I'm really struggling with how to handle a new open kitchen area. I am hoping all of you might be able to help me solve this.

Last year we purchased a 1959 home that I can only describe as a a weird Mid-Century take on a Monterey Colonial.

The layout on the 1st floor had some significant functional challenges that we are trying to address. the 1st being the entry way that opens up directly into the side of the central fireplace and the 2nd being the tiny kitchen that was way too tight for my family of 2 dogs and 2 grown boys who love to cook. So we knew we were going to make some changes and had an initial plan drawn up. The floor plan below shows the planned front entry bump out, a new beam and kitchen opening and the plan to push the range back into a closet to make a stove alcove.

A massive sewer and plumbing leak this fall accelerated our demo process before we had a full design in place. The wall between the kitchen and the front room was opened up and a 14" beam was installed across the opening. Since we hadn't settled on a design yet we re-used the original base cabinets, threw on some plywood to create a 7 ft island under the beam and decided to "live with the temporary" in order to get a feel for how we will live in the house.

I'm glad we did. While I love the new open feel of the house and the flow of the kitchen, I am struggling as to how best use the front room.

The front room is shallow 13' (from beam to front windows) by 19' with a fireplace at the end by the front door. We have set it up in a number of ways, as a living area (Thought I would love it but ended up hating the TV being on and me having to be quiet as I cooked in the kitchen :) ).

We have set it up as a dining area only with a large 8 ft table placed in front of the windows and also tried a blended approach with a smaller round table on one end and 2 chairs in front of the fireplace. However, no matter what we do it feels like a "pass through" room rather than a comfortable dining & casual conversational area. (Note - I am using furniture from my old house as stand ins ight now and expect to refurnish once I settle on a direction.)

I am wondering if maybe it is my island under the beam that is creating too much separation between the 2 rooms. Would re-orienting the island or using a smaller square island closer to the back wall of the kitchen make a difference? Or maybe I need to create a built in banquette area for the round table to anchor the room.

I am desperate for suggestions on how to set up this room so that it is a comfortable place where I can play my music and cook, or my kids can cook when they come home from college and we can hang out during the process and over dinner and have the deep/lively family conversations that we all look forward to. I'm trying to wrap my head around a general direction of how to approach the layout before I start working with a kitchen designer to nail down my cabinetry plan etc. I trust you all will have some amazing ideas and suggestions!