I have an armoire in my living room between 2 windows - the space is a little more than 40" wide and the armoire takes up all of it. I don't think it looks crowded. We keep a little TV in there for when my husband wants to watch sports and the kids want to watch their shows. This is the only pic I could find and it's not a very good one (I was taking a picture of the rug, which I had just bought and subsequently returned since I decided it didn't work). I'm too lazy to go look for my camera and take a new pic. :-)

Thanks for the answers to all my questions! Given that they have some physical limitations, my first move would be to take them shopping to find a small scale sofa or loveseat and two chairs that they find super comfortable. That could probably use up the few thousand dollars you're thinking of spending but it will be worth it to keep them comfortable as their bodies get more tired and sore. The dining table is just fine, toss a table cloth on it if they like a softer look. If the chairs are not comfortable you could be on the lookout for second hand dining chairs to come up on Craigslist, eBay, etc etc. I do think getting the tv on to the long wall and placing two comfy chairs across from it is the way to go, with a loveseat/small sofa on one end. (Perfect for cuddling grandbabies or for seating when company comes) They will be closer to the tv that way and there will be no sofa to divide the room in half. I would use the long wall for the tv so the chairs can recline into the walkway rather than into the wall; you would have to leave a large enough space for the recline between chair and wall so my thought is, might as well incorporate that into the walkway too. If they don't like recliners though or they don't want chairs floating in the middle of the room, then the idea to have the tv by the stairs with a sofa across from it is the winner! Other than that, good strong lighting is key, especially since they have eye trouble. My grandpa recently had cataract surgery and it made a world of difference for him. He was nervous at first about messing about with his eyes but it was so worth it. He even looks ten years younger! If it's an option for your dad, encourage him to do it :-)

It's been several days since I have posted, but that is because I have been giving these ideas much thought and have been talking to many professionals. What is your style? Do you have pics saved in an idea book of the look you are going for? This is an excellent question. I have looked at thousands of pictures of kitchens, and I haven't seen one that I can say, "That's exactly what I'm going for." So, to best answer your question, I'll show you the materials I'd like to use: ginger maple shaker fronts, white solid surface counter, "oak" LVP flooring, "painted" backsplash tile, and, if I keep some wall on both sides dividing the kitchen and dining room, I'd put the blue paint in the kitchen, yellow above the chair rail and the blue below in the dining room, and yellow on the walls of the rest of the main floor. So I'm not sure what you'd call it - transitional? Although I am very excited about being able to see and chat with people at the dining table while I am cleaning up in the kitchen, I think I do prefer having the more traditional mental division between kitchen and dining room with even just stub walls, and I do like the chair rail, if I am able to keep a bit of wall on the sides. Maybe that is the very definition of transitional? But practical matters of the small house and large family and a limited budget must be considered above my personal preferences. Although the contractor said "it doesn't cost that much to reduce the bulkhead," "it doesn't cost that much to move the sliding glass door," and "it doesn't cost that much to move pipes for the clean-up sink," all of it together - with the cabinet vendor that he uses - did cost much. He just came out this afternoon to do some measurements and discuss ways to reduce cost. This plan below is what I discussed with him: (1) Instead of messing with the bulkhead at all, keeping the wall only as far as the depth of the bulkhead (about 23"), but then have little to no wall on the other side. I can't have 23" on the other side for symmetry, because that wouldn't leave enough room to walk around people seated at the table, but I'm hoping that would look fine if we put cabinets up to the ceiling in the corner where the bulkhead is. He liked this idea a lot, because you just don't know what's in there. (BTW, I offered to pay him to open it up and see, but he won't open it up to have a look, or do any work at all, until a full contract is signed, first payment given, and cabinets ordered.) He did warn, however, that the cost of the cabinets and counter there will probably cost about the same as what he was including for reducing the bulkhead - so this solution does give more storage, it doesn't actually save any money. (2) Instead of a sliding glass door, put in a 30" standard door using the opening for the existing window in the dining room. A sliding door would be much better than a swinging door that hits those seated at the table, but it will be rare that we have people seated while others are going in and out, so I'll do it if it saves a lot of $$. He loved this idea, and said it would save me about $1000, but when I asked about what he'd recommend about the HVAC register that is currently on he floor in front of the window, he said it would be too costly to move it, and I should just leave it. It seems the register plate would get kicked up and rusted with traffic in and out, so I am not sure how good of a solution this is, after all. (3) I thought having a pantry closet with shelves and doors would save money over the cost of cabinets and countertop in that alcove, but he said the labor to put the shelves, doors and drywall would be more, so I'll go back to the cabinets. (4) Lose the second dishwasher. If I have a prep sink, it won't be so bad having one dishwasher with dishes piling up in the clean-up sink. As you can see below, I'm concerned about clearances and flow; losing the dishwasher will cut the cost some but also will give better clearances if I have to keep the 23" of wall below the bulkhead. I played with a few designs with two dishwashers and only one sink, but none of them seemed to work nearly as well as this one. Bbtrix - the range is centered in this design :-) and I'd love to know if you think if the stub wall that would stick out about 6" would still create a strange divide between the dishwasher and door, now that the dishwasher and door are much further away from each other. He liked this idea, but it still requires moving pipes, so let's hope that "doesn't cost that much." (5) I've fallen in love with the white solid surface countertops and the painted backsplash I pictured above, but I may just have to go to laminate countertops with the 4" backsplash if that saves thousands of dollars. He recommended granite over laminate or solid surface. Many granites are beautiful, but my countertops are primarily a work surface that functions better if it is light-colored and simple, and I find granite dark and very busy, and the few granites that are lighter in color seem to stain easily. I've heard laminates have come a long way, I just liked solid surface more because it's more reparable, doesn't have seams, the integrated sink, and I like the soft feel of it - maybe that's not worth the extra $$. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and has been liking my comments - I warned in my subject line that this would be a challenge, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

The description of the bench says 18" high, but I think it's more like 17.5. Hard to measure accurately because of the tufting. Regarding the table, it must be counter height so I can use my existing stools. They're padded white leather-look, just like in the picture I posted above. The table is 36 x 36 x36, which would be the perfect size, and I liked the chrome legs. But the "wood" top looks really cheap. I don't think I like a round table with these stools. I also don't like glass tables much. Any other recommendations for a small square counter height table?