This design must have been precipitated by the fire damage of outbuildings to the north of the house in November 1778. Adam responded by creating a circular dining room on the west side to be connected to the great drawing room by a sculpture gallery through the centre of the house. As Saltram has no basement, a servants hall fits alongside the gallery. Bolton writes that the plan exhibits 'Adam’s effective grasp of the difficult subject of house planning'.

By showing the existing parts of the design in pink, Adam, unsuccessfully, attempted to present his proposed additions as achievably uncomplicated. He has also sketched in shrubbery in pencil to show how the new kitchen could be screened from the south-east facing window in the library's canted bay. However the proposal was unused and ten years later a kitchen was built on the same site by Thomas Parlby (d.1802) with the estate carpenter Mr Stockman.