Almost identical to jennekay: 28x18, and rather wish the 18 were 20 or 22. I'm not moved in yet, but I plan to place the couch out about 3 ft from a 28 ft wall, tough I know this will have the effect of making the space longer and narrower, I really want a walkway from the dining room on one end of the living to the front door on the other. I did bump the fireplace out into a chase. If it had protruded into the room, it would have really cut the space in half. Scale renderings of the furniture you'd like can really help you discern whether the room will work for you. Can be done online with free programs like 'arrange a room', or with graph paper.

My dining room is 11' x11'. When I had my 58" round glass table in there, it was a little bit of a tight fit for the person pushing back from the table next to the wall (no buffet there at the time), but doable. I now have a oval table that is 42" wide, and have leaves to make it larger. With all the leaves in it, it seats 6 people comfortably. I do have a small buffet type of table (40"L x 15"deep) next to one of the walls where 2 people sit near, BUT, they have to be skinny people to push away from the table since the buffet is behind them. (In this case it is always my DD who is very slim). But at the ends of the table for the 11'x11' room there is ample room. In your case of having 15' at one end you should be fine IMO. On my blog link, in the first picture you can see how the oval table works in my room, in this shot it only has 1 leaf in it, but as I mentioned 2 leaves are fine in there too. Also, the photograph is deceiving in how close the buffet appears (due to the angle I took the pic) next to the table, there is still enough room for my DD to push away from the table. I suppose ideally, in my case, the buffet would be best removed, but her and SO's visits are only occasional. Here is a link that might be useful: DR

I had a boy - the dorm room was disgusting and teeney with loft beds - for 2 years. I don't think the beds were ever made. Then he moved off campus to a (luxury) Quad and bought a full size bed. Size of the bedding was very different. Part of what you decide to make is where they go to college. I would suggest that you make a large lap - longer than wider - but not so large it is cumbersome in tight quarters, but one large enough to wrap up in and walk around. Keep it lightweight unless they need the warmth. Both my son and his roommate (truly BFF)each ended up with down blankets, because they were in a cold climate, but had no space. Girls are different.....don't be hurt or surprised if it is tossed around carelessly, lost or stolen. I would not put a huge amount of effort into it, but make it nice. I am so glad I survived those years.

I’d firstly paint the white doors. They are too jarring in contrast. Perhaps a touch lighter than the wall colour. Then, some seating. Wicker, as others recommend, is great BUT only if you can find it in trimmed-down versions. Much wicker furniture is bulky, with rolled arms and thick backs. Another option might be wooden outdoor furniture, like ikea’s applaro line. Some plants are a must, but don’t go overboard as they will need to come into your main house during winter. The great thing about rooms like this is that they can be exuberant, really fun, because you won’t be staring at them 24 hours a day all year and so you won’t grow tired of them. So you can do things that would be tacky elsewhere but are simply casual and fun in here—loud fabrics like colourful florals, fuchsia prints on the tablecloths, string lighting, that sort of thing. (This would rapidly become my favourite room.)