Consider replacing the current ceiling fan with a more modern one. The third one has blue tooth speakers for music.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/modern-ceiling-fans-to-keep-your-house-cool/

letudo- welcome to your 1st thread :) And please do converse with us as that is the only way we can best zero in on what you like and don't like. It can get a bit overwhelming but it will get easier as we move forward. I also noticed that you don't have anything in your Ideabooks. I suggest that you start adding rooms and items that you like as it will help give us more direction, too.

I've replaced glass tops with larger ones but you just have to make sure the base can accommodate the larger size. I'd start by measuring 3' from the wall to the middle of the room. Once you hit the 3' mark, put a chair there with the back of it at the 3'. Repeat around the room. This will give you a feel whether you want a table that large or go down from there. I'm one that usually promotes not to have a glass table top but I've had a similar dining room like yours in a previous house that included all the windows, too. I had a glass top in that room and I liked how it kept the space light and airy since it was a room rather than an open concept which I think your area is a room, too? That said, what you may want to try putting a table cloth or sheet over the table and see how that feels to you. I personally try to go as large as possible with a table even though it is only me and my partner because when we entertain I can use the table as a buffet or as an overflow dining table- the nieces and nephews like being apart from the adults or I put my friends at that table that I HAD to invite to the party that I really didn't want to -lol... Once you determine the size and table top material then we can go from there.

Usually if you focus on an order of things it won't seem so overwhelming. I'd suggest in some what this order: table, chairs, flooring which might include a rug, ceiling and/or wall treatment, chandelier, window treatments, paint color and then accessories. And of course, we may get off track if we find something fabulous in the meantime 😀

Your property sounds similar to mine. I have 5 different species of woodpeckers and we won't talk about the deer herd- those garden eating rascals!

Tedbixby - Thank-you! Yes, this room does seem overwhelming. I so appreciate your guidance on how to tackle a room. One thing I noticed this morning is that my table is not centered in the room. It is about 1 foot off, with the most space between the table and the wall with the planter. I need to get out my tape measure to make sure I center it, and also to do the chair-to-wall measurement you suggested. As for the room itself, it is a room and not an open concept, though the pass through from the kitchen to the breakfast room is huge. Again, , I will take more measurements and provide - I think I also need to photograph the kitchen in its current state since there may need to be some coordination between it and the breakfast room since that pass through is so big. I am also going to put a table cloth over the table, as you suggested, to see how it feels. The kitchen also has a lot of pattern since the waterfall island is black and white marble (and is very long- again, will measure) and we have also covered the entire range wall with it (which was a "we must be crazy" splurge). So, we can't go wild with pattern in the breakfast room (not that I would want to anyway).

I will also start populating an ideabook. But, just as an overview, I like clean, architectural, classic lines - Thomas Pheasant, Christian Liagre, Jean-Louis Deniot... I try to emulate those styles since I don't have the funds to hire those designers. I don't gravitate towards busy patterned drapes or patterned wallpaper (except for judicious use of Grisaille or Chinoiserie paper which I love in a DR (my next room to tackle (:-)). I don't really seem to like anything country (except for George Smith and Grange, which I would love if I had a nice rectory style home in the Cotswolds - next life!)

I enjoyed your tidbit about people that you "HAD to invite" to dinner - (:-)). As for deer, we don't have too many in my area, but we do have huge families of aggressive geese who, like your deer, love nibbling away at the goodies in the garden!

I’d head towards a cozy, refreshing, casual space. Inviting and comfortable.

- The room is large, so suggest a much larger table, comfortable chairs with cushions and a big chandelier hung fairly low

If above is too rustic, here is another look and could also consider a window seat configuration or a banquette

- I’d paint walls a the same white in kitchen, so it feels connected and could paint the ceiling, which would bring it down visually.

- Add simple blinds for a fresh, modern feel

- Fill the wall with a gallery of bird prints

Maureen - Gasp! Gorgeous! Room photos 1 and 2 are so my style. Who are you guys? Again, I’m assuming professional designers in the mix 🙂

I don't think you need a rug or drapes. I'd keep the windows clear for a sunroom feel. You could incorporate some soft seating so you have a comfortable place to read or drink coffee, while still having chairs to use at the table. I would not do a built-in bench, which isn't comfortable.

Winnetka Residence · More Info

A pale green on the walls with a pale blue ceiling would be beautiful.

Naples - Florida · More Info

Are you Leslie T now, letudo?

Yes, I am now Leslie T.

Ok. Now we know who to really send our invoice to for our services-lol...

Hahaha

You guys!

what a lovey space. I also agree that drapes are not necessary, the windows casings and views are lovely enough on their own. I like the idea of building in bench seating, to help the room feel a little more cozy. also note the nice, simple drum shade:

other ideas for the lighting: don't do anything with exposed bulbs -- you have to dim those so much it won't be sufficient lighting. find something that has some kind of white shade to diffuse the light.

if you're trying to make the table and chairs a little more trendy, I feel like these lights could be fun. esp if you're planning on staining the bamboo a dark color. (I think that dining set could look amazing in gloss black with white seats like tedbixby's inspiration photo.)

Thanks Ilovemod! These fixture ideas are lovely.

I saw this space in the latest Domino magazine - it has a beautiful custom banquette for a room with a wide bay window. Using a tulip table that's oval rather than round helps fill the space better. Maybe something like that might work in your space? I can't find a link to the Domino article but here it is in a UK magazine (scroll down): https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/matilda-goads-house-renovation

I agree that you do not need curtains there. You can o with shades I you want privacy but I don’t think it’s necessary. I will suggest possibly getting larger windows? I also think it would be so cool to continue you backsplash along the entire dinette area. It’ll give it such a traditional feel. What’s your backsplash sitch now? And yes to new lighting. Possibly a rug but not necessary for this minute.

Smalloldhouse_gw - Thank-you for idea about oval table, and pointing me to the Domino article. Its a good idea!

following...

HU-187523210 - I wish I had made the windows higher when I replaced them a few years ago. We had old double hung, divided light windows that were in poor condition. Instead of thinking through what I ultimately wanted to do with the room (architecture, furniture, lighting, etc,) which is what I *always* do, for some reason I decided *on a whim* to replace them using the same size, not realizing that I should have also used that opportunity to make the windows larger. Live and learn, c'est la vie. As for the backsplash, the kitchen is not yet finished (we had to temporarily stop due to the pandemic and so not wanting people in the house to finish the work) and the backsplash is one of those things we still need to get done. However, we have already chosen the material. We are going to use rectangular soft white tile with a surface that is slightly uneven (it is not completely flat but undulates just a bit). Where in the breakfast room would you put the tile?

Hello All - I have started adding photos of breakfast rooms I like to my "Breakfast Room" idea book. I do realize that many of them have long divided light windows, which I do not have, but there are not many photos of breakfast rooms that have casement windows like mine. (The irony is that the room used to have divided light windows! Still, I do like the fact that casements bring the outdoors in with their big glass panes - replacing the divided lights with the casements made an amazing difference. It really opened up the room.)

I also realize that the rooms I like vary wildly - from contemporary to traditional, from informal to formal. Hope that is not too confusing! I didn't overthink it - I just selected what I liked.

Omgsh. That’s such a shame! By tile I mean take the tile throughout the whole round wall. Almost like farmhouse cafe vibes

Hi, HU-187528210 - that would have been great for a farmhouse vibe! My house, as well as the furnishings, are more classic/traditional.

All - I am open to several looks, but some may not work for my room as well as others. For example, I do love the look of a couch, table, and chairs but my concern is that the back of the couch would cover up part of the lower windows. Since the windows are not huge, I’m thinking this could be a problem. Additionally, this might be too formal a look for a room with casements. What do you think?

You've been a busy bee with putting photos in your IB. I don't think you are all over the board as if you take elements from each one rather than the overall room it gives a clearer path.

Did you get a chance to figure out what size of table would work? I'm hoping 60" as that size will give us lots of options. And since you are putting solid tops in your IB, you are fine going that way, too?

Since you made an earlier mention of possibly changing out the flooring I think we need to talk about that as that will also drive the finish of the table. I noticed that the floor continues into the kitchen and I'm guessing it probably goes elsewhere, too? So I just am wondering what your thoughts are on this.

I thought it would be helpful for you to see the kitchen - it is not yet finished (needs paint on trim to match cabinets, backsplash - using soft white rectangular tiles, dishwashers leveled... a few other tidbits but had to temporarily stop due to pandemic). As you can see there is a lot of movement in the marble so I don't want too much pattern, if any, in the breakfast room. In the 3rd photo down you can see how the kitchen connects to the breakfast room. The hardwood floor continue throughout.

Ted - I am going to go upstairs right now to measure to see if a 60" table will do the trick. I am absolutely open to replacing what I currently have.

Pretty kitchen 😁 You must be so excited about cooking in there.

I figured you were open to replacing what you have based on your IB-lol...

Here is the crazy thing about the kitchen - we are deathly afraid of ruining the marble island and so have not used it yet. We use the perimeter of the kitchen. At some point, we hope we lose our fear of staining the marble!

OK, I recruited hubby to help me measure the distance between the pulled out chairs and the edge of the walls and, in the process, we discovered that the table was not centered, So we re-centered it and it does look much better in there. Still may be too small though. I will let you all be the judge. We also took more precise measurements of the room as well. Here are the measurements:

Here are photos of the table re-centered in the room, as well as photos of the chairs pulled out from the table. Also included a photo of the wall color (Benjamin Moore, Bennington Gray - sort of a taupe- sagey green) in the adjacent family room (please excuse the grocery bags - just had food delivered) just as an FYI since I will use that color on walls of adjacent kitchen - though there won't be much wall to paint in the kitchen after the backsplash goes in:

Lolol you guys are halirious. Although I’d be mega ocd too!! Anyways I happen to love the chairs you have. They are so pretty. You should totally use them in another space. Love them. I still think the tile idea would help but doesn’t sound like your into it lol. Based on what I see in the pics I’d do the same look in a tile. Again, up to you...

It looks AMAZING

Thanks Hu! So nice of you to say.

Hu - where would you place the tile?

A note about banquettes/benches against windows with a view - the bench is lovely to look at, but I don't find them to be especially comfortable and (this is the big one) when you're sitting on them, you're NOT looking out at the view. So, your choice - if you want to enjoy the lovely view - is to sit on chairs and not on the bench.

Carrie B - Excellent and very important point! Part of the fun of being in the room is enjoying the view, so just based on your observation I am going to scratch the couch/banguette/bench idea (I had already scratched the built in idea, but was thinking about the couch). Also, I could just imagine someone dropping their fruit bowl all over a couch (!). Thanks for this insight.

I need to hire you to do my internet show and tell as I'm inept in that area and when my partner tries to teach me, it is the one time we seem to always have an argument-lol...

So you pulled out the chairs and showed the measurement from the wall but with the chairs out does that equal a 60" table? If so, how do you feel about walking around behind the chairs? Mark on the floor blue tape the back legs of a chair when it is pulled out and the edge of the 60" table. Then play pretend that the 60" table is there and move the chair away from the table to sit in it and then pull it up to the table with you sitting in it and then push it away from the table to see how it feels if you have enough room to maneuver out of it. And have hubby sit in another pulled out chair across from you and see how you both feel about the distance of 60" being between you.

Ted - by internet show, do you mean a vlog? If it is up and running, I would love to see it.

OK, I'm def going to do the blue taping and usability research, using me and my husband as research participants (:-)). From the measurements I have thus far, I think there would be 34" between the pulled out chair and the wall (60" - 54" = 6", and 6"/2 = 3", so 37" - 3" = 34"). I think/hope I got that right. It sounds OK on paper but actually experiencing it may feel very different, so your suggestion, as usual, is a really good one.

Oh Heavens no- a vlog ha, ha.. I meant by your ability to put your measurements and diagram on this thread. About the only thing I can do is type and add photos to my Ideabook-lol... it was nice when I had an Assistant to do all this "fancy" internet stuff but worth the trade-off of retiring and not working-lol..

Yeah, I'm the blue tape person on Houzz. I recommend it as I really think it helps give a visual and to see if sizes need to be adjusted. And I've had a few here that have given their sizes and were confident that they were correct and didn't need to blue tape it,only to find after making major purchases the measurements were off. So though I'll be given measurements I don't take much stock in them because I didn't take them.

These photos may interest you as they give you a visual if you were to use your current chairs. The photos and furniture are from Ballard Design. There also was this one but every time I tried to upload it, a different photo came up. https://www.ballarddesigns.com/andrews-pedestal-dining-table/350657

If the table is a consideration, it also is available in the walnut but I kind of like the white wash if you use your current chairs. Unless you painted the chairs white than walnut might be something to consider.

Black walls I think make quite the statement here. Mixing it up with 2 different chairs.

Andrews Pedestal Dining Table · More Info

This one you could keep your chairs as they are and just reupholstered the seats.

Andrews Pedestal Dining Table | Ballard Designs · More Info

Wow, these both look beautiful!!!

Don't know if you have a wall this will fit in your room but I think it is pretty cool especially if you keep your chairs. You can keep your cereal in it-lol..

https://www.crateandbarrel.com/west-charcoal-cane-bar-cabinet/s501426

West Charcoal Cane Bar Cabinet + Reviews | Crate and Barrel · More Info

Ted - You have my taste down 100%. This is gorgeous. It has an Art Deco vibe. It looks like something Hercule Poirot would have in his apartment (do you know the show? You can watch it on Britbox, which is a channel on Amazon Prime. I love the way he dresses, and I love his apartment). Btw, we have a 60” round area rug that we put in the breakfast room, to see how a 60” table would feel. We moved the chairs out to where they would be with the 60” table as well. We are in a quandry - the 60” table would make the room feel much grander, more significant - I was shocked at the difference! It made the room feel much larger, which seemed so counter-intuitive to me. So, yes, would be gorgeous. But this is the quandry - there is just me and hubby and it might feel really strange having 4 empty chairs at every meal. We have a good sized dining room so we don’t need the extra seating. Also, with a 60” table, additional furniture might (not sure) be a tiny bit cramped. However, we don’t need additional furniture - but the option (like the crate and barrel one you just sent) is so nice to have. It’s a hard decision. So, that’s where we are right now... trying to figure out which size table to get. What do you think?

Just showed the crate and barrel piece to my husband and he said “Oh my God! What is this piece? I love it!” 😀

I'll have to put Hercule Poirot on my watch list. I was not aware of it but anything with clothing and interior design I'm all over it!

Since it doesn't sound like you have a need for extra seating have you ever thought when you looked at this room that " I need a bigger table due to the scale of the room" ? If all along you've haven't and like the intimacy of the smaller table then we should circle back to the smaller size as you don't have to fill the room up. Plenty of space around the table keeps the room light and airy. The other thought is if you feel the scale is ok with the smaller table that we look for a smaller one and if we can't find anything you love, then you can decide at that point what the trade-off will be. A bigger table that you love or the intimacy of a smaller one where the table is "ok." Or .. I'm not going anywhere so take your time thinking about it more if you desire as I'll be here when you pop back in.

Glad to hear that your husband likes the cereal cabinet-lol... you can blue tape that out on the floor as that might seal the deal as the need to go to a smaller table to accommodate it.

I'm putting the cart before the horse but figure while you figure out the right table size I might hit upon something that might catch your attention worth revisiting a bit later.

Visual Comfort JN 5112G/CG Julie Neill Talia Large Chandelier in Gild – Foundry · More Info

Only comes in 59". :( Thinking with your current chairs but painted black.

Amity Round Dining Table · More Info

Example-

black rattan dining chairs - Google Search · More Info

West Charcoal Cane Bar Cabinet + Reviews | Crate and Barrel · More Info

You have superb taste!

Thank you. Your room is inspiring😀 In case you liked that Amity table but not the size, Pottery Barn has this one in a 53"

Warner Round Pedestal Dining Table | Pottery Barn · More Info

Hmmm... good example of how painting the rattan up-dates the set. Black would look nice, too.

Home on the Waves, Cohasset · More Info

tedbixby, those inspiration photos are awesome. I especially love the idea of painting the chairs black and pairing it with that round Crate & Barrel bar cabinet. all of this would go wonderfully with the modern kitchen the op posted.