Best Arrangement

My living room is approximately 18 feet by 30 feet. There is a triangular-shaped bay window at one end and a fireplace at the other. The room has a cathedral ceiling without trusses. I've placed the piano in the bay but can't figure out the best way to arrange other furniture. The room always seems top-heavy.
MAUREEN CHAMPA /// Concord

The problem with cathedral ceilings is that everything under them is dwarfed by their great height. Since you put the piano in the bay, you've probably tried to arrange furniture in front of the fireplace. What would make sense is two couches placed so that they face each other and are perpendicular to the hearth. (See facing page.) Pair one with a comfy oversize club chair. You might also try to put the piano to one side of the fireplace, with a club chair and side table nearby. Then use the bay to create a seating area. If the budget allows, have a seat built in under the windows. The reader in the family can curl up at a window while you're tickling the keys.

We live in a tiny Victorian house and have spent years dreaming about a family/music room addition. The house dates from 1900, but we have very contemporary taste. Is it appropriate to add a cutting-edge addition to a Victorian house?
SUE D. /// Watertown

Ask five architects, and you'll get five answers. A strict preservationist would require that you maintain the footprint of the house and resist adding on. A modernist or neomodernist might attach a glass pavilion to the house to express the contrast between the Victorian and the addition's modern design. A more moderate approach would be to use traditional materials (wood clapboards, slate, copper) and Victorian colors and at the same time create a more contemporary form. We've seen all of these work well. Drive around town, and when you find something you like, write a letter to the homeowners asking for the architect's name. Try to find someone who will listen to your ideas and work with you in a collaborative way. Keep searching until you find the right person.

We plan to renovate the 15-by-25-foot kitchen in our 1988 Colonial-style house and need everything from a new layout to new appliances and cabinets. Should we start with an architect or a kitchen designer? Or, since I have strong ideas, should I design and oversee it myself? We have a reasonable budget for this but don't want to spend more than is necessary. If I were to go with an architect or designer, should I disclose the budget or just state my requirements for the space?
STACY MORTENSON /// Foxborough

Either a kitchen designer or an architect could give you a great kitchen. Most kitchen designers are proven specialists, but many work for kitchen retailers, so they are selling products as well as a service. Most architects, on the other hand, are providing only design services. Some have a lot of kitchen experience while others are less knowledgeable. When you interview architects or designers, ask for references and for photos of completed projects. Many homeowners design and serve as contractors for their own kitchens, but it takes a lot of time and nerves of steel, and it might even cost more and take more time than if you had worked with a design professional. When working with an architect or designer, it is essential that you be honest about your budget from the start so that he or she can help you make cost-appropriate decisions about cabinets, finishes, lighting, and appliances. He or she can also recommend contractors in your price range. Start the design process by showing the architect or kitchen specialist photos - from magazines or books or snapshots of friends' kitchens - of rooms and features that appeal to you. Talk about your cooking and entertaining styles and how your family will share the space. This can be a fascinating process, and the more information and thought that goes into a project beforehand, the more successful it is likely to be.

My partner and I live in a very small house. The living room, dining room, and two bedrooms each measure about 12 feet by 12 feet. The kitchen is even smaller, so there's no room for a table. The dining room seats four to six people. I'd like to knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, but then we'd have no place to put the stove. What do we do?
PEG WEIGEL /// Medford

Your miniature house sounds adorable. Because of its diminutive size, every inch in the kitchen counts. Knocking down the wall would make the space feel more open. It would also keep the cook from feeling isolated. To accommodate the stove, you could leave the bottom 42 to 46 inches of the wall in place. Cap the top with a beautiful slab of wood or stone and put some stools on the other side to create a breakfast bar. There are a number of foldout accessories that can also help make the most of tight space. For example, Hafele (hafele.com), a German manufacturer that sells to designers, architects, and kitchen-cabinet fabricators, makes a table that folds out. When not in use, it can be tucked into a standard-size kitchen cabinet.

We are renovating our kitchen and are planning to use green- and clear-glass tile for our backsplash. Standard outlet covers would break up the look of the glass tile. Are there outlets that can be installed under the upper cabinets or in the countertop, or can you recommend any outlet covers that would blend in with the glass tiles?
KATHY L. /// Norton

You can install outlets at the top of the backsplash, just under your cabinets, using a great product called Plugmold from Wiremold (wiremold.com/www/consumer/products/plug mold/index.asp). You may remember it from your high school chemistry lab table. Back then it was beige; now it is also made in brushed aluminum. Be sure to use the GFI version near your kitchen sink. A more elegant and expensive version made by Belfer is sold by Chimera Lighting Design in South Boston (617-542-3233). It comes in a variety of metal finishes, can accommodate tiny lights as well as outlets, and can be recessed easily into the wall.

Interior designer Sandra Fairbank is a partner with her husband, architect Toby Fairbank, in Fairbank Design in Cambridge.