To better illustrate the plans for the main floor, I made up a quick rendering (not to scale) of the current layout and the future layout of the main floor.
CURRENT:
Right now the rooms on the main floor feel segregated and smaller than they really are. In order to create the open concept layout, we are taking down the walls that enclose the kitchen. This means filling in the doorway from the kitchen to the stairway down in order to gain valuable wall space for our fridge and roll out pantry. We are also removing the second closet (by the kitchen) to further open up the space, but in an effort not to lose precious storage space, we are rotating the front closet and making it double wide.
FUTURE:
And for a better visual, here's a rough idea of how the space will look furnished.
The thing I am most excited about in this space is my massive island. The thing Ty is most excited about is the vaulted ceilings. More on that to come....