My wife and I had been looking for a solution to our really noisy kitchen / living area in the home we moved into a few years ago. We didn't want to lose light, but we really wanted to limit noise. We also know (and have been reminded by our neighbors) that we are really going against the grain by closing off rooms as opposed to knocking out walls and making open floor plans. Nevertheless, we like defined rooms and we like character. The vision was my wife's and she gets credit for the design... my job was just to make it fit.
Apologies; the best "before" picture really shows only the floors before we moved in... Where I start is with the installation of the french doors in what was just an open "hallway" to the breakfast / kitchen. I found an antique window that I cut down to become the transom, but no such luck for the others. I had to make those from scratch. Fortunately, my wife was patient! It took a while... If you look closely, you can see the seasons changing out the windows...