I appreciate that it is difficult to know without seeing the layout of the house so here's a rough drawing to scale that I have done of the proposed new layout to help - light blue line = existing glass doors to kitchen, red line = proposed new glass doors to lounge, black lines = existing walls, dark blue lines = proposed new studwork walls and lighting layout (probably will use downlights for maximising the light and lamps in the reading room as well). Hope this gives more of a clear idea of what we are planning to do - I say "utility room" but actually our idea is to do something similar to what OnePlan suggested utilising the understairs cupboard off the WC as a utility cupboard with the washing machine/tumble drier in and then hang a drying rack from the ceiling. The cloakroom area would give us a valuable space for shoes and coats as currently you walk straight through into the main body of the house and mess gets everywhere (we have a small dog that gets very muddy)! The floor will be tiled the same as the hallway through the cloakroom and WC and wood flooring laid in the reading room with the fireplace. It's a very good idea to ask local estate agents Man About The House so thanks for that suggestion.

Can anybody advise/offer comments on the below: We are looking to add a utility room to our ground floor (soon to be extended) off the main hallway. What dimensions are ideal for a utility room with a washer and dryer, sink and some storage cabinets? The utility room would also be the place that I would store all my cleaning items (liquids, mop, bucket etc) and the household hoover too. Any ideas for wall/shelf storage for these items? Thanks.

I think both the shelving and particularly the stained glass are lovely features. With some thoughtful planning I'm sure you can still make the hallway look contemporary, leaving them in. Will you you change the front door? I can't really tell how it looks because of the backlight.

Assuming the plumbing can't go all the way into the porch (and runs along the left), I imagined this: Instead of opening up the complete kitchen-dining wall (probably loadbearing), enlarge the current doorway and have a 'window frame' installed to open things up. No separate utility in this though. And is the door on the side the only door to your garden? I've simply added one, though french doors in the dining would most likely add more value. And with some extra cash you could open up the dining-lounge wall too. And close off some of the hallway to gain storage space under+near the stairs.