Thank you all! That was great advice! I pulled the chairs out and used my handy-dandy tape measure. Actually, 8' would be fine for the width according to that...but since I have 12' to work with...I am thinking about going with 9'. As far as standard rug sizes go...I think 8' x 10' is the standard size for the 8' width, and I just think that would look too small. And, I occasionally use the leaves in the table, so the extra 2' feet in length would come in handy (9' x 12' size.) I might be able to do a custom size, though, depending on where I get the rug from...would you recommend going a bit longer (9' x 13'?) or sticking with a 9' x 12' if any size were possible? Again, thanks so much!!

When you say the rug in the living area is going away, do you mean the w/w carpet is going to be taken away everywhere we see it in the picture? Is there hardwood under the carpet or what will be there? Leaving about a foot of space between an area rug and the wall is a good look. I prefer big rugs in big spaces, especially under a dining table. Too small, and with a table and chairs on top, it looks odd to me. I have a LR and DR spaced somewhat like yours. I have two oriental rugs that complement each other, but they don't match. The space between the rugs is large enough that each (and the room furniture) defines its own area. But if you had two great rugs that matched, I think that would be fine, too. Any links to show us? How about a floor plan to visualize the floor space better?

stinky - will do. After checking out sizes using a tape measure in the DR, an 8x10 would be practically wall-to-wall as bac mentioned. I need to get the furniture before I get the rug anyway, so the furniture will determine rug size. One thing I hate is when the legs get caught on a rug's edge. I found chairs that I really like in my casual style, and priced well, especially being solid wood (no veneer), so I'm waiting on a wood sample from the company. Once I have that, I can find a table that works well with the chairs. Unfortunately, the matching table as shown in last pic of these chairs is just too small at 36x60 oval. I'd prefer one at least 42-44" wide and a little longer. I understandand because of the pedestal, the chairs can't be pushed in all the way. That would bother me, so here I am looking for another table. Here's the chair in a Golden Cherry stain.

At least 2 feet wider than the sofa, maybe more. If a reversible chaise it is probably on legs so should go entirely on the rug. If it sits flat to to the floor, the rug should slip under the front 1/3 of the bench part and be entirely under the chaise section. Is there other seating that should be on the rug: chairs, coffee table, sofa table...