That is pretty, flyleft. I think the reasons it works are the very high ceiling, the continuing brick work on the wall surrounding the mantel, and the raised hearth. Although that vertical brick makes me wonder about maybe doing stone of some sort in a vertical brick pattern instead of the square limestone tiles. Too trendy perhaps?

Jan, I'm in the same boat as you are. Out in the country on a dirt road, about 30 minutes from a large city, but thankfully there are other small towns 10 miles this way and that way which have some antique stores. I do a lot of shopping on Ebay and other websites. I found the rabbit in an antique store ten miles thataway. :) Luckily these little antique stores (cheaper since they're not in the City) have facebook pages and post pictures of new items all the time. That's how I found the rabbits! I emailed them and they put it away for me until I got there. Roosters are a big part of FC, especially in the kitchen. Which you already know because of that chair I'm going to steal when you're asleep. lol I have a large Rooster figurine on the counter which was a good price at Amazon. And a rooster print on the DR wall. The area is large enough so it's not overkill. The plates are by Warren Kimble, which I got on Ebay. Look up his "farm animals" series. They're pricey if you buy new. Here's a picture of the cow. Do you notice the checks? Another part of FC decorating. (I have a few black and white check things in the kitchen. Black goes with everything!) The opposite plate has two roosters, also with checks, and the sheep is alone in another area. I thought they were together but I was wrong. Natal turned me onto Warren Kimble. Wish she'd come back!

Your contractor seems to be mostly specifying Schluter products....so why not use the Kerdiband to waterproof the Kerdiboard?

As others said, I can't really tell what's going on in that space from those two pictures. But in general, it's good to put an entry table or piece of furniture in an entry way. It's also good to hang a mirror over it. A lamp is nice as well. And yes, you should extend the wood flooring if you can. But to me that table looks too short for that space.