Am I Allowed to Change My Mind?

The past month there has been significant debate in our house about the wall dividing the hallway and the living room.

David wanted to remove the wall in order to further open up the main floor but I wanted to keep it because:

1. It keeps drafts from the front door out of the living area
2. It keeps the historic quality of the house to not be completely "open concept"
3. I was scared it would change the porportions of the living room and dining room. It would make the room more square and I was worried it would actually make it look smaller 

In the end I won out mainly because it is the only wall on the main floor that we can use to run ducting to the second floor.

However, after watching the first Episode of Sarah101 last night I am seriously reconsidering my decision...

Sarah decorated a living and dining room almost identical in plan to our living and dining room except they had obviously removed the hallway wall. Seeing it in a finished state, I am now tempted by the openness. It would definitely allow for a lot more flexibility in furniture selection and arrangement.

When I originally opposed the plan I was concerned the short wall beside the door, necessary for light switches and ductwork, would look awkward - but finished with a little bit of trim and moulding it actually seems to work.

 
If only I could have seen the episode two weeks ago when it would not have been so much work (and re-work) to remove the wall. It would have saved me a day of anxiety trying to figure out if I made the right decision before the taper arrives tomorrow and a day of listening to Dave taunting "I told you so"...

Amy