Thank you mcarroll! That’s exactly what I was thinking too. Do you have any suggestions on rug and chairs? Our current black chairs are leather. I’m having such a hard time tying the spaces together.

I’m getting a new larger rug for the living room + new coffee table and end tables. Just waiting on figuring out the dining space before getting the other things for the living room. Also looking for kitchen counter stools next to the island.

I need help 😞

I have a couple of questions. Do you have a separate dining room? What price target do you have for a table? Are the chairs in this photo below, the ones you plan to use?The views to the outside look very pretty. It might be nice to tie the two spaces together with a more almost patio look table with clean lines? You can find extendable round tables too if this is only dining space in the house. Largely depends on budget.

Thank you Flo! Yes, we just bought these dining chairs so I was hoping to keep them - but I’m regretting the color choice (they had it in black and caramel leather and I chose the black).

We do have another space that could be used for formal dining but we likely won’t use it as a dining area since we don’t think we’d ever use it. There is a good chance this might be our only dining space - ideally would like to fit a minimum of 6, maybe 8 if we can make that work.

Budget for dining table - open to up to $3500 for the right table. Our current rectangular table is 82x34. We have 2 little kids so something that can hold up would be great.

Sorry, I don't have concrete suggestions. But even if I did, Flo's would be better anyway.

Ok. Great. Beautiful home. So your chairs are great and easily will work with many different tables. Great choice! What most young families find is they rarely sit down for formal dining. So I think an extendable dining table or round is your best choice. Something durable and sturdy but stylish too to blend your two rooms together. This is very interesting and could be just the thing. Sintered stone is a manmade product with quartz like properties but said to be more durable I.e. kid proof. Lazy Susan is great with kids but also removable for parties. Black chairs would work beautifully and styling suits both rooms. White with veining look would brighten up this central space. In price point. Assembly might be a bit of a chalk but doable. On sale for just under $2,000.

I’m definitely having a fan girl moment that “The” flo responded to this thread! 🙃

Love this, Flo. Our kitchen island top has some marbling since it’s white granite. Do you think it’ll clash if I have a dining table that has veining? And, should I try to bring in any warmth to the space? There’s a lot of white/cream (cabinets, kitchen island top) and dark brown with the island and dining area cabinet top. I’d like to keep the scheme to neutrals but bring in some warmth and softness to the space as mcarroll suggested. Perhaps I can do that with a dining rug and some accessories?

You are so sweet bubbles! Thanks for the generous comment! I did this mock up for you. The scale isn’t quite right and a rug is optional with young kids and walkways. I probably wouldn’t do a rug. Especially since this table is very heavy. No one is tipping this over! You have to imagine your chairs but easy combo. What do you think?

The lazy Susan is fun and functional for every day. And when removed takes look up to more formal modern look.

You can easily add warmth with some wood Charcuterie boards leaning on countertops, a wood base stool (not sure where these would go). While a wood table is a nice choice, with a young family this durable stone is much easier on a Mom!

I might try to marry the kitchen, living room and create an earthy connection to outside. Place table vertically and to help define the area, consider changes to cabinets and if possible, add a chandelier and a rug so it no longer feels like a walkthrough. See combinations below as an example and consider the big picture vs just on the table, so the spaces flow.

If interested, paint the dining room’s cabinetry black and if budget allows, modify

Remove uppers:

Replace with open shelving:

Flo - Thank you for the mock-up, it definitely helps envision it in my space. What are your thoughts on a round table in a rectangular space? The dimensions of the room are 11x15ft (with the 15ft running horizontally and the 11ft is the cabinet length). Lots of it is walkway and access to the deck - I’ve always thought a round table would add some softness to all the linear lines but I’ve gotten mixed feedback from friends who’ve visited :)

Round tables are easier to work with in this type space. Easier to get around and your chairs are minimalist in design which also helps. Played with adding wood cutting boards and other greenery to soften look a bit. With your wood floors a wood table will kind of blend in or clash so tougher to get right. If I have time later, I will do a scale drawing to show spacial use.

Maureen - thank you, I love the earthy tones. That’s what I’m trying to bring into the inside of our home since we live in the PNW and with the views and the exterior of the home, I’d like to bring in the wood tones to this open concept.

The dining room vertically is a challenge since the longest part of the room is horizontal.

We don’t have plans right now to paint or remove cabinetry but I do like the open shelving for the top cabinets - something to do for down the line!

Round tables are easier to work with in this type space. Easier to get around and your chairs are minimalist in design which also helps. Here is quick scale drawing of dining space. A 60” round table works well. This shows 8 chairs but you will do 6 so even more spacious. You have 3’ walkway clearance all the way around. No rug needed or desirable with size of room and walkways needed. Each square in the drawing equals 1 Sq. Ft. Fits perfectly.

Oh my goodness, Flo - thank you thank you for taking the time to do the sketch! This is so great to see it on paper!

You are welcome. I appreciate the kitchen pictures. Ok. I see how you need backless or low back stools. I would settle on dining pieces first, then find stools that work.

Thank you! I’ve been stuck on this dining area for almost a year and you’ve helped clarify the direction for us 🙏🏼

Perfect. So happy. Keep us posted on your decisions.

Flo, just a couple more queries - have you ordered from Povision before? Just wondering how reputable it is if we have any issues.

As for the round versus oval - my husband would like to know if you think oval would or not work in our space. I guess we could go either way?

I prefer round. Ovals don’t accommodate chairs as well. As the oval curves you loose space for legs under table so when there is room for round it is preferred at least in my opinion. I have not dealt with Provision. The reviews are good that I read including quick replacement of a damaged top. I always use my American Express card for companies I don’t have experience with. AmX really holds providers responsible and has always supported my purchases. So protect yourself always on any purchase.

The company name is Povison. I did an Internet search and found good 4+ star reviews. And when there were problems they were promptly resolved. They sell on Amazon who holds their providers to high standards and since Amazon has such reach that’s a plus. If you can research from your location “return” policies I always recommend ensuring you understand that with any company. Especially with the weight of this table and base.

Flo, you are amazing. Thank you for taking the time to extract the information on the company. I appreciate it!

My pleasure. I am intrigued by this relatively new material. Everything I have read about it tells me this is the next new product for kitchens and tables. Better than marble or quartz.

Even if this table doesn’t feel best to you, the size and concept work. Light, durable top with interesting base that works with existing chairs. Arhaus has some nice choices but they are pricey. Have to get anything from there on sale. At least you have direction and concept and sizing set. Can’t wait to see what you pick.

Flo, you are completely right. I never heard of this material before you sent it so I started googling it and trying to see if other manufacturers make it. Doesn’t seem like it but I bet it will be the next best thing on the market as well. And yes, thanks to your advice - I have size, shape, and color down now; with the open space and the flow, I kept going back and forth on all the choices so it’s been such a relief to have a path to move forward now.
I love Arhaus but find it $$$$. We don’t have a showroom here so I can’t see any of their products in person to know if the quality is worth it? Do you have any of their items?

The tulip table only works when the architecture is Modern or Contemporary. There are other oval shaped tables in wood that would also work.

Which arhaus dining table would you recommend, if any? Most of their choices are woods but I do see a marble round one - think we’d be best staying away from marble for now considering how heavy and porous it is.

Thank you Beverly! The more I’ve toyed around with the tulip table, I tend to agree that it might be too contemporary for our space. The wood options are tricky since I’d like to find one that complements our floor and that seems to be a bit of a challenge; I’d prefer a simpler base to the table so I can easily fit 6-8 chairs without straddling any table legs :) hence I was looking at pedestal type tables. I wish we had a four hands store here!

With the space you have available, allowing for a walkway, I don't think round is the ideal shape for you. The tulip table might be too modern, but of everything shown, I think the oval one, oriented the other way, might be your best choice. Other pedestal/trestle tables shown have fussy crisscrossed pieces. If you can't push the chairs all the way in, it's going to take up even more floor space. A round table with legs could leave you with legs to straddle that you don't want. A round table to fit 8 people is going to feel huge and be awkward having to reach across to help children so far away and to leave a walkway, a table of any width is going to have to be offset in the space, which also looks awkward with a round table.

I would also look for a simpler rectangular table that seats 2 on each side, one on each end that can be expanded to 3 on each side when needed (or larger since you have lots of space running vertically in the pictures you've posted.

Not sure how you feel about antique/vintage tables, but I've seen some trestle or farmhouse style tables painted white with modern black chairs that look wonderful. Some of those styles don't expand, however. But even if you got one long enough to seat 8, it wouldn't be as wide as a huge round table and would be friendlier and easier for family meals.

This style doesn't have enough overhang at the ends, but just to show the modern/vintage mix.

Thanks Olychick, Flo has a design plan drawn out with the dimensions of my room. The vertical side (11ft) is shorter than the horizontal (15ft which includes walk way space) so turning my table vertically isn’t going to work. Think it’s just the wide angle of my pictures that seem to make it look longer than it is.

We currently have a rectangular table which works fine in terms of space but were thinking of changing it up to oval or round to make the space softer. There’s a lot of linear lines in the overall open concept kitchen and dining spaces.

This is the dimensions of my dining space to give everyone a better idea (in addition to what Flo already drew up!), it shows 18’ but about 3ft of that is taken up by the cabinets on that size so it’s more like 10.5x15 and the 15ft also includes walkway space…s

So, even though it looks rectangular, with the walkways and cabinets it ends up being almost square-ish in usable space, about 10.5x11ft.

Thoughts on this dining table - It’s not white but it’s natural oak; not sure if it’ll go with the space in terms of color?

That’s very pretty and light tone is good. Is it wood or other material?

It’s cerused oak, so not as kid friendly as quartz but I’m trying to see if can pick 2-3 options before finalizing one! With this color table, do you think I’d need to incorporate this color tone in the living room like end tables? The varying wood tones in the spaces are throwing me off.

Natural oak*

No. It’s a separate room. Might put a light basket or container as accent to pull that tone in but not a big deal. If you choose that table, I would recommend getting a custom fit table pad. Thus would protect the the surface and could be removed easily and stored in a closet when not needed. Here’s one source.

Thanks Flo! I have never heard of custom table pads 🤯

Another option…? Top is made from mango wood.

And another…this top is made from veneer so I’m not sure how durable it is, but j love the fluted base!

Solid wood can be repaired, veneer not so much. Still looking.

I think you are really on to something with the last three tables you selected. The wood texture and warmth will add a lot your space, though I do hear you about making it a kid friendly surface. Have you looked at Room and Board? They have tables in the shape you like where you can mix and match the tops and bottoms. Wide variety of top materials and sizes.

Wow! Just found this beauty. Might be worth a call to find out more.

Ok - another question since I’m thinking of the whole open concept; I’ll be buying a new coffee table and was going to get a marble top with black iron legs (similar to oucture below). Would it be too much if the dining table was also white top and black base, since it’s part of the open concept and right next to the living room? Is it better then to add a wood table to the dining aoace - in a lighter wood tone?

Update - Jve decided on the coffee table (above); I’m still going back and forth on the dining table - keep it rectangular for more walkable space along the sides next to island, or go with the round since I do love that. Also debating color between the white and black dining table that Flo picked out or the light wood pedestal one if we do go with round.

With your two sofas, I think a large square coffee table would be beautiful. That’s where the ceruse lined white oak would shine. Then if two people were on each sofa and in chairs, everyone could reach coffee table. Then do the white-ish and black base round in the dining area. The white against the wood floor is great and ties both rooms together. The round wood table you posted can be found in a coffee table as well. It’s also really fun to style a large coffee table and they make such a statement. Not sure on size but probably 48” x 48” or bigger!

Thank you, Flo. I never thought of going square - I think you’re absolute right in that that’s the best shape for the space and I need something big. I had my heart set on that marble table but it’s not big enough so the search still goes on!

Just an update on here - Im still going back and forth on dining tables since a 60” round while looking beautiful seems to take up more space with our chairs. So we are back to the drawing board. I’ve been looking for rectangular tables in a light wood color with rounded corners and haven’t had much luck…found this one on Maiden Home that’s simple in design but looks nice.