I think my first step would be to go with a less formal feeling - replacing valances, remove table runner, feminine accessories, etc. and try for more of a casual, rustic feel to the dining room, so your options for the office area can be more relaxed. You could replace your chandelier and duplicate in the front portion. Don't add a desk per se - since you collect antiques, look for a great table and add bookcases on either side of window (bottom section could have doors, to hide your office stuff). The look below is sort of the idea and if you place your chair facing the window, you could take advantage of the view.

I love the idea of going more rustic and this room has been waiting to be done so color, window treatments, etc are all out. I do have another office off of my kitchen with doors that close off the room. My husband uses that office but I need another computer/ workspace.

I think I'll use the space that's empty right now because the room facing the table right now is a sitting room so I don't want to sitting type areas back to back.

I would love to see more pictures. When I use the dining space I do need to sit 10-12 people, sometimes more.

What a wonderful oversize space for dual use! I love Maureen's images with built in bookcases to either side of the windows (and underneath too!). A library feel also works well for those twice a year family meals; who knows, you might be drawn into the room for more than two a year! Dining rooms lend themselves very well to library office functions; the dining table makes a great work table

One thing you'll probably want to tackle is more and better lighting in the room, particularly over the table and desk. If there's an attic over this room, its very very simple. If there's a second floor it's not as simple, but certainly do-able by cutting some holes in the drywall to fish wire, then patching.

Thanks Doug, my husband is an electrician so that shouldn't be a problem. Do you think bookcases on both windows on each side of the room or just the office side?

Any thoughts on a round dining table?

If you have access to antiques and like that kind of style, how about keeping your eye out for a beautiful side-by-side or secretary desk? I keep one in my living room just because it's beautiful, but they're also very functional. It would look just fine in your dining room.

Stacey: I'd tend to favor one end to provide function and identity for the office. Bookcases make a room! This is a living room/library I did in Denver.

Is this the idea? I tacked up some drapes I had stored away just to get an idea. I had the table and pulled up a dining room chair. Thoughts?

A desk by a window is always a good idea. It could also be perpendicular to the window so you are looking out the French doors to the left. Or you could have bookcases cover the entire wall including under the window, and use those as a credenza, floating the desk further into the room with your back to the window. Your choice!

Thanks Doug, if I build bookcases what should I do with the curtains? It's a bay window.

I'm sad, why don't you make your doing room a room you enjoy more than twice a year? What a complete waste of space! If it's a room you hate and only use twice a year, think how your guests must feel? You need to rethink how you use the space in your house and if you have more rooms like this you need to replan the space.

Yes, that's what I'm doing now :)

Other furniture placement

Do you have a formal living room no one goes into also? If so, that might also be a good place to put a office.

One of the reasons it only gets used a few times a year is because I have a table in my kitchen that expands to seat 12 and we do weekend family dinners there. I guess it begs the questions, do I need this seating area at all?

OK, I see now, the sateen swags are going bye bye, yeah! By the way, you have a nice dining room. Why not eat in there more? It's a great way to get kids talking even if it's carry out pizza. You just get wash and dry tablecloths to cover the table from Williams Sonoma.

getting closer t how i saw the room in my head. you will need some storage though

Not sure of your plans for the rest of the room, as it still needs to be cozier and more practical/comfortable. If you are going with the set up facing the French doors - maybe if you moved the desk more into the middle (adding a fixture if you could) and then added a comfy chair in corner and with the floor lamp, it could be a great spot to take a break. If desk is facing the dining area, you could add a really nice bench seat with storage underneath the window. An area rug will ground the space. I think you have the right idea, just have to fine tune your needs as well. It will be a great use of space when you are finished.

Staceyonion, that is exactly why I am asking. How do you LIVE? I had a tiny dining room, it was claustrophobic to have dinners in it (nothing like yours) and I had a huge family room next to a huge formal living room. I don't need TWO living spaces next to each other and I certainly don't need a formal living room. My solution was to turn my dining room into the study and my family room into the dining room. I ditched the formal living room concept and have a livable living room. But I use my dining room for evening meals and I always have used my dining room for that purpose - I grew up having dinner in the dining room. It's a wonderful place to get to know your children. If you have rooms in the house that are being used only 2 times a year, then it is a complete waste of space. All rooms should be in use.

I do have an informal sitting area right next to the dining room through the French doors. I also have a large family room but this little room gets used all the time because it's right off the kitchen.

It's your home, use the space how you want. Just because some Realtor said it was a dining room means nothing because the Realtor doesn't LIVE in your home.

Can you post a picture of where you have family dinners? And do you have a house layout?

I only have 1 child home now so we eat together at the kitchen table.

And in my opinion, I would ditch the formal dining stuff because you clearly don't live that way. Does your informal dining area have a fireplace?? There is nothing better than family dinners with a roaring fire going in comfy chairs in a large room. People love to eat in a dining room (1) if it's not formal (2) if they don't have to sit in uncomfortable chairs (3) if there is good food.

On your way...I'm sure you had next steps in mind. To help...consider seating and storage for a practical/comfortable space. If you are going with desk facing the doorway - maybe if you moved the desk more into the middle (adding a fixture if you could - see below) and then added a comfy chair in corner and with the floor lamp, it could be a great reading spot. If desk is facing the dining area, again move into room and you could add a bench seat under the window for reading. An area rug will ground the space and I think you have the right idea, just have to fine tune - bookscase, comfy seating, etc. It will be a great use of space when you are finished.

The eating area of the kitchen

After reading some of the comments...what do you think about moving your sitting room's furniture into the other room near the fireplace, which will better compliment the office end. Compliment the casual blue rug for the office area to tie the rooms together. Big question though..is the sitting room large enough for your dining set (could remove the leaves and make this into an intimate dining space/breakfast room) and reupholster the chairs for a more casual/fun look. Would your couch/seating work in other room - I wonder if you placed your couch facing the window with a console table behind and the two chairs by the window with your tv (I assume you have) over the fireplace. Or you could try the couch facing the fireplace and two chairs on either side of fireplace. Another idea is to remove the French doors, so you have more space to add the chair in the far right corner. I removed some French doors and the space felt so much more open.

Consider your built in area we worked on before for your computer space. Can you find another spot for the dog dishes?

Ok. Here is my hand drawing of the layout. I'm sure the scale is off but you'll get an idea.

I was thinking of that decoenthusiast but I would like to use this dead space in the dining room. Also that other space feels like it's in the door entry way. That's the door we use all the time.

Maureen, I don't think my table would fit in that small space and then it would also be in the line of sight of my kitchen table ( kind of redundant) I've thought of moving the sitting area to the dining space but everybody LOVES to sit there because it's off the kitchen but I really wish it was a bigger space.

Maureen, I like the idea of removing the french doors but I'm not sure of what you mean with the chair. I don't think I can open the whole wall because it's supporting and I will need some kind of support on each side so they'll be a bump out.

Removing the French doors would allow more space in that corner but there is no need if keeping as is and your sitting area is just fine and being off the kitchen, it's probably very convenient. I was more thinking around getting the most out of your fireplace in my idea. Have another thought if you don't mind...my brother switched his dining room to the front of the house and it looks lovely as your enter. If you don't use the dining room very much, going those extra few feet won't be much of a problem...but then you have an office with a fireplace and will also have a view/connection into the sitting room and others. Below are for set up ideas only.

Ok, thoughts?

laurkade, I was considering that too but we have another office almost adjacent to that space and everyone really likes sitting there so I hate to remove seating.

With my funky floor plan I'm starting to feel like I need HGTV to come in and rework all my first floor space. I have a lot of floor space but I just can't seem to make it work! Grrrrr

Consider flipping the little sitting room and the office, since it is apparent that the big dining table in the other room is more family friendly and well-used. Center the area rug on the window and FP. Flank the FP with your two wicker chairs and float the sofa facing it. Bring the desk and bench into this little room for your office. To fill the far end of the long dining room, would hubby enjoy a pool table?

Is it just too weird to have two sitting rooms next to each other until we can open up that wall?

I like your original plan. The desk looks better at the far end and the dining table by the fireplace. I would build bookshelves all the way across the wall under the bay, maybe put doors on some to hide the ugly office accoutrement. Then face the desk into the room.

Skip the curtains. You don't need them and IMO they look silly in a bay that doesn't go to the floor. If you need window coverings of some kind, go with inside mount roman shades.

How does the dining room flipped work for you? With the office space at the far end, you can now enjoy the fireplace while you work and it can also be viewed from the sitting room. I have a fireplace in my working area and love it, especially in the morning to take the chill out of the room. I think you just have to fine tune the space to make it work. You could add a nice wing back chair, bookcases on either side of the fireplace, a great light fixture, move the rug into the dining room and add a smaller one in front of the desk and maybe place your drapery on this window. It's all in the details. If you can imagine the room below...bookcases would be on either side of fireplace and window behind. Note size of rug and lantern.

So a smaller rug with the table half on half off? Also I don't have high ceilings so I can't go that big on the fixture but I like the looks of it. Desk in front of the window, right?

Never a table half on, half off a rug. Why do you need a smaller rug? There's plenty of space for your office with the rug you've got.

You might have to play around with the rug's location and size, if moving the other one to the dining room. The rug in my sample picture is a nice size/location, so your chair won't be getting stuck and I don't think you need two large rugs in this combined space. You could bring home a few and see what works (over dyed rugs are really nice) and compliments other two rugs that are in close proximity. I like the desk in front of window and instead of a hanging chandelier, use a semi-flush mount (not sure what you like, but some ideas below). You could add a pretty slip cover (in mocha if adding your mocha drapes in this room) on the dining room chair's seat and even add some padding for extra comfort. You can have a room that feels a bit formal, like your dining room, but still modern and pretty.

Maureen, I love that rug! Currently Houzz is out of stock but they are going to notify me when it comes in. I've been living in the space with my office at the far end where we originally put it. I put the dining table back where it was but my hopes are to make this more of a sitting area. I really like seeing the fireplace when the table is gone. I could see a TV over the fireplace and some seating eventually incorporating the little room with the new space. Thoughts?

I think adding a desk and custom built-in wall unit in a wood-stained melamine would be a stylish, yet affordable option, and would really look natural in the space - as if it were part of the home's original design. Something like this:

Here's another example of a wall unit with organizational components intended to maximize the size of the space, not necessarily make it larger:

Or, if you find yourself a little tight on space, why not incorporate flexible elements like a retractable desk? This way you can have a regular home office space, and an extended dining room during the holidays:

please dont put a tv over that fireplace!

So happy about the rug! All the best.