I'm with Jo DP, I wouldn't let her within a beagle's gowl (as my mother would have said) of any home of mine either. It would depend where I was living, I'm rather taken with Abigail Ahern at the moment but more for her quirky side than her addiction to VERY dark interiors. If I had the higher ceilings and huge windows that I long for we might be able to work together without arguing too much but I have to draw the line at an entire house painted black :D Or maybe Tricia Guild who has managed to consistently produce interiors that I drool over for more than a decade now but again I think some of that is down to the stunning homes she works with. To be honest I have such strong, and varied, opinions about design that I would be a nightmare client and would probably drive most well known designers to drink and I certainly wouldn't trust the judgement of some celebrity, they'd probably drive me to drink....

My partner & I bought a fishery with 2 lakes just over a year ago, the entire 10 acre site was very neglected, but we have renovated the lakes so that the anglers have a wonderful experience in beautiful surroundings. Our dream now is to renovate the house, reconfiguring the property so that we too can enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. There is also an acre of garden to landscape, we have many ideas but ideas on where to start would be fantastic

You're welcome. I'm not sure if Ekstrom did the yellow ones too, but at least you have one of them identified now.

Hi Shane, Really interesting property you are about to buy. Lots of possibilities to create a nice place where to live. About your question, an open plan living space is completely compatible with having a two-storey home. Open style stairs are the best solution for this, but where to place them will be even more imporant I guess. Do not think about stairs as an element that blocks or interrumpts the space, but as a piece of your open plan ground floor which can even be its main feature. I leave you a couple of pictures that can help you visualise it. Please let me know if you need any more advice or precise drawings. Happy to help. Ana