I vote for hardwood or engineered wood through the whole space, including the kitchen. Opening the wall would be nice, but I suspect your appliances are arrayed along that wall? I'd paint the wall the same pale color as the living space, and hang a really big mirror on the wall if you can't open it. Then you open the wall visually, and reflect the light from the sliders back into the space. (I know...me and mirrors. They are great manipulators of space, particularly when you commit to making them big!)

I came across this chair today, it's lower, but I'm not sure about the arms. Mayfair chair at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IGU63OS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CVL3SHB0OK89&coliid=IISW83RSW8Q1E&psc=1 Do you have a different room where the curio could go? Maybe it doesn't feel this way in real life, but in the photos it looks like a giant towering over the other pieces in the room. It's a beautiful piece of furniture, though! I'm wondering if a chest of drawers or low cupboard with a mirror or artwork hanging over it might work better. Just a thought.

Nancy it is traditional BM White Dove, countertops are Quartz, Cambria, Torquay, Center Island is BM Spanish Green, with quarter sawn white oak counter in walnut stain, Kohler Sea Salt sink, tile is hand made Italian subway, in Bianca off white color. Quoitzel light fixtures. here is a photo taken before I added accessories. Cabinets are custom made by a neighbor, Dave Redding, who owns a cabinet shop. Knobs and pulls are German Bronze by Top Knobs, the island hardware was Emtek, Faucet is Brizzo, Appliances are Kitchen Maid. The center island is really a gray green, (this was photoshopped). I designed and subcontracted it myself. It took 3 months to complete! okay, sorry I got on a roll, I like Benjamin Moore Paints.

True story: I used several bedrooms in a 6 bedroom house as offices, and when I put the house on the market, the realtor insisted I convert the offices back into bedrooms, complete with beds (I piled up books on the floor, put an air mattress on them, and then "made"the beds! --- decorated with kiddie stuff). The house sold the first day (location, correctly priced) and it was bought by a childless couple who needed to run their business from home and needed more than one office in the house. Go light on making permanent changes so you can switch things back.