I've never built a banquette, but my kitchen and dining room is exactly like yours, layout and dimensions. We don't have a wall between the DR and LR however, so we've put a buffet server on the long wall between DR and LR. Clearly, you've outgrown your house. My dining room looks so much bigger than yours because I'm not trying to make it do double duty by storing stuff that should be in the kitchen. The open storage is not doing you any favors of making your space look comfortable and peaceful at dinnertime. Rather than built-ins, consider a hutch or buffet server with some closed storage that you can take with you when you move. Simplify your stuff, and I guarantee you'll add to the function, and you'll feel much more relaxed. There's a principle of elementary education that says if the classroom is disorganized and chaotic, the students will be too. Besides whether a banquette is doable, does it make sense for future buyers? I would ask a realtor before I went any further. I don't like the idea of the banquette against a peninsula with a sink. My counter extends 19" beyond my sink, and I get splash almost to the edge. Seating--we have a 36" x 54" table--a little narrower than most rectangular tables. We put 4 chairs on the long sides. I find that arrangement more roomy than a chair at each end. Extensions pull out from under the table on the short ends for guests. Mine is positioned with the long side along the peninsula, but you could turn yours the other way.

cpang74 - thanks for the kinds words! housepoor2 - We are really pleased with the quality of the Ballard benches and I would recommend them 100%. They are very comfortable and well made. That said, I have to admit I made a mistake with the fabric. I used their "customer's own material" service and ordered indoor/outdoor fabric from another website. After just a few months of use I can already tell that that it will have to be re-upholstered sooner than later - the fabric is starting to pill and the white stripes are looking dingy (even though the fabric is supposed to be washable). I can't complain to Ballard because it's not their fabric - and the most I could realistically expect from the fabric supplier (I haven't tried yet) would be to refund the fabric cost (which is a fraction of what re-upholstery will cost). So, my advice would be to stick with one of Ballard's fabrics - that way they're responsible for everything. I think they have microfibre which would probably be durable.

Kim- It would be for me and my husband, and I did another cut and paste to show what I want to do with the back porch. From Courtyard Garden album The BBQ, dining table and 'bar area' will be off to the left of the back porch (behind the greenhouse) and will be a covered patio. My husband's friend has one in their backyard and it's very cool. The back patio would be mainly for a shady seating area (north corner). We have a lot of people out in the summer, but not very many in the winter, so our outdoor spaces really add to the living space, when we need it. The house actually sits on an angle (as does the road) and the banquette is on the south corner...and there's a lot more space on the left of the house and the back left. Here's a few pictures from last fall, from behind the house, looking straight back towards the barns and to the right, down the creek. This is an old barn, which we're tearing down (actually the old chicken house) and the horse barns are behind it and to the left. From Farmhouse pictures From Farmhouse pictures

I just now saw the questions posed to me, and I am sorry for not having checked in sooner! ML, the 3-drawer stack I bought was just the 18" base cabinet with 3 drawers, and I ordered it with Arlig (now Harlig) drawer fronts. When you order it like that, everything you need for that arrangement is included in the price. I am sorry I do not remember off-hand how much it cost, but I know it was under $100 at the time. I see the price has gone up to approximately $150 now, but that was 4.5 years ago. That 3-drawer cabinet is in my linen closet now, and I have extra toiletries--toothpaste, shampoo, soap, mouthwash, etc. in one drawer, some cosmetic items and personal stuff in the shallow (top) drawer, and misc bath items in the bottom drawer. This was the cabinet that convinced DH that IKEA kitchen cabinets were a whole 'nother animal than their other cabinets. Newbie, it actually IS my only dining area. It was the "formal" dining room, but we never used it as such, except for holidays and entertaining. Every other day, it became a catch-all. This drove DH crazy, as he cannot stand any kind of clutter. We had a small table in our kitchen area, and that is where we ate. We have two children, and when we first started this, they were a bit younger and SMALLER. ;^) We tore down the wall between the two spaces because it felt so cramped. It is such huge difference having that wall down! I came up with the idea of the banquette when I was trying to create more storage. I looked online for some pictures and drew out the plan on graph paper first. DH was hesitant at first, thought it might be too "frilly-nilly" as he called it. He loves it now. Our table has two leaves, and we have used it that way. There is plenty of room for entertaining and holidays. It would be nice if that were our "breakfast room", and we had a more grand dining space, but our house just is not that large. I am fine with the cozy cottagey vibe we have going. In fact, I am quite fond of it. :^) I imagine I will be even happier when we get around to finishing the basement, which is next on the list. DH wants a year off of house stuff, though, when this kitchen is finally done. I can hardly blame him. He has been amazing! Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA--Harlig three-drawer stack