Me too. Otherwise everyone would be in the kitchen as soon as they step in the front door.

is that your cold air return over the garbage can? take the door off between the rooms for awhile, and let that be it. the cost would be very high, and that wall between the dining and hall is probably load bearing. per experience, you don't want to go there. having said that, you could knock a hole in that wall that would help give the feel of more openness. BTW - your décor is spot on. very nice and calming.

We don't believe it's a load bearing wall (and there isn't a level above the kitchen), but yes, we need to figure that out. @Let, no that's and old ironing board cabinet and "vent" for the iron.

My thought was to remove the eat in kitchen nook and change that to be sliding/glass doors to the outside. I'd probably close up the existing side door, and maybe move the fridge to that wall, or somewhere in that vicinity. I'd like to do an island somewhere too once the space is opened up. We have a large glass round dining table that we could use somewhere in the space.

We aren't currently in the house yet, these are the staged photos from the sale :)

Keep the suggestions coming!

I think the best solution is to make a very wide opening between the hallway and the dining room; is that the wall you want to remove?

Arches

One opening that I do not think would require a beam; I think you just frame it like a closet opening with 10" gluelam beam.

Just some pictures found on Houzz

You can, but where is the living room?

Without seeing the rest of the layout, my first thought is to make the dining room the living room.

I think the more open, the better unless you want to keep a separate formal dining space. You may think about removing the hallway wall as well....depending on what's possible. Consult a contractor/builder to determine your options. If columns could take the place of the walls, I think that would work.

I say........ LIVE there a bit, and do not rush. Get a kitchen designer and a VERY good contractor and bang out the possibilities. Burying a header isn't the end of the world and most often it is worth it. We span vast distances with bridges (and lots of cars ) don't we? It does appear that the house has already had an addition and bump out. An architect could be well worth the money with an excellent long term plan, so chill and live for a bit : ) Kudos as well to whoever staged the house!!!

I agree with jan moyer - move in and live there awhile. then hire that architect. you may discover you want a parlor sized living room instead of a big dining room.

Here's a pic of the entry and living room as it relates to the dining room on the Floorplan.

And yes, we can't move in for a few months so lots of time to brainstorm and consult with pros before we decide what remodeling to do. I've remodeled a kitchen before so I definitely have learned some good things on the order of things.

Personally I don't agree that living there a while is the way to go. Why move in with all ones stuff, get settled, and then come up with the plan to pull the house apart...and then move everything out again to get started.
If you have the opportunity to live elsewhere now, I would certainly jump on the changes now and then move into a house design that works for you.
As to your question, I don't think it's a crazy idea at all to open up the space. I would want the same thing since a formal dining room would have no value to me. I do agree that working out a plan with a good designer and contractor is a very good idea.

Can we see ehat you ended up doing?