I know the way we do it is not for everyone, but I will tell you what works for us! We do not homeschool, but we do believe that education happens all day long, and much of it comes from us as parents. We keep educational things all over our dining room. Our dining room is also the main eating area for us, since our kitchen is not an eat-in kitchen. Almost everyone that comes to visit sees the dining room from where they are sitting or standing, or has to pass through it at some point. The underlying décor in the dining room is nicely done and the school materials are fairly well organized. There is no one that would visit here that would not understand why our dining room looks the way it does, and we have never been embarrassed by it. Our kids have grown up with placemats that have maps, math, presidents, etc. on them, and have learned many things from the conversations we have at the dinner table while using these placemats. We have had conversion charts, periodic tables, maps, money charts, clock posters, and number lines on the wall over the years. The kids have learned from them because they are where they can see them any time of day. The room is constantly changing as the kids grow. The kids also have their desks in the dining room. We don't really have another place for them. We have an extra room, but we use that as a craft room, which is usually somewhat messy...their desks stay clean and useable when they are out where we can see them. They do use the craft room for school projects, and that way the projects can stay out until they are completed. Our dining room is never in magazine-worthy condition for sure, but I know that the kids are only kids for a short time, and it is so fun to use every opportunity to teach them new things. Also, this is our own home for raising them, so I don't really think about how the décor looks to other people that might stop by for a visit. I will have a beautiful dining room later in life, when the kids are grown and gone. To me, at this stage in our lives, this is beautiful décor to me! This post was edited by myfoursquare on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 13:31

Thanks everyone! We are installing hardwood throughout the entire downstairs.The revere pewter is actually through french doors off of both rooms but you can't really see itwell from either room so I am not so worried about that going with the other rooms as much. It is mainly this view I want to flow well. I considered van cortland blue for the formal living room but it might be too dark/bold for me. I tend to be more neutral/conservative when decorating. And yes I love the yarmouth blue but don't think I want it everywhere. It looks perfect in the dining room.

What is your question? If you want furniture layout advice we need photos of the space as well as a measured sketch (graph paper is best) showing how the spaces relate.

If this was my room, I would have the dining table completely away from the window. If the view is that nice in the evening, I would want to be able to walk up to the window and look out. I would forget about the acrylic table legs. Even if you had the dining table beside the window, the table top will block the view, not the legs. But for me, I’d put a low profile bench by the window so you and your guests had a place to sit and enjoy the view. Add a good size sideboard where the armoire is and if you still have room, think about an overhang on your kitchen countertop on the dining room side. Then you can have bar stools for your guests to sit at while you prepare dinner.