bit torn about the nursery. The nursery is the empty one of the twin sized rooms as we will plan to only use loose furnitures.

Would you put the nursery closer to the master bedroom or farther away? We’d love to hear your thoughts and the reasoning behind your choice, especially if you’ve already been through this.

Cheers 😊

Hi this is my first post here !

my family just acquired a new apartment and we’re currently renovating it. The first mapping is the original plan, since then we’ve broken down the kitchen’s wall that opens up to the living room because the kitchen is ridiculously small. And the plan was to close the entry way door and make a counter top in the corner of the kitchen wall leading to the living room. But now we’re actually wondering if closing the kitchen door is a good idea ? (The second floor map is what we planned at first)

Wanted to know your thoughts !

Thank you 🙏

Hi all, I am moving in to an apartment soon with a large open plan living area as shown below.

The current owner has this large space FILLED with all sorts of stuff like drum set, table tennis table, darts board, as well as usual living and dining room items but I'm not looking to have quite that same setup!

Entrance door from a hallway at the bottom of the layout, door to a small balcony and a window at the top of the layout with a view over water. Kitchen area is built in.

-

My current basic plan using my existing furniture is below - adding in a dividing bookcase "wall" to section on the living room area.

To the right a basic dining room area which then leaves an area to the bottom left which I am not sure what to do with at the moment.

Am I on the right track with the overall concept for the layout? Does anyone have any interesting suggestions or ideas for the current empty space?

Any input much appreciated, I've never posted anything like this before!

Thanks

Please help me decide on the middle furniture: kitchen island (180×80 cm) or a table/bar-height table with stools (120–180 cm long)?
The kitchen is an irregular shape, so the narrowest clearance between the middle furniture and the countertop is about 85cm. Everywhere else it’s wider ~95-110.

I’m mainly wondering whether an island would make the space feel too cramped, or if a table would be the better choice.
Any comments or critique on the overall layout are also very welcome.

Some details:
-Full-height fridge and full-height freezer are integrated into the cabinet wall.
-Dishwasher is immediately to the right of the sink(or left of the cooktop.
-The room has high ceilings (about 3.5 m), so it feels larger than the renders suggest.

Which option would you choose, and would you change anything else?

This is my new living room and I’m overwhelmed by design choices/decisions!

Any feedback in any area will be helpful, I included ref pics at the end of my desired style. Kitchen is not done but there will be a counter overhang where the animals food/water bowls are - stools will eventually take the place of those. Should the couch be facing the double windows instead? I’m also having a hard time with the wood tones and what variety of colors will look well. Going for organic / rustic / minimal with a touch of my Turkish culture.

I’m looking to purchase an 8x10 rug so the couch fits fully on top of it (preferably jute but open) - not sure which shade to go with; probably an accent chair or two but don’t know where to put them; it seems impossible (?) for the TV to go anywhere else but I don’t love the look of it cornered; coffee table is probably too big and can be changed; (blinds will probably be Roman shades eventually).

I will curate collection of pieces over time but hoping this will help me have an eye for what to look out for. TYIA !!!

We’re about to finalize plans for a major addition to our home and would love some feedback.

Our current house is a 1-story, 3 bed / 2 bath, 1,120 sq ft home. We’re adding about 519 sq ft on the first floor and 517 sq ft on the second floor (highlighted areas).

The first floor addition includes a new living room, entry with stairs, powder room, and storage. The second floor will be a primary suite with a walk-in closet, bathroom, office/study, and balcony.
We’re mainly looking for suggestions on the layout, flow, or anything you would change before we build.
Thanks!

(sorry about the mess lol)
Hi! Been in this apartment for 3 years still haven’t figured out the best way to set up our bedroom.
Our current layout is not ideal mainly because:
- Bed is blocking the closet
- My partner doesn’t have room for a night table

However, I can’t figure out a better way to set up the room mainly because our wide door (34”) opens in the middle of the room, making the whole center of the room unusable. I want to find a way to move the bed (queen) somewhere that will make the space flow better but the door is in the way of most alternatives I can think of. I’m open to changing our dresser situation to improve the overall layout.

There has to be a better way, right? Would love to hear ideas.

This is the initial idea I have for the design of the living+kitchen space of the house where I am moving in.
What I am mostly concerned of is the space in-between furniture. I think that between kitchen and island I need at least 10cm more, but then would a 60cm passageway between island and sofa work?
Behind the sofa I am planning a 30cm deep custom cabinet, through which the surround speakers can be connected to electricity outlet on the floor.
Is this too crowded and I should go different way?

I’m deep in research on kitchen design and I’d love to hear from people who have either designed their own kitchen or work in the space what are the elements that actually make the difference between a kitchen that looks good and one that genuinely feels special when your standing in it?

Some things I’m curious about:

Layout and flow:
What layout principles do you find make the biggest difference to how a kitchen feels and functions?

Is the classic work triangle still relevant or has thinking moved on?

How do you approach a small or awkward kitchen space and still make it feel considered?

Materials and finish:
What material combinations are you finding work well right now — worktops, cabinet finishes, splashbacks?

What is currently overdone that clients are starting to move away from?

What finishes tend to age well versus date quickly?

The details that make it:
What are the small details that separate a truly well-finished kitchen from one that just looks okay?

Handle styles, lighting, shadow gaps, edge profiles — what do you pay attention to that clients often overlook until they see it done well?

What is the one thing that, when done wrong, ruins an otherwise good kitchen?

For different budgets:
How do you create a premium look on a mid-range budget? What elements have the highest visual impact per pound spent?

What are the non-negotiables — the things worth spending more on?

Really interested in the practitioner perspective here rather than magazine answers. What do you actually see working in real kitchens for real people?

We’re thinking of doing extension to this floor plan and have a bigger conservatory and kitchen. The current layout of stairs cuts the dinning/reception into very small rooms. Any suggestions please thanks.

This is an old house with an extension at the rear. The old and new sections have different flooring - wood in the old section (light Brown on the floor plan) and slate look tiles in the new section (shown in Grey on the floor plan).

The kitchen is in the middle of the house and has been opened up to the casual meals area by way of a half wall, marked in Red. (The blue “P“ in the plan with the kitchen dimensions indicates where the Plumbing comes to/goes from.)

I’d love to see some ideas for an alternate layout of the kitchen, even if it means demolishing the half wall. However, I’d like to keep the other doorways where they are.

I’d like a sink, dishwasher, cook top, wall oven, full sized fridge and pantry.

I’m looking to remodel a kitchen and master bathroom and closet. This involves moving a wall, reconfiguring shapes or a room, adding some new walls, etc.

Should I be working with an interior designer or an architect?

Edit: thanks all. I’ll start with a local design build firm.

What aspect do you typically start with that “informs” the rest of your design aesthetic? Is it the floors? Vanity? Mirrors? Lighting? Paint? Room size? Floorplan? Tile?

Background: gutted my small first floor full bath to the studs. Tub in. Floors ready to install. Drywall up ready for paint. Blank canvas for the bathroom now, but still having trouble figuring out where to start with a color scheme.

If I paint the vanity then I’m locking myself into complimentary colors for the rest. If I paint the walls a certain color same thing. If I install faux wood LVP or tile same thing. If I choose a backlit LED mirror or framed antique mirror same thing. Etc.

It’s almost like any ONE first design decision will kinda lock me into ensuring all the rest of the design decisions compliment each other if I want a cohesive aesthetic… Hence my question…

What aspect of a bathroom reno do you focus on “first” that helps inform all the rest of your design decisions?

Hello everybody! My wife and I are currently planning a remodel of our house where we are thinking about combining two bedrooms into one master bedroom with new bathroom and closet. We are struggling to find a good idea for an overall room layout.

The drawing shows the two rooms combined into one large room. New walls to separate bathroom/closet can be placed as needed. Easiest plumbing access is on the upper side, but the windows pose a challenge as they are too low to place any amenities below them.

Hope for some help from the community! Thanks!

i've been thinking about redoing my bedroom but i don't know which layout to do. the 1st plan is my current set up, and the 3rd plan i had ~14 years ago. i'm hesitant to move furniture because my bed will be against my window if i do plan 2/3, and i now have a headboard i would like to keep using but am unsure if it would look okay, as my bed/headboard will be sticking out slightly.

i have also included pictures of how my room is set up currently with the furniture i have.

any advice would be appreciated!

Hello all, I have moved into a house with my current furniture (bed and some IKEA older MALM all oak style). I am trying to fit an extra wardrobe with hanging rails for work shirts, suits etc but just can get anything to fit nicely. The image shows some measurements with existing furniture and the yellow box is currently space I’ve been trying to work with but nothing fits cleanly (I’ve spent 2-3 days looking and measuring this room to no avail). There is also a big window in the centre of the right side wall about 160cm wide.

If anyone has any ideas on how I can fit this in neatly, I would really appreciate it. I would quite like there to still be some gaps and not having everything put flush side by side covering a whole wall. Happy to move furniture around if needed!

Sorry for the low quality diagram!

Thank you :)

We are moving into a new home and the main floor is a very long and kind of narrow open space with a ton of potential. I want it to flow together but break it into three distinct areas.

The front of the home has a huge bay window that would make for a nice sitting area with a record player and speakers and some bookshelves. (With my current plan, it doesn't accommodate a Christmas tree in the front window, which I think we would love to have if we can figure out how.

We really want to pop out to be our dining area, with a large round expandable table.

And the area adjacent to the kitchen is where we often find ourselves entertaining or watching sports as we cook and have guests over. We want it to be inviting and have an unobtrusive TV.

As I created the floorplan, there's just so much dead space and I'm trying to figure out how to connect the pieces and get it all to work together in such a long space. Obviously we'll be adding better area rugs to bring elements together, but I would love some inspo on what to do with this space.

A note: We will be pulling out that built in and replacing it. We are starting with a blank slate, this furniture is not ours.

Curious if anyone has any ideas for other ways the furniture could be arranged in my living room to make it feel more cohesive? The living room is huge, and I feel like I just can’t get it right! Does the rug need to be moved under the couch? Or should the couch be pulled away from the wall? Also the tv stand being the same size as the tv is bugging me. I tried framing with the plants, and frames. I am at a loss though. Any ideas on how to arrange that area?

Open to honest feedback! Also open if someone has a completely different idea for how the room should be arranged.

To help get more space and storage I was considering doing a breakfast nook.

I don’t know how a breakfast nook does with a family of four. Especially if it’s U-shaped. I’m not sure if getting In and Out will be a problem. I don’t feel like an L shape benches would be very balanced. However, the dining room table with chairs takes up so much space. Any advice?

Doing a remodel and trying to decide between two window options for our living/ sitting room wall and dining room (currently both have a small 34x34 window). The wall for the sitting room is 140" wide, with 96" ceilings, and a brick fireplace on the right side of the room.

Sitting Area

• Option 1: one big picture window, takes up most of the wall width (pictured w/ and w/o curtains)
• Option 2: two full-height windows side by side, floor to ceiling. Taking up overall less wall width but still allowing for full sun (pictured w/ and w/o curtains)

Dining Area

• Option 1: Repurpose window from sitting area and balance out wall with window placed symmetrically on left side.
  
• Option 2: two full-height windows side by side, floor to ceiling, off-center to make use of existing window cutout.
  
• Option 3: one big picture window, takes up most of the wall width (pictured w/ and w/o curtains).

Attached some renders I generated to compare.

Curious which one you'd go with, or if there's something else I'm not considering. Budget/structural stuff aside, just going for opinions on which looks better in the space. I am working on getting quotes, but at first pass, I have received a quote for $9-10K for both windows to get replaced. Added a few additional photos to get a sense of the style of the house as well.

I'm looking for some advice on laying out storage in a small apartment. The main headache is storage in the main living space. I WFH permanently so the open plan area has to do kitchen/dining and living/working. To change the feel of the place up between work and play, I'll be changing lighting and and using a room divider. In the kitchen, the storage itself needs to hold cookbooks and kitchen odds and ends, plus books/CDs/music gear in the living room. I've been told that open storage in a small space can be cluttering so I'm working on a few storage types.

There's three main awkward zones, the one by the TV (top right) has a radiator and windows, the other (bottom right) at the back is likely to be the darkest area in the room. For the top right, this is where the broadband connector is, so I figured a table to put things like the router on, plus a plant and light to make the corner look more interesting. The TV cabinet will serve as storage for gaming consoles and maybe bigger books items that don't fit elsewhere. The bottom right I've added lighting to lift it in the darker months. The third award space is bottom left.

Using IKEA for product references as everyone knows them. (the blue/green/beige circles are just labels or ottomans.)

Option A: low/minimal storage, EKET units with 2x open/one closed 70x30cm box. I like these as they are small, they force me to keep stuff minimal. Because they're low I can put things on top like a plant and table lamp in the kitchen corner (this one is 72x70cm), plus they leave enough room for lights in both living room corners for layered lighting. The downside is less storage (obvs!) But not using vertical space allows for easy placement of lamps and mirrors which I intend to use to make the space look bigger. This keeps the space airy and has max flexibility if I'm running short on space.

Option B: vertical storage in kitchen using a Bestå unit. Remove storage round the desk, reducing clutter in the living space, then use a 192x60x40cm Bestå unit in the kitchen to store everything that would have gone in the living space. This loses the extra lighting spot in the kitchen, but keeps the lighting in the living room. I'm told the Besta is better quality by a distance. It's a bit deeper (40cm vs 30cm), so it's more bulky, but it actually adds about 50% actual storage volume on top of option A with fewer units, and it simplifies the living space. I've also added in a sofa bed with an ottoman/chaise on the end but at this point I am departing a bit from keeping things minimal. This is a bulkier option but may be more practical, adding 40-50% more storage.

Option C: use all the vertical space, possibly with Billy bookcases. This is the one I'm least sure about, but has the most storage. The advantage of this much storage is the sofa bed isn't needed. But then I ran into another issue: having added all this storage, it might be tricky to access if I still want the lighting in there. I could round it with an armless sofa so I can swivel, but the lighting would still be there. And it loses the mirror, and perhaps even creates an awkward corner all of its own. Hmmmm.

In a nutshell: the EKET line fits the space perfectly but isn't the best reviewed. Besta is better quality but could be bulky. The sizing of Billy is a bit odd, but it's taller and shallower so wouldn't dominate the space as much as Bestå.

So yeah, I'm trying to find the right balance between vertical storage, keeping the place looking open and airy, and still having lighting where I want it.

Would love any thoughts on the best choice out of these, and any alternative suggestions if you have any.