Having the home's only fireplace in a dining room would be strange. If it were a secondary space, it would still be strange, because of the amount of space that it would take up. As in, the room isn't large enough or created around having a fireplace in it. The room itself would have to be larger to accommodate the fireplace and the dining functions. And that was only if it were a secondary fireplace. As a primary, it belongs elsewhere. I'd personally turn the way too far away dining room into the "away" cozy spot with a fireplace and a sofa, and make the odd small breakfast area into a space that could be versatile and serve as both casual and formal eating space. It would be more efficient, and you NEED a spot that isn't open to all of the noise and activity. Right now, everyone has to go to their bedrooms for that. And the breakfast area isn't the most efficient use of space as it stands.

colorfast... yes, my next step is to make up a color board. It's been terribly difficult to try and obtain a sample door from my cabinet maker. Though they are scheduled to be finished with the order by next week, I am going to try again and see if I can get something earlier. I did pick my cabinet white by taking color samples with me when I went in to see my granite. Hopefully, my sample tiles will arrive soon and I can get a clearer picture of everything. boxerpups... thank you for your ideas! They are beautiful. I wasn't a big fan of gray walls (one of my friends had suggested it), but then again, I never realized how much undertone can exist and change the effect of a color. I mean, only when I started comparing have I realized that there are blue-ish whites and pinkish whites, etc. I'll have to study those colors you suggested. They are lovely. melaska... I have that same living room saved in my Houzz ideabook and it's the reason I've fallen in love with Shaker Beige! I would love to have my entire 1st floor in that color, minus my kitchen and sunroom. I'm also happy to hear that someone else is considering it with sage green and white. I'd be super interested to see how your space turns out,too! linelle... the BS tiles in the 1st photo is Walker Zanger's Bamboo Mizu line. I had seen a sample in person and confirmed it with the designer. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued. The greens in it are similar to their Celedon color as well as Daltile's Pistachio. I'm hoping to find a tile with lots of variation in its glazing to get the same effect. Heath Ceramics has several colors that are close to both of the photos... since their tiles are all handmade, there can be a lot of variation in the glazing as well. I'm waiting for some samples from them to check it out... no showrooms in this area. Hope this helps!

I love all the work you have been doing to make your new house a home. Can you move the dining table away from the fireplace? The room is so empty except for those two things, and they are squeezed together, competing for space. That last photo shows us that the table is not centered under the fan/light. Move the table to where it is under the light, please. Or do as someone requested above, and move it closer to the sliding doors. You must at least try it under the light so you will know if you need to move the light fixture when you do find the one you want.

During the planning stage we went back and forth several times with the direction of the vault. The porch outside the big glass doors is a gable and we played with the idea of having the vault run from left to right and through to the porch. We kept changing the proportions of the room to accommodate dining, seating areas etc. At the end we 'forgot' to change the dimensions back to 22 x 26. You look at the plans so much that you don't 'see them'. The room looks massive yet it is not long enough for seating and dining - and its too wide. I didn't notice it until the foundation was already poured. Originally we had planned that the room to the left of the main entrance would serve as a dining room. I was advised to put the dining table in the main room and so we made the original dining space smaller by adding space to the office. I'm old school and always liked a dining room and breakfast space in the kitchen. Now I'm building a very expensive house without either. Lesson: decide on the things that are important to you and stick to them. Ignore the advice of people who might live a different lifestyle than you.