one -- We ended up with a deep sill at our sink window, not because we bumped out the wall but because the wall had to be furred out, four inches into the kitchen. Our sill is about 8" deep. There's a 3" soapstone backsplash and about 3" of painted apron below the sill. We considered using soapstone for the sill, but didn't because it would have looked so much heavier/darker. Also, the fabricator balked at making the narrow little "ear" piece of the sill shape, that extends out to each side, without breaking the stone. Given the water concerns (from plants and splashing from the sink) we chose to make the sill and apron out of vinyl Azek boards. Once painted, it looks just like the wood on the rest of the window trim. By the way, I wouldn't recommend putting double hung windows over a counter. It is hard to reach them to open and close. and two -- Here's what the boxed-out windows look like in the living room and dining room of our 1920's bungalow. The picture is of the living room, but the dining room is the same, though only three windows wide. The kitchen window trim was modeled after these. The ten inches you have sounds like more of a perch than a seat, I think. Ours are comfortable, at 15" deep. (This is, far and away, EVERYONE'S favorite spot in the house.) They have no back, though, and they're 26" off the floor, so they're not really suitable for dining. If you were to lower the seat and add a comfortable seat back below the window panes, it could work very well on one side of a dining table, especially if you built the bench part into the room enough inches to give you a comfortable seat depth.

Thanks guys for your continued input. I am making a simple turkey dinner for the family (It is Thanksgiving in this part of the continent) so can't play around with furniture arrangements until later in the week or next weekend. However, I plan to rework the furniture arrangement multiple time with my little furniture cut-outs to see what I can do in both the great room and the dining room if the window seat moves there. I will post some alternatives later this week and hope you will come back to see them when the post pops up again. Here are few replies: Oakleyok, Your idea of placing a love seat in front of the window seat had not occurred to me at all. I will try out your idea with my furniture cut-outs. I agree that we should have room for a couch facing the TV if we lose the end table. The plant idea on a window ledge is great, although I tend to send plants into palliative care quite quickly LOL. I do see the family using the window seat for reading. Given we are in Canada it is rarely too hot or too sunny near a window. Thanks again for your help. Lavender_lass, Wow that dining room bump out is so beautiful!! Sadly, we won't be able to do that at this point in construction as the brick cladding is already on the back of the house. Also, we have a climber rather close to that side of the back now that the addition is done, and I wouldn't want to reduce the passage between climber and house any more. Yet, I will draw up a window seat in the dining room as I like that look. I was going to make a shallow shelf for decorative plates in the south/west corner of the dining room (top right corner). Maybe I can make some sort of combo window seat/plate shelf. I just have to find a way to accommodate that smaller dining room window on the west side. Thanks for your help and inspiration. Rosie, I am totally with you on disliking the "turn your back on family" seating arrangements. I do think Lavender's arrangement improves upon that problem. I am not worried about anyone walking in front of the TV. We don't even have cable, so mostly use the TV for movies once in a while. The kids use the one in the basement with their X-box a bit more frequently. I will do just as your aptly described to try every possible arrangement with a variety of furniture. Maybe the TV has to move so we are facing the dining room more rather than having our backs to it. Do you think we need a new spot for the TV?? I hate to think about moving that fireplace other than scooting it back a bit as the vent is installed through bricks, but if it has to move....don't tell DH just yet. Thanks ever so much for your kind help, Rosie. Carol P.S. Please come back everyone to see the various alternatives I post by next weekend. In meantime, if you have any more ideas I am all ears.

Love the wood work your home is pretty just needs a lighter not so heavy color texture I would paint the walls a lighter color and get rid of heavy dark curtain. Im guessing you like the dark carpet cause its a kid friendly color and they lounge on floor. But it does dull the room. Im not a fan of rug on carpet but it a easy way to brighten the room I would change carpet to a lighter color This board has lots of people that hate any n all carpet If u read this forum its like carpet is the new lead paint it nasty full of germ dirt n you are breathing living in trash lol So just wanted to be one person that suggest a lighter newer color carpet :-)

A couple more. You can check out some idea books I have for farmhouse and cabin for more