I know you said you did not want to switch rooms; but since you like the look of the sink in the bay (the outside views are awesome), it may be worth exploring. If your DH is like mine, change is hard, but he comes around eventually. Perhaps posting another thread that asks people to weigh in on the two kitchen locations with a mock layout for each might get DH to consider the possibility if he can read what others have to say concerning the positives and negatives of each kitchen location. Many people are remodeling to get a larger kitchen space by eliminating two sit-down eating spaces in their homes. Thus, If you switch the rooms, I do not think you would have to “stage” a formal dining room if the time comes to sell. The larger, well designed kitchen would be a major selling point. Keeping the kitchen in its current location does not gain you a whole lot more space for the kitchen because of the traffic patterns; moving the kitchen to the dining area gains you much more kitchen space. You gain the space for family friendly island seating, and the kitchen does not have to be in a location that “fights” with the traffic patterns of your home. The generous dining space combined with the larger kitchen space would be awesome to entertain in. One negative would be carrying groceries a tad farther but not a whole lot more. ;

Do a floor plan and make the smaller angled end of the room the dining area. As is now the table and chairs are wasting a lot of precious space. You can leave the t v where it is. With an app, have the screen become art work, or a simulated fireplace…. Put a sofa on the solid wall with floor lamps, sleek coffee table, with a colorful rug under, and two small swivel chairs to complete the vignette. Swivel chairs are valuable to your space, as they can turn toward both the sofa and the t v.

1) wall may be structural 2) you may have to replace all the flooring if you remove it, unless you have more on hand 3) I'm confused, because it looks like the dining room is already in the main space, up by the kitchen/window where there's a chandelier hanging down. then I see two ceiling fans worth of LR space. the more enclosed room to the left looks like an additional/separate room, maybe intended as an office, or as a more enclosed space (family room) for TV watching. if you open it up, you need to think hard about where you are going to put the TV with furniture facing it, and how you will subdivide the rest of the space. If you can draw a sketch of the floorplan, with measurements, including things like whether there's a closet near the front door, we might be able to rough in some different arrangements to help you visualize what you might be able to do with the spaces. It's a bit too hard in the abstract to tell whether this is all one big seating space, or whether it's big enough for an entry zone or game table and a separate conversation area, and what would happen if you added in yet more LR space...

The stove is gas and we've never used it. I would love to tear out all the brickwork but the original chimney is walled off behind it so it would be a huge, expensive project if it's even structurally feasible. This house has a lot of projects and the main level is my priority so the wet bar will have to wait even though it would be great to have that done. Maybe I can find a slide to attach to the wet bar...they climb on it anyway...and then put the climber on the back deck if it will fit. My boys play outside a ton when we have snow, but 2/3 of the winter we have no snow and apparently it's not so much fun to play outside when it's cold, windy, and dry. We did have the room open for a playroom when we first moved in but then DH insisted on getting that sectional. I would have preferred just a couch and more open space. Maybe if I split the sectional up I can make the room more open again.