The house looks very livable. I love that you have concentrated on creating one nice bath with separate walk in shower and a windowed tub! Since you have already thought of it, I'm going to assume that the attic is for future expansion and cannot be adapted for use as the current "away room." We are also in the process of designing a small house, and we've designated our study as the "away room." Ours will open off the dining room. If you switched the locations of the Study and Bed 1 on the same side, you could put french doors or an extra wide door with etched or decorative glass from the hallway into the right hand corner of the study. This would give you a really long diagonal view through the lounge and out the french doors, and from the lounge through the study to the window at the far end... The study window should be increased in width to match the neighboring window in Bed 1, and it then becomes ripe for a small window seat, either a clip on bay bumping out, or a "built-in" bay using narrow built ins on either side. Or both: build "in" for now, putting file cabinet drawers under the window seat, and angled corner units in for storage, and add the bump out bay later when you know whether your offspring would prefer a really cute desk, or a window seat, or a bed nook. You would, alas, lose the door from Bed 1 into the bath.... but honestly, there are lot of doors into that bathroom already, and that one has substantial collision potential. It might be best to make the single access point that door from the laundry. Either a glass panel set high in the bath room doors or a transome would make it easy to tell when someone is in the loo. Other ideas would be to split the nook under the stairs, so that half the depth opens to the lounge, and the other half to Bed2... with the wall thickness, you probably get close to 600mm or 2' on each side. Add a deep bookcase or other built in, and you're easily at a depth that makes both spaces very tucked in. Lastly, if funds allow a shallow bay window over the kitchen sink would visually expand the kitchen, particularly if you could arrange it so that the counter runs right into the bay.

We have the black mirror splashback. We love it and it soooo easy to clean

Definitely better to go back and look! Love this.

Are you standing in a rowboat when taking the picture? Lots of humidity, I guess. Try this in your minds eye: A tall shrub at each deck column below, so the wheelbarrow and dogs and kids can still go beddiebye between them, and continue along the foundation walls as well. You can mix the different plants, but if you choose to, I would suggest 3-5 of the same before introducing another. The lilac, of course, will be the most fragrant; and the shadblow the earliest to bloom. Lilac (Syringa), Shadblow (Amelanchier), Crape Myrtle (be careful when selecting these just by color, as some have a mature height of 2' and others have a mature height of 20') and the Crape Myrtle do not do well up north, if you are on the coast of Maine. Underplant these beauties with groundcover (a flagstone path for the wheelbarrow access) and low flowering shrubs or tall grasses will add nice color and texture for all the passing boatmen to view and smile and wave to you ON DECK above. Ask at the auto supply store if there is a product to wipe onto your railing to prevent fogging of your "wind shield". (as well as your telescope lens) Looks like a great spot for morning coffee and evening Dewars. cascio.offsite@gmail.com