Hello, and more storage is always great. I think if you could consider the height of your doors & trim and even the window height and trim the height of linen cabinet would relate nicely to that dimension. So I would measure a couple of those items and see which dimension is better in relationship to those elements in the room.

@soberg: on the toilet entry we thought we could have a 2 way access to the corner most toilet - one from the closet side and another from bedroom 3. @ eagledzines. Thank you for the sketches! On the high ceiling do you think we could juggle the entire layout of 1st floor a bit to accomodate a small family room (hall) where the staircase opens along with 2 other bedrooms. We are ok to compromise on the room sizes a bit and toilet / closet positions can be changed too as long as pillars are not affected.. The kitchen changes sound good. I was also wondering if it would be ok to have the sink right below the window. Thereby freeing up more cooking or prep space.

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 with painting the doors. All my interior doors are a deep charcoal grey. You'd be surprised how expensive it makes them look. That aside I would start with a rug. A huge rug. Something chic with a lot of color. Then add love seats in white, colorful pillows, and chairs in fabrics that pickup the colors in your rug. No BIG furniture. Just because you have a big room doesn't mean you need to stick a brown sectional in it. A couple fancy topiary would look great under those windows. And dont forget lighting.