I've never been one for matchy-matchy, be it woods, fabrics, or even clothes. I like similarities in form or texture (the latter I actually prefer very tactile!) or even just style. My dining area table is a solid teak almost Parson's except the legs do taper a tiny bit. It's a darker color. When I had wood cabinets, they were a medium oak. I liked the differences. Oh - my floors are a gorgeous chocolate wide-plank maple. I love the combinations. That said, your cabinets are gorgeous. May I assume you cleaned, stripped & stained? I still have to do my butcher block countertop and haven't decided how to do it. I like a distressed look, but how to achieve it without working on it for 20 years? I love how professionally done your cabinets look.

Squared off like your second rendering, Victor. And I was thinking of bringing base cabinets around the corner where the dishwasher is and along under the windows in the bay. (If you put cabinets there, I don't think you'll have to worry about matching any flooring since the cabs will cover up the new area. Then hook a peninsula onto the end of the new cabs right where the pony wall is. You were discussing changing one window in the angled bay anyway so that's why I suggested boxing the bay. Sounds like if you box it that you don't have to re-roof the bay. That's good. All that is left to figure out is the floor. If you have a slab, then you just have to dig out & pour more cement for the box. If you have a wood frame floor, then you just square up the cantilever. If you're dealing with brick exterior, then it's a bit more of a problem. Vinyl or wood siding is easy to fill in the new. I don't think it would be anywhere near as expensive as an addition would be.

Hi, and welcome! I'm no expert, but I do have a long livingroom with almost the same dimensions as yours. You do have a lot of furniture in that room. Here are some of my initial questions and thoughts: How are you using this room? Is it mainly used for watching television? Is it also used for visiting? What is the table used for - eating or playing cards, etc.? If it were me, I would get rid of the kitchen table and turn that corner into a separate reading area, with a comfortable chair and floor lamp. The bookcase could be used for books and magazines related to the reading area. The reading chair could be angled in the corner and the bookcase moved down more. I would also get rid of the rocking chair to reduce crowding. The room seems a little crowded as it is, so this would take up less visual room than the current configuration. I do think a square coffee table/ottoman would work better in the other seating area. You may then be able to eliminate an end table or two. Maybe a couple of chairs instead of one of the sofas would give you more options for configurations. The chair by the entertainment center seems like it may be too far away for conversation with the other seating areas. Don't be afraid to move furniture, such as the sofas, away from the walls. Others will be along with great tips. I just thought I'd get the ball rolling. :) Jan

If you scroll further down in that linked thread, the details are there including pictures from the outside. . I am pasting the text from that thread , below, for a quick read. My box bay was built under a second floor overhang so no roof needed but a small roof would probably not add that much to the total cost. Another bonus of the box bay is that with the half screens, we can remove the banquette pillow and use the window seat for a staging area for food to be passed to the deck from the kitchen when we have a garden party. The half screens move up and allow access to the plates/trays, and then move down to protect the food and house from flies. It beats trying to walk out a closed patio door with both hands carrying a heavy tray. We also have used the box bay to temporarily stage the music speakers for parties. Of course nowadays that is moot due to bluetooth everywhere. I think you have lots of room to get by it on the exterior. You can put a bench of similar depth and width in that area on the outside of the house to gauge how it might affect your walkway. HTH ___________________________________________ form the original thread... It cost slightly less than $5000 all told (including moving electrical and adding foam insulation under the exterior Azek cladding, tempered windows since I have all boys :) ), measures 78 inches wide internally by 18 inches deep. Much cheaper than adding a 40k breakfast room or an 80k large kitchen expansion as I first planned. I have a custom cushion for it now and my teen boys enjoy lounging and napping there. The key is to seat it low enough to the ground to make it comfortable for sitting (16" height). I also specified the weight that it had to be able to carry (600 lb). The style is known as a "box bay" and the brand is Sunrise windows. I purchased their premade "projected frame" window through their authorized contractor and he worked with me on the other details. My good friend and former nanny came by to visit the other day and barely noticed the kitchen renovation, she was so taken with the sitting bay. Exterior of original windows New box bay replacing old windows. Somehow those bay walls bring in a lot more light into the space. We also really like watching all the small wildlife outside that we could not reall see before. In terms of the layout, it gave us enough "breathing space" and sitting area... The light, animal/ibird watching, and perceived airiness is a huge bonus.