I wanted to be supportive here of kaismoms opin. I feel like sitting down for dinner requires a transition in space. I like the walk across the space that means I'm away from the prep area. It makes me feel like now we are ready to relax and enjoy dinner! Eating at an island has always made me feel rushed and uncomfortable. With a table, someone can get up and go clean/etc in the kitchen area if they want or need to without disturbing the people at the table. With only an island you are sitting there watching someone clean while trying to enjoy your meal. My grandmother (I'm early 30's)always stood at the bar counter to eat her food when I was growing up. She never would QUITE make the transition to actually sitting down and enjoying the meal. It was always, go ahead without me I just want to clean up this last thing... and then getting things for those seated and then beginning the cleaning up. I've always thought that if we could have gotten the kitchen table just another few feet away from that bar how much different her life might have been. Looking at each other is important to me for a meal to really allow us to talk about our days and what's happening with us. If we go to a restaurant I never sit at the bar style areas. I always want to be on one side of a booth with the DH on the other so we can hold hands and do dorky stuff like that. I like to arue with him as he reads my paper upside down and steal his clean fork when I've dropped mine. I don't feel like these things would happen if we were sitting shoulder to shoulder instead of face to face. I don't like island seating as a general rule but I can't stand it as the only dining space.

Edible- Not at all....please, ask any questions you like. This is a thread, specifically asking for other members' solutions. MamaGoose- Thank you for the CL listing, but I live closer to Spokane, WA. For some reason, the powers that be at Yahoo list me near Boise...several hours away. LOL A drop leaf table would be nice, as would a larger table, but I don't think we have the space. I was thinking more of a bistro table size, since the dining table is much larger. Any projects will be over there....or next door at the old farmhouse. We're planning to clean that up and start using it as overflow (almost as you would a basement) in the next year or so. That means we'll have mom's craft table over there, my husband's man cave, our garden greenhouse space (old porch) and extra food and pantry storage. Probably even the big freezer. It's a little longer walk, but no stairs! :)

We used Barn Furniture Mart in Van Nuys (part of Los Angeles), CA. It has been a family business which truly started in a barn in, I believe, the 40's. We went with the Amish barn floor character quarter sawn white oak trestle table with 12 leaves. Dark brown stain, many to choose from. Also a 78" buffet and just 8 chairs, as we already have some extra and could add more later. All made by Amish craftsmen. About $9,000 after tax. Still in storage with them while our house nears completion. You can Google them for more info if you are interested.. The owner, Leon, and his staff were incredibly helpful. They will send our furniture by their own truck to us in San Diego., but I imagine would ship elsewhere. I'd love to know what you eventually decide on. Let me know if any more info would help. Best of luck. Cis

If you can get the heights and lengths close enough, you might be able to get the effect you want with a folding table set up next to the dining table and pads crosswise across both of them, all covered with a tablecloth (which I think you'll probably have to make to fit). Like the way hotels make a double bed out of two twins pushed together with mattress pads crosswise.