Sorry for the delay in responding. I have a senior graduating from high school this month and we have been busy with senior activities. I'm not feeling the whitewashed on the brick. Too country I think. I'd like to tone down or get rid of the pink altogether. I definitely don't like the black surround. I agree with Grover that it looks like a big black hole. I finally opened the fireplace screen (first time doing so!) and it's so dirty inside the box, I don't even want to go near it. Not sure I'm up for the fireplace project yet. Would like to get it converted to all gas and paint inside the box too. Probably best if I wait until after I get my daughter off to college later this summer. Would like to add additional lighting too as Izzy suggests. Can I ask for opinions on furnishing the rest of the room? I've decided against the chairs and media console I referenced at the start of this dilemma. I want to have a transitional-coastal feel to the space, if there is such a thing. I've had my eye on this swivel chair from All Modern in the Classic Smoke fabric. The color pulls one of the tones from my sofa. Two of these to go side by side across from the fireplace. The height of the arms and back are the same as the sofa, so scale should be good.

Have you thought about turning your table to have the sort end using the bay for seating and the chairs on both long sides? This would give a more balanced look to the room and you would not have to swag your light (New light???). Then ditch the heavy thick green hutch in the corner and get a longer thinner buffet you can center on the wall with some art above it. Something like this would be nice: http://www.kirklands.com/product/Furniture/Kitchen-Dining-Room/Cabinets-Sideboards/Natural-Farmhouse-Sliding-Door-Cabinet/pc/2285/c/3060/sc/2420/208372.uts OR: http://www.kirklands.com/product/Furniture/Kitchen-Dining-Room/Cabinets-Sideboards/Pine-Wood-2-Door-Cabinet/pc/2285/c/3060/sc/2420/230034.uts

OneRidgeOff: fabulous idea! We use blankets on our couch so I can take them off when guests come over, even though our dogs are the non-shedding variety! benjesbride: We thought about moving the stove because we don't love where it currently sits (or the fridge for that matter), however if I move it next to the sink, I will have virtually no landing space next to it and certainly no space to prep between the sink. Even if we move the sink to the peninsula, the stove would still be next to the window and behind that is a laundry room and the roof above is where two points of the room meet, making venting for the hood difficult as well (there would have to be some jigs and jogs to get it out through the roof in a good spot). The walk way goes to the laundry room/garage and the other door is to the dining room; so not much flow through there except taking food to the dining room (only on holidays most likely) or doing laundry. However, if my husband is cooking, I can go through the dining room and into the laundry without ever disturbing the path from sink/prep to stove, which is why I favored saving money on moving everything versus sticking to the NKBA guidelines strictly. Also, making the peninsula the whole width of the kitchen (which I still want to do badly), still means I won't have 48" between the counter and my pantry for the main pathway into the kitchen if I keep the seating behind it. However, you have made me think and I will have to play around with those ideas in the Ikea planner; just have to weigh the pros and cons of the "best" layout versus cost. cpartist: thank you; I value your opinion. My thought was that a table can easily be set up in our three seasons room for large holidays and still be plenty connected to the kitchen without having to be "in" the kitchen. chocolatebunny123: we may have to just take the loss, as our needs are very different from most others as we don't have children and don't generally sit in our kitchen to eat. However, I know when we sell in 10-15 years, there will likely be families with kids moving in (our neighborhood is mostly owned by the original owners from the 80s and most have grown children and retiring). We also have a fourth bedroom in the basement I'm thinking about removing (gasp!) when we renovate the basement in another year or so and I know that will affect our home value considerably. I have been enjoying hearing the differing opinions in response to my post though. I feel like I have been seeing a lot of people who are building with just one large area off the kitchen for a large table and a lot of island seating, rather than our current setup from the 80s. Interesting how times change! Maybe when we sell, our kitchen will be "back in style!"

Hi Emily- Congratulations on your new home! The dining area is the space with the wood floor adjacent to the kitchen counter. I would remove the bench to ensure there is enough space to pull out the chairs and to walk on either side of the table. There should be three feet of space on either side of the table to ensure chairs can be pulled out and people can sit comfortably. As to your musing- " It feels strange for the dining room table to be on the carpet, so far from the kitchen but it also seems strange to have a breakfast nook on one side and a dining room table off the other side. " You are absolutely right. It is downright ridiculous that these days houses are designed with three places to eat so close together, a breakfast nook, counter space, and a dining are, all open to each other, and there is no real design thought put into it at all. I am not a fan of eating at a counter, find stools markedly uncomfortable, and not at all conducive for family meal conversations and appropriate table manners. Furthermore, I sure as heck don't want to be treated like a short order cook. Do you? Can people really not walk 3 more feet to the dining table and sit in a proper chair and face each other? I would get rid of the counter chairs and use the space where the chairs are for more storage. There are many things you can do with the "breakfast nook," depending on what your needs are. A reading room is a great idea, and if you put a table in there it can be your study/office. Another though is if you need a place for your children to work on the computer in the open while supervised, that might be a good place as well. That could be the homework room and reading room. You could get a comfy chair and ottoman for the wall opposite the door, a small low bookcase on the wall under the window and put it next to the chair and the top can serve as your "side table" if there is no room for a side table on the outside of your chair. On the far side of the bookcase you can have a table and straight chair for laptop use in front of where the outlet is. If you have two children you can get two tables and put the tables at right angles, one against the wall under the windows, and the other one at right angles to that. One chair faces the window. The other chair is at right angles but on the outside of the other table.