You have lovely pieces to work with. To my mind, it appears you have a long and a short MCM credenza/buffet. I'd prefer them switched and then move the art pieces so they take up no more than 75% of the credenza's length. Also keep them closer to the furniture and lower than the door and window frames if possible. Red is a wonderfully appetizing color and I'd love to see it on the dining room wall as well, although I know it may make the air unit more obvious. The dining wall is the one I'd fill with a bookcase for the cookbooks. As a one-time owner of nearly 100 cookbooks, I found they made for great dinner party conversation, along with an unabridged two-volume set of the English language dictionary. An IKEA bookcase could work well and hold plenty of books. The white shelf system with the red wall behind and the backs of the shelves painted red would look great! Or you can paint the bookcase red and leave the wall white. Group books by color for another touch of fun! Don't forget to show off some great "foodie" accessories too.

My ex-husband and I had an issue with a large window that looked out over a sidewalk where people were constantly walking by and looking directly into our living room. We solved the problem by using window film that was one-way so we could see out but it was like a mirror if anyone tried to look in. There are other varieties as well. We still got all the sunshine and light but didn't need to worry about whether or not the neighbors could see me watching tv in my nightie on a sick day...It also meant the door to door salesmen couldn't look in and see that I was home when I didn't answer the door. http://www.gilafilms.com/en/privacy-window-film.aspx#.VOuUBS5vksQ

Thanks for the extra pics. Still thinking along the same line. Trim the bushes by the sidewalk to make the sidewalk more visible and accessible. If you can, replace the package with new door with clear glass or no glass and new sidelights or none. Put in a courtyard that comes out to the white wall with whatever works for you. Pavers, pavers and gravel, low decking, concrete, tile, brick. Anything. Add bench , chairs , mini trees in pots flowers. Make it welcoming. Could even add a trellis over the area. Deck could be made smaller and planting beds put in under Windows for small shrubs or flowers. Grass in the area between the ac unit and the driveway. Add a walk way from drive to the deck in material that works withe the rest. I would add pictures but don't know how.

Hi we are renovating our kitchen and just wanting some opinions about the layout, finishes are not confirmed and it’s pretty rough but you get the idea. the ceiling slopes for the right hand side of the kitchen so trying to figure out how to make it look best. Original kitchen to get an idea of the ceiling. Thanks