red_lover-I have been thinking about you and wondering how things were coming with your architect timing and possible delays! I will share mine as that is actually a part of the plan that I really enjoy and it looks like it will work out well. Ours is 13x13 which is a nice size for us 95% of the time. I think 14x14 sounds fine really, not too large to feel cold but can fit a sizable amount of people. P.S. I like the size of your great room. I feel like the 16' dimension in ours is tight with furniture and traffic patterns. I thought I might have a good pic of it drywalled but I don't. Here is one that is the best I have. Dh did not want it in between the living and kitchen. He felt like you would always be walking around the table. If sized appropriately I do not agree. Anyhow ours is at the back but bumped off the kitchen. I like that it's open but yet a little secluded and the angled wall helps in allowing to adjust the table for expansion if need be. Standing in the foyer. Photobucket issues, I will try to repost this pic later. I re-sized it and it's still making the text funky. Sorry. The Plan: This post was edited by Autumn.4 on Mon, Jan 27, 14 at 15:43

Please read the following recall before you buy EA. Ethan Allen "American Impressions" and "New Country" rectangular dining tables Could collapse and cause injury. Products: 7,071 wood tables sold from 8/03 to 1/05 at Ethan Allen furniture stores nationwide for $1,069 to $1,199. "American Impressions" table bears model number 24-6414; "New Country" table, model number 33-6404. Model number is stenciled on underside of table. Hazard exists because table may be missing some of the eight small wooden blocks that are supposed to be located on its underside to add stability. Ethan Allen has received 33 reports of incidents in which tables may have collapsed as a result of missing blocks. No injuries have been reported. What to do: Inspect underside of table for stability blocks. If there are fewer than eight, call Ethan Allen at 888-339-9398 to arrange for free in-home repair. For information, go to www.ethanallen.com or e-mail company at recall@ethanalleninc.com. Ethan Allen says it is sending recall notices to all known customers who bought the tables.

Wow, thanks for the quick feedback! I've wobbled a little about the upstairs or downstairs laundry. I decided that it would be a major pain to drag the two year old upstairs with me if I wanted to throw a load in during the day...of course the kids will grow up and they will be throwing the loads in (Hah!). We've been trying to find a laundry chute area and will have to ask the builder about it. (I grew up in a 1920s home and we used to lower ourselves down the laundry chute when our parents weren't home...did anyone else?) Shifting the sink to the right makes alot of sense. I love the idea of space for team clean-up, especially if I am still sitting at the table with my evening glass of red wine. Moving the oven next to the fridge would be easy, and would get it out of the doorway. Plus a recess for the fridge would make it look like it blends in better. Thanks! I appreciate the concerns about the banquette, too. I hadn't thought of the "booth" situation. Everyone has to slide off the bench so the youngest (or oldest!) can use the potty. We'll cut off a little from the end cabinet and research the dimensions of a banquette. Thanks for the positive feedback as well as the criticism. It is nice to think that the whole mudroom-laundry-pantry idea meets with approval since it was my desperate attempt to combine passageways and function. I think about this house plan while I do the "Mommy Taxi" and sketch out ideas on junk mail envelopes at red lights. Any more feedback is much appreciated. I'm starting to feel like this plan is coming together, thanks to your help!

I have about that size dining room with walkways on all sides. In my previous house, I had a 48" square dining table that I used when we moved in. I bought a 48" round table, it was amazing the difference it made. There are only 3 of us so I just keep 3 chairs around the table on a daily basis. You could do a drop leaf. I am not sure it you could find one in a style that would go with your house. I have 2 drop leafs that I use around the house and bring out when I need more tables for company but they are both Duncan Phyfe antiques. Another option would be a round with a leaf or two that expands for family. You'll be amazed how a round fits the space better. Something about cutting off those sharp corners make it easier to maneuver through the rooms.