I wouldn't make any decisions until you've moved in and lived there for a while. I understand your concerns, the dining area seems very exposed and not easy to create a warm atmosphere. But a lot can depend on your furniture and how your family lives. With the current owner's configuration, I keep thinking how much better a round table would look, but if you have large gatherings, you'd have to have it expandable into a long oval (which might be fine).

Congrats on your new home; it looks lovely!

I believe that would be a better choice. (2) build build in seating on the side and push the table to the side (like a breakfast nook but for all eating)

I would build in absolutely NOTHING!!

It feels sterile now. A rug, lighting , color.....

Don't try to make a "nook" of anything, let alone something nailed in.

Move in......live a bit. Then put your own personality on a staged home in yet again...more gray.

The space is lovely to work with, but I agree with idea to wait on making any decision until you're living in the space for a period of time. What you have is a common layout in an open floor plan so maybe it's new for you. From the ideas you're thinking about now, you don't mention the seating you would need, but perhaps an idea might be a round table to break up all the oblong rectangles going on in the spaces. If you move seating to the side wall then you have to contend with ceiling light too, and the resulting look will be a big empty spot you may not like. Google open floor plans with kitchen and dining and you'll see many inspiration photos to think about.

I agree with others to wait - comfy upholstered dining chairs and a charming light fixture hung at the appropriate height can go a long way in making a dining area seem inviting

Move in and wait is the best advice. There’s a lot that can be done but when you’re actually living in a house, making it work for you becomes clearer.

Congratulations on your new home. I think it’s beautiful. It does look a bit sterile, which is common for real estate staging - they really strip it of the owners personality. That rug sticks out like a sore thumb. I don’t think the dining area would be better as a nook. As Maureen noted, it may look odd squeezed to the side. Living with it is a good test. Use Houzz to create idea books and soon you will have a good idea of the looks you like. You can choose dining rooms and filter by “open to kitchen and living room” and see how others have handled a similar layout. Sarah Richardson has done a couple of pretty dining areas that are between the living and kitchen. I could only find one.

You might consider waiting to do anything permanent until you have moved in and settled some. Then once you see how the space works for you, you can make a better and informed decision.

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