5' deep? Is it one of those cases where the "U" is 5' but the actual distance between the window to the opposite side, say an Island, could be more. If that distance is about 12', you have room for a table and circulation. I am having hard time underestanding that the architect or a drafter allowed 5' for table and circlation when some hallways are 5'. I have seen small breakfast nooks that are 9x11 and they work nice, depending on the placement of the door. An ideal size, is 11x12, or bigger, depending on the size of the house.

Thanks laxfanmom. The great room looked huge to us when we went over there b/c they just finally got it walled in w/ doors, etc. and before they had, it looked tiny b/c we are in the middle of all these huge trees on this big lot and it was making the whole house look itty bitty. I thought 2.5 feet was plenty big enough but when the electrician said bigger, it made me nervous!

Thanks for the input Bee- Our bulbs are somewhat exposed (not purposely, but the electrician put bulbs in that are way too big for the fixtures and we have just been too lazy to re-place ) and it doesn't bother me much, but I totally get what you are saying. Also our chandy is exposed with no shades at the table area. my biggest concern is that the fixtures were never evenly aligned with the chimney hood and never will be unless we moved the island which at this point we can't do (hardwood was put in AFTER the cabinets- much to my chagrin) One of those things we didn't actually catch until after we closed on the new build.. do you think b/c the fixtures have so much oomph (is that the correct sp) it will make it even more obvious??

princemurtuza- Well, well, well. There are some rather apt sayings I will quote- "One man's meat is another man's poison." "There is no accounting for taste." I am not fond of fixtures with transparent glass because the glare from the bulbs gives me a headache, and with the amount of time one spends in the kitchen, that is absolutely a no-go, for me at least. I prefer glass that is not transparent. princemurtuza- There are a lot of fixtures that are just gorgeous and not quotidian, you just have to be willing to hunt them down, and pay $$$ for them. The best thing for you to do is to go online and look at the really high end lighting companies and try to narrow down what style that you like. Just create virtual "idea boards" for yourself, don't even look at the prices. After you've looked at several luxurious brands products and made virtual collages for yourself, you should notice some sort of commonality in your choices. Then you can narrow down to the specific shape, style and material that you like. Once you've done that, then if you would like some advice from the folks here on Houzz, then upload the photos of the things you are thinking about, so we have several items to choose from. At that point, you know what you are looking for, and then you can find something that most closely resembles that in quality and style at a place you can afford. And by the way, when you are on Houzz and ask for advice /opinions, advice and opinions are what you'll get. And you may not like or agree with them or find them helpful. If you want someone to pat you on the head and tell you exactly what you want to hear, you are in the wrong place. If you paid a decorator money and she/he told you only what you wanted to hear, you'd be throwing your money away.