When you start to think of what you want for a certain portion of the house. There is a period of time where ideas surface and command attention for while but ultimately don't reach the final design. I suppose planning is important so you don't just go for the first thing you think of.

I try to envisage how it's going to work in real life, especially when you are trying to create a space that is useable. How many times have you been in a recreation area and to leave the table you have to squeeze people forward in their seats or do an impersonation of a contortionist to move around it? This problem sadly is usually a matter of money, you can't always get the space you need, but hopefully in the end, the compromise that you strike is a happy one.

I think we are getting to the stage where we have something workable. I have drawn up a rough plan with my trusty QCAD program. Only time and the local council will tell whether it survives this original design phase. Here it is: