So . . . Here's the Plan . . .

We are nearing a time of getting serious.  We have finished out ideas on layout and have "plan."

This is the "before" (a/k/a the existing layout):

And here -- if all goes to plan, is the "after":

The only thing that cannot really be appreciated or captured on this is what we HOPE to do with the existing ceiling in the LR/DR area.

Currently, it is a "tray" that you see here:

It slopes up on the edges to become raised a bit in the center, making an upside down "tray" - hence the name.

What we are hoping for (budget permitting) is some thing like this SHAPE, sloping up from the windows to the kitchen:

With this FINISH, so that we can make some nod to the mid-century roots of the home:

Fingers crossed that we are able to pull it off.