It does seem redundNt to have a nook and a dining areaseparated on,y by a low wall. It’s kind of like restaurant booths. The problem is, if yiu remove the wall, what do you do a out the floor under it? is the half-wall on top of the floor, or did the floor go in around the wall?

If yiu remove it, you have room for a nice cabinet, buffet, console, etc, in the old nook space for storage and serving.

Definitely remove the pony wall. ASAP.

Yes combine the two areas.

Also, if you need to seat 10 people, a ten foot long table will be comfortable. It's great that your opened up space will accommodate that no problem. Fun!

What a goofy layout! i love my breakfast nook but that’s because it is in the kitchen and the dining toom is, well, a room! that is seperate! so the kid can make a mess in the kitchen and we can sit down for dinner without the kitchen mess. definitely get rid of the nook here it makes no sense. and expandable tables are great! agree the floor may be tricky.

Agree it does look like a restaurant set up, lol. Combine the nook and DR and repeat the DR window treatment on nook window. You never know what is inside a wall and whether flooring continues under the wall, but not knowing is definitely not a deal breaker, just add a contingency for cost overruns..

If flooring is an issue, as a (temporary) solution you could just “patch” and put a nice big rug under your dining table.

I'm wondering if you expand the nook and turn it into your dining area? In a house of this size I would think that you would only need one space for eating. If designed well the dining area could also be a work area and kids homework area.

Seems to me they need some storage. Totally agree ONE dining table, ( up above sketch) and not sure the climate or major daily entry, either. But the child is two. Lots of play junk: ) but not sure I'd define the areas with yet another wall. Even ponied.

What a silly half-wall. Your house will be greatly improved without it.

Congratulations your new home is so lovely! I agree move the pony wall.

I think that if you take out the pony wall and make it one big dining area, the new dining area will start to encroach into the kitchen area. To help alleviate this I would get a gorgeous buffet-type table (something that would fit and wasn’t sticking out beyond that window) and put it to the right of your door— a distraction

Thank you everyone for your insight! Looks like the clear answer is to remove the nook & take down that wall. I haven't even thought about storage (we're moving from a 2 BR apartment) so definitely something to consider using that space for @Gargamel love the idea of adding a table or console by the kitchen door.

@JAN MOYER appreciate the rough sketch!! The kitchen door leads to a deck with stairs to backyard. We have 2 car garage in lower level. LOVE your idea for moveable island. I was thinking about adding that but wasn't sure if I had enough clearance around the island.

@bpath good point about the flooring, didn't even cross my mind. Really hope it's just sitting on top of floor and if not then I liked @sarahachevalier's idea of covering with rug?!

You DON'T cover with a rug!!! You find the flooring!!! Or another solution : )

This isn't a weeny rental. Don't ruin the house

too many unknowns. I like the nook... I dislike leaving only a dining table . I would install the wall in question back to full height..... why isnt a 15 foot walll[ and then some!!!] enough storage in your generous kitchen ??? I would think long term about a banquette or cozier seating area in the nook....it just needs differentiation. get a dining table with a leaf for the main area .....you can insert for those times and go ahead and develope the nook better....I think youd use the nook, but too soon to know everything at this point. The cold gray colors and hotel lobby look is the problem not the fact that you have an end of the kitchen that can be worked into a nice seating niche. Here: put wall back up.

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or note this as an interim adjustment.

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To be clear I was not suggesting to cover up an unfinished floor. What I am suggesting is — if there isn’t 20k available to replace the entire flooring, find the closest match, patch up that section, and then put a rug on top of it. I know different flooring would drive me crazy, but only if visible :)

I love Jan’s floor plan.

Not sure if you are considering any changes to the kitchen as well, but it strikes me that you could get a lot of tall storage by getting rid of the fridge wall, putting the fridge and tall pantries left of the range, and putting in a much larger and functional island. $$$.

I will never under stand the concept of two dining areas next to each other. if it is newly remodeled Im wondering if you can get the flooring, maybe find out who the contractor was? because YES then you could have one large table with a nice chandelier. maybe add a pantry, and a work surface there, even a desk area. might allow you to add an island with a couple seats as well.

Agree with removing the wall and combining the two areas into one eating area. I would NOT remove any windows as suggested above even if there is no view…the window lets in light which is important. You can always use window treatments to help obscure an unpleasant view but which still allows light to come into the space.

@sarahachevalier thank you, totally with you I didn't mean to make it sound like the patch/rug would be a permanent solution. Opening up that kitchen wall can be something to consider down the road...

Does ANYONE see a decent closet or pantry in this place? : )

I would not remove the corner window. No way would I sacrifice even a tiny bit of natural light. you could put an L shaped cabinet below the window for added storage, plus it will add counter space for small appliances.

And definitely yes to removing that pony wall! If the space feels a little narrow, find a long table and put a bench along the wall.

Two closets, not counting bedrooms and basement. A HUGE kitchen with 4 to 6 times the cabinets I have had for over 40 years. No pantry needed.

@JAN MOYER well now you're making me nervous! I didn't think pantry space was an issue I guess coming from a small apartment it seemed like the kitchen cabinets would suffice??

I'm betting one of those "huge" closets is HVAC : ) OR WATER, OR BOTH

LOL....... You have a two year old. Where do you keep food, paper towels, bulky appliances.

We don't know enough about you, your little family.

Before you do ANY thing? You live in the house for six months to a year. want 8/10 people fpr dinner? God made card tables for a reason, ditto folding chairs. You will eat, you will furnish and live....: )

Nobody is even supposed to have perfection on move in day. That's an HGTV bs MYTH. It's a destroyer of finances as well.

Design in haste, decorate in haste.......REPENT AND rue AT YOUR LEISURE.

Absolutely, get rid of it…..one larger area makes way more sense than 2 small ones! Our second house was like that, too (full wall)….if I had known then what I know now, we’d have opened up that space for one large dining area.

But there's a basement and probably a garage, right? That's a generous amount of kitchen storage for every-day equipment and ingredients. I wouldn't eliminate a window if I could stash the Costco paper towels downstairs.

coming from a small apartment it seemed like the kitchen cabinets would suffice??

live with the space for a while and see if it works for you. I've been living without a pantry my entire adult life. you have WAY more cabinet space than me. a kitchen island will add some necessary prep space and additional storage.

the idea of what is an ideal american kitchen is getting ridiculous. they're built to store too much useless crap and boxed food. @pineapple K, coming from a small apartment, I think you already know how to prioritize and organize. if you have anything infrequently used (like grandma's special turkey serving tray), store it somewhere else. if your family grows, you may feel the need to buy food and stuff in bulk, but I know a lot of people who store their surplus in a garage or basement.

@mcarroll16 yes a whole lower level! We planned on using the garage for extra storage, so agree we can use that for the less frequented pantry stuff!

@JAN MOYER agreed we're trying to do as little reno as possible when we move in, but seems like that pony wall should be first to go! And I can't make any big dining table purchases until we figure out that nook situation :)

pineapple, any dining table I've ever had came with leaves. Leaves that were stored in a closet (or under a bed) until hosting a larger event. If you find a table you love that you can't fully extend until you've the funds and know exactly how you'll use the space - it will be OK if you go ahead and buy it.

My table now will seat 14 with all its leaves. It was a number of years before I had a room where I could fully extend it to all its lovely glory. And, I don't leave it that way most of the year, it's only for larger more formal dinners. Which we rarely have, we entertain so casually. That pony wall would make a few more steps when serving but I don't see it inhibiting family conversation by much. It's a little strange, but not a deal breaker or emergency.

Which leads me to don't make quick decisions when moving into your first owned space. You've got start up costs, things you will want and use immediately. Always some money going out you hadn't anticipated spending.

We have a breakfast table in our kitchen that we use daily. The view is great, it's close to where food is prepared and we have dinner there most nights. Will seat 5 cooperative people ;)

Your new to you house looks great, congratulations. My first home had way fewer cabinets than I'm seeing in your kitchen. It all worked and I thought I was about the luckiest young woman ever to be living there ;)

You can easily take out that pony wall but keep the bench for now to see how you use the space--it looks newly renovated so I suspect you'll be able to match the floor if it doesn't run underneath. Get a dining table with leaves that can be small when you need it to be, and get a small café style table to the nook that can fold down (or that has drop sides). See how you use the space before taking out the bench--without the pony wall, you can easily fold up the small table for gatherings, put in the leaves, and extend into that space, but you might find you prefer to have separate spaces for daily living with a two-year-old. Do you come and go through the foyer or back door? If back, you might find you also need coat/shoe space near the door.

Another vote to remove the pony wall, but also make sure you have extra flooring in case that wall was built before the floors went in. And yes, we all need (and love) tables that expand with leaves so we have options.

Keep @JAN MOYER's advice in mind - don't overdo projects. You just moved in. Take it slow. This one reno is enough for your first year in a first house.

You have a two year old in a high chair. You have years of spilled milk, crayons, markers ahead of you.

Formal?? This is open plan living! You need to seat 10? Right away? You can rent a folding 8 foot banquet table and pretty gold wedding chairs for a couple hundred bucks!!!

You get every dimension of every wall. You do similar to what I did above with 100% accuracy/inches for any and all purchases you are even considering.

The "Amazon/wherever click! love it! get it ! concept? Let that go right now.

That's the best advice you'll ever get.: ) Applies to the wall as well.

Where is the laundry room?

Not done yet:

Where do two year old children play ? Near mommy in the kitchen.

Where does the play stuff go? Where does the high chair go?

How many times in the past two years have you hosted formal, gotten take out? in exhaustion.

Is that bench in the kitchen lift top storage? Or is it just a bench?

When you do the formal? How much kitchen do you want in your view? Sink....range etc

When friends come? Where will they hang around when you are in the kitchen? Because you know they will hang there.

Why do I ask?? Because that PONY wall, cut to COUNTER top height and widened could be a 30 x 30 x 36 breakfast bar...with 4 stools. And you can still have a dining table for six that can open.

Those are just a few of the questions. Which is why I say move in and Live. Get a table that seats six, plan to toss it in a year : ) Get a Ruggable, see if that bench opens.......the kid is TWO. Not playing alone in a bedroom, or in the basement : )

Alternatively, you could put down a playmat in the breakfast nook and set up a toy zone there, with the pony wall hiding that mess from the dining/living area. Perfect place to set up a toy kitchen.

My point exactly, just above.

"Not done yet:

Where do two year old children play ? Near mommy in the kitchen.

Where does the play stuff go? Where does the high chair go?

How many times in the past two years have you hosted formal, gotten take out? in exhaustion.

Is that bench in the kitchen lift top storage? Or is it just a bench? "

Exactly my point lol

I absolutely recommend waiting like was mentioned above. I would wait to change anything until after you live in the place at least a year. While the house is lovely and you feel like it is large and bigger than your needs, in a year the bloom will be off the rose somewhat and you can better reassess your actual needs for the next 5-10 years, budget etc.. then you can have time to research options and ideas and watch the wee one grow...You can also try to find matching or close to matching flooring for under that wall or consider one of the other good options, I like the turn it into a peninsula/ breakfast bar area, it will be a very well used spot. You can always pull the extender part of the dining table into the living room a bit for the occasional party. I added another spot to consider for pantry/dry goods/paper/cleaning supplies and extra storage in orange on your basement floor plan.

Also question for you...where is your laundry room?

I don't want to be the buzz kill. I can truly understand, when squashed in a small apartment with a two year old, how the bright, clean feel of a recently renovated, sparkling and open space would appeal.

But....( and we don't know climate or locale....)

Where IS the laundry? : )

Again...... first do no harm. You may have the shock of a lifetime if you outgrow the glam in favor of more. In ways you've not yet discovered you NEED.

Add a small island with seating and get rid if the nook. the space It will look and flow better and be great for entertaining. .

@JAN MOYER @Rawketgrl laundry room is in lower level, next to backdoor to our backyard