I prefer the right hand option but mainly because I think the utility should be closer to the kitchen/dining area rather than across the room. Depends if it’s mainly a laundry room or used for kitchen purposes though. Not keen on the separate little fire/chair area on the right. I think you could actually put the dining table to the right of the kitchen (so it’s opposite the kitchen which is on the left) and then that leaves you a much larger living space where you can put a good fire and have the tv to the side. If you have any tv room anyway then you won’t need the tv to be the main focal point in the kitchen room? Also, you could add on some kitchen seating/barrow breakfast bar off the kitchen on the back wall for somewhere just to eat breakfast at. My O/H isn’t big on dining rooms either and prefers an island/breakfast bar to sit at

I would get a smallish drop-leaf table with two comfortable dining chairs for you and your roommate's eating area. I suggest no barstools - they take up too much real estate. Guests. Ask them to bring a cushion or a folding chair because you don't have enough chairs. I lived in a very tiny place and my guests were happy enough to sit on the floor - 90 minute party, max. Serve VERY good food. Separate the living and dining areas by color/style and/or an area rug for the living room that will compliment your furniture. Decorators siggest that the front legs of living room furniture be placed on the rug if the rug is too small to fit under all of the furniture. If you get a sisal rug, be sure to use a rug pad. Sisal can be like sandpaper on the wood finish of your floors. I would NOT put a rug in the kitchen. Use washable foot fatigue rubber mats instead. Best wishes.

I can strongly recommend open stairs - you will be amazed at how much lighter the hall area becomes, as well as feeling larger. The suggestion of pocket doors is also something that I did and have been very happy with. Second the suggestion to take kitchen cupboards to the ceiling - it makes the room feel taller and that space is really only used as a dust/grease trap otherwise. Finally, you don't have a downstairs toilet: assuming you don't intend to keep a car in the garage, why not think about that area for utility and toilet, plus maybe a study (or playroom if you have kids). Edit: I just saw that you don't want to mess with the concrete slab, which is sensible. Depending on how the soil pipes and sewers run, a toilet could just back to the wall in the current garage area. By the way, check how the heating pipes go. My house was built in 1980 and heating and plumbing run within the slab. It was only when my water bill suddenly shot up that I discovered a leak - a poor quality copper pipe had failed. Very expensive!

Hello Sabina, Maybe the conservatory could be converted into a utility shower and the kitchen could be placed next to the stairwell. Of course, this depends on whether the plumbing can be relocated.