Create a beautiful and redesigned layout of existing home.

Personal Project

The project is our home residence in San Francisco. It provides a comfortable environment for my wife, two children (8 and 4) and me. We entertain often and enjoy open light-filled environments.

Redesigned/reconfigured layout of the main level (First Floor) of residential house.
---------------------------------
Context:
The house contains 3 levels - Basement (or ground floor), 1st Floor, 2nd Floor. The basement contains a garage, entertainment room and office (no windows). It is partially below grade. The 1st Floor contains living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, guest bedroom (with full bath), and a half bath (powder room). The 2nd Floor contains 3 bedrooms.

One can enter the house through the basement or stairs up to the 1st floor.

The back door of the 1st Floor leads to a patio and a beautiful backyard.

The stairwell has a skylight. So, light enters the house through the front, back, stairwell, and a few side windows.

I've uploaded the existing configuration and also a configuration my wife and I came up with. Obviously we are interested in other ideas and improvements.
---------------------------------
Issue with current 1st Floor configuration:

We have the following issues with the current first floor, in order of significance:

(1) The entry way opens up to a hallway that leads you directly down a corridor to the back door. Not very welcoming and certainly not great feng shui. It almost says, "Welcome! Here is the way to the back door!"

(2) We would like a more open floor plan, especially with the kitchen.

(3) The best area of the house, and with the most light, is the Family Room and the Guest Bedroom on the 1st Floor. We rarely use the guest bedroom for anything because it isn't open to the flow of the house.

(4) There really is no formal entryway. No where for guests to put shoes, coats, or even room for a coat rack.

---------------------------------
What we want designed:

We would like a reconfiguration of the 1st floor that offers a more open floorplan and maximum use of light. The reconfiguration would have the following constraints:

(1) All exterior walls remain in the same location. The one exception is the exterior wall in front of the existing dining room. A reconfiguration may consider (but is not required to) extending that wall to take up the porch area.

(2) Stairwell must stay in the same location. Kitchen must obviously have space for necessary appliances and storage.

(3) Still has the following rooms in the reconfiguration: living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, guest bedroom w/ full bath, and powder room. The guest bedroom can be also used as a library or study room. Perhaps even as an extension of the family room.

------------------------------------------
Product:

Provide 2 layout configurations with potential furniture placement shown:

(1) Configuration 1: With the least amount of impact to existing plumbing.

(2) Configuration 2: Feel free to move the bathrooms and kitchen (and other rooms) anywhere on that level.

The winning layout would be a more open floorplan that maximizes the use of the entire floor, while also maximizing the use of natural light. It would provide for better flow through the level and good space for entertaining.

Will consider bonus points for any graphic renderings, especially photo realistic and/or 3D!

I've added photo attachments of existing conditions in the various rooms. We had to demo our hardwood floors due to water damage, thus prompting this remodel - may as well do it now! So, you will notice the rooms look like we are in the middle of construction.