Hi Corwin12, We had a similar issue. You should probably check to see if the ceramic tile and existing hardwood will align. We added ceramic tile and it's about an inch higher than the wood floors. We have transitions but I'm not crazy about it.

Pin- I know what you mean about redrawing a plan with every possible combination :) Here's the plan, turned 90 degrees...so it's easier for everyone to read. I think you'll get more responses this way. From Cottage house plans If it were me, I'd put a couple of chairs and maybe an ottoman, in the little 'bay area' to the left and below the island...maybe another comfy chair or two by the fireplace. Then, I'd move the dining table to the area with the taller, cathedral ceiling (at the bottom of the kitchen). This would make a great dining area, open to the kitchen but the cathedral ceiling would give it some distinction. When you need to expand the table, you can extend it towards the fireplace. Maybe even use a few of your 'comfy chairs' for extra seating. Depending on the style of your kitchen, a smaller wingback chair would be a comfortable choice, but still small enough to use for host/hostess seating for the dining table.

@Patricia Colwell Thanks so much! I really like the Gray Wisp. :) I also just looked at Quiet Moments. I have some existing furniture that I will have to work with, and am going to order Samplize squares to see if one of these green grays works. I haven't posted photos as to be honest, right now my home is totally torn up with boxes of packed materials, along with all of the construction tools, boxes of flooring, and cabinets stacked in every room. There just isn't much to see. Do you know off hand what Sherwin Williams colors are similar to the Gray Wisp/Quiet Moments? I've seen Sea Salt which I just read is similar but I recall it looking more blue in the space I saw it in. My contractor will be using SW paint. Have you seen Gray Wisp in North and East facing rooms? I tried samples of several of the more greige colors and they were very cold and drab in those rooms. I am not wanting a super cool effect, and would like something that leans subtle and warm. I appreciate you taking the time to offer me suggestions!

The report has a selection bias that a middle schooler can spot. It is a textbook example of a selection bias. So using the report for the OP's question or anyone in the OP's situation is simply fallacious. For the report to be useful it would need to separate out people who were remodeling for themselves from people who are remodeling to sell. This is actually what I research. I calculate ROI's for projects. Then research why required rates exceed WACC. If I presented a bias like this in my research I wouldn't even have a job. A magazine doesn't have to be free of bias because they are not any type of peer reviewed journal. I am happy to provide you more details on how a selection bias can wildly taint results, or more evidence as to why it has a selection bias. ETA: There really isn't this wide chasm between flippers and homeowners. That is just a created fiction that some find useful. The average flipper is a realtor who finds a diamond in the rough every year or two. He doesn't have super special access to trades and isn't getting any volume discount. His profit comes from realizing that the average home buyer can't tell the difference between Wood-Mode with a nice countertop and Diamond Now with a nice coutertop. So his decisions are different than the average person hiring a contractor who himself might respond to a survey from a trade magazine. ETA 2: since I am on a full blown academic roll here, let's throw a little perverted Modigliani-Miller at this thing and explain why every person thinking of remodeling to sell is a flipper. There is really no difference between a homeowner asking the OP's question and a flipper. Your decision not to sell a house until remodeled is fundamentally the same thing as deciding to buy a house to remodel. The decision not to sell your house for $100,000 is the same thing as deciding to buy a house for $100,000. You are $100,000 poorer than you would have been and you have a house. The decision then whether or not to remodel is the same for each. The only difference is taxes.