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.

is it a curved staircase? What is the highest point of the staircase? maybe you can do something like this image:

HI RinaI do agree I love jewelbox rooms, but I consider them more cosy ... and with a grey marble floor it goes all Versace Italianate! I am trying to balance the colours by bringing in a pattern on the covers rather than plain. I feel this will bring colour without overpowering the room. In the pictures I showed above, the rooms are basically neutral but the colour is brought in via pattern - I think this might be the way to go...Ideally a green or blue on a subdued grey would be the best, but I dont know what the market is like for Sumit...Cushions can do a lot to tie in the other white/grey elements.Shelley - navy is a good suggestion, but as Sumits area is quite tall and thin, trying to keep the general area light Any more suggestions most welcome. These are just ideas after all and Sumit will choose what works for the room in the end ;-)

I suggest you follow the step-by-step guide for creating storage cabinets under the bathroom sink. Take proper measurements - Measure the available available space in height, width and height. Cut Plywood to size - With a circular saw and framing square, cut all the required pieces out. You can use a sliding compound saw as an alternative. Attach the base and sides - Start assembling the sink cabinets by placing the bottom piece of plywood sheet on a flat surface. Attach the back and top boards - Place the plywood sheet for the top part of the cabinet and attach wood screws to connect it to both the sides. Turn the back faces of the cabinet upwards. Keep the back piece over the structure and fix it into place with wood screws. Attach shelves - Place the cabinet in an upright position to install the shelves. Slide a shelf into the structure so it is flush against the back. Attach door - Keep both hinges of the door on the same side of the plywood sheet. Drill them using wood screws into place. Now keep the door over the cabinet structure, extend the hinges to one of the side panels and fix them to make them secure. Fix a hasp closure on the other side of the door, placing it in the center of the hinges.