Thank you for your comment. I hadn't thought about the noise of the doors. I'll look into that, and talk to other people who have garages under living space. I think the house, including the porches must be 50 ft long, and the garage will have to be small, maybe 25 by 25, or a little smaller. Not much living space but we will try to make it very nice. I'll get exact dimensions from dh and post them. I'm very eager to have a garage again. You really don't know what you've got til its gone. I am so enjoying the warmth from our pellet boiler, for example, on this minus 10 morning particularly after going without heat this fall in the transition! Kathy

Thank you for this suggestion... I am torn as well with the remodel of this 25 yr old home. I chose cherry floors, SW Sand Beach paint with BM White Dove trim. Nothing as grand as the house above, my ceiling are low, lighting was a challenge, plus kitchen has cherry cabinets as well. I am going with a quartz countertop with a marble look to lighten up the kitchen. Everything piece of trim was solid oak in the house. Now on the window treatments and furniture. Any further suggestions?

Thank you all for your ideas! I have to get rid of the chairs because a couple of them have missing braces and won’t last long. I’ve had the set since 1997 - it’s past time to go. I like the ideas of long (sheer) curtains, art work, maybe rug and match table color to ceiling g fan. I wouldn’t mind replacing the ceiling fan with something that has more character, but don’t think that’s in the cards right now.

With a young family, a couple of thousand dollars for a kitchen table, never mind the cost of chairs, will be a constant concern, as damages are inevitable. Take your time and look on line to help define a look, before narrowing down a table and practical chairs. Consider a table that can accommodate 6 chairs. I don’t mind the chandelier placement, given the table being off side allows for better traffic flow to family room and the correct rug size/placement will help. Test the table in the centre for a bit before deciding about lighting placement. In regards to a set, suggest a black combination, family friendly rectangle (a leaf is handy), bringing in black with rug and chandelier and you’ll find the black in rest of kitchen will feel more coordinated. Could also go for a lighter feel, but still suggest a rug and chandelier with some black, again to tie in the black elsewhere. . https://www.mcgeeandco.com/collections/all-dining/products/eldridge-dining-table