This is wonderful how you opened the stairs - you get a real sense of the architecture and it brings in more light. I applaud what you have accomplished. I'm going to assume that the wall above is patched with quickcrete and the whole thing is painted (try to get the wall beyond under the stair too). If you have / want a flat screen, you might mount a swing arm wall mount for a flat panel television on the vertical wall element remaining on the right - just about 3' - 3 1/2' (around 1 meter) above the floor so that it is eye level when you are sitting. The swing arm support will allow you to tilt the television away from the wall ever so slightly across the nearby corner. This can help to eliminate glare from the nearby window and make it possible for more people in the room to view it / expand your seating possibilities. I reference something like http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/Chief-Thinstall-TS318SU-Medium-Dual-Swing-Arm-Wall-Mount-18in-Extension/2555661.aspx?cm_mmc=ShoppingFeeds-_-GoogleBase-_-Video/Monitors/Cards/Projector-_-2555661_Chief%20Thinstall%20TS318SU%20Medium%20Dual%20Swing%20Arm%20Wall%20Mount%20-%2018%22%22%20Extension%20-%20_CIF-TS318SU You can even mount a television tlhat is wider than the wall behind as it can sit flat on the wall and extend beyond the wall to the left when at rest like another plane in your architectural composition. Since the upper stair is just behind, this should be fairly safe for the electronic. Determine precisely where the television will be at rest before you hang the mount itself. Then, look for a low height chest to sit below the television. Ideally a chest with one open shelf near the top to hold your component receivers. You may want to try to run electrical to the remaining vertical wall on the right (the support for the stair landing) to get power into the wall itself, while everything is open. Depending upon where the nearest source is, with concrete walls, you could mount the power junction box low on the wall under the stair and drill out small diameter cord passages through the wall after placement of your components. Or use the baseboard area to run needed cables and power to the area behind the chest, then conceal it with baseboard trim. The more you can hide the power and connection cords, the sleeker the look, to match your gorgeous architectural stair element. If you have a larger deeper television, put it on a sideboard chest under the upper stair where you have the depth. In the rear area, take care with putting cables together in a cord cover - ikea has a good one that is inexpensive. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20097954/ so it looks "neat" from behind when you come down the stair.

I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

I agree that there is too much going on, however some of the suggestions are costly and in my opinion don't completely take care of the problems. I like the design approach it is fresh and updated. I agree that the chimney cap is out of proportion and just needs a simple band at the top. In order to make the exterior remain timeless over the years, Now Sit Down for a minute, I would make all of the exterior the white color. I know you love red however this will tie the different components of the architecture together more than any thing else. You can still have high gloss red doors and red tile pavers on the ground. It would also be very classy the use white tile in place of the brick look. You could even mix gloss white tiles with matt finish tiles to give an interesting sparkle when you ride by. I like the wrought iron upper railing, but the vertical blocking on the right side looks too heavy. So I would continue the same railing around the corner and back toward the house until it connects to the other balcony railing. This also ties the house together. It would look much more classic to not have a grid in the tall window and instead have a solid piece of glass down to the transom and then from there down be solid glass as well. Glass block in the courtyard column sections with back lights would look unbelievable. I would arch the closed in section on the second level as it would show up more there than the window being arched does, so save the money and don't arch that window. I would either hang a long contemporary light on the right elevation to dress it up or insert a long strip of glass block lighted from the interior to achieve the same effect. I charge for renderings, because I list the materials as well. Best, Leo Dowell Interiors.com

Hi Princey, Windows bring in ample light and provide ventilation to a room and at the same time bring the outsides visually in. Hence, it is necessary to determine their not only their size but also their location in a room. Deciding the lintel and sill level of the windows may depend on the overall look of the building or a home as they alter the elevation to a great extent. A standard 3' sill and 7' lintel gives you a 4' height to work with. You may then increase or decrease its width to your requirement. Anything between 4'-6' is a good window width. If possible you may decrease the sill level to 2' to increase the window size where you want. Avoid doing this where the bed would be as its headboard will cover a large part of the window. Alternatively you may go for french windows/doors for living rooms. As far as the design of the window is concerned, it largely depends on the functionality. Accordingly, the windows may be side hung, sliding, louvered, top hung, fixed etc. These days mostly we go for sliding or side hung ones. How they look will depend a lot on their mechanism. However, their style may be changed as per the aesthetics of the room and overall building elevation. Here are some examples - These go well with classic, colonial and Indian styles. These go well with minimalist, modern and contemporary styles. Bay windows create an interesting corner in you living and bedroom and bring in ample light for the same size of opening due to their angular windows. The wall behind the bed may have a window like this, its fixed glass that filters in light and accommodates the bed as well. French doors and windows are a great option for both bedroom and living areas if you have the privilege of a balcony. The living room may have small or large windows depending on the area at our disposal as well as the floor where we reside. Ground floor with ample greenery around calls for large picture windows. But if there is no particularly pleasant view we may go for regular or even slit windows to solve our purpose. All these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discussing windows. It is highly recommended to consult with your architect while deciding on the requirement, size, placement, design, material and aesthetics of the windows in your home. All the best! Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur