We set up the table, dust the place setting off every one in awhile, then dine out.

We have a Bengonia and had a built in desk put in the kitchen nook space when we did the design meeting.
We put cabinets above the desk that matched the kitchen cabinets and drawers on each side of the desk which gave us lots of extra cabinet and drawer space. We also replaced the chandler in the kitchen nook with a ceiling fan. We love it since it cools the kitchen area.
We have the kitchen counter, the formal dining room, and a table on the lani for eating and didn't need another eating space.

We did that after closing. Exact same cabinets and counter top

i love the combo of the cabinets and counter

Great suggestion........

LOVE what you did with the space!

We are building the Aspen, because we loved the wide open living area and generous dining area opening onto the large lanai.
We are selling off the china, sterling, all the formal stuff that has been boxed up for years.
Very liberating!!!!
We are bringing a "pub table" which is bar stool height. It is square, which seats 4, with 4 leaves which fold out to create a circular table capable of seating 8. We are bringing the 8 bar stools, 4 for the table and 4 for the raised bar kitchen counter. That way we can accommodate a crowd when the family descends upon us!!
We like your home theater, Jimbo2012! It actually looks just like the one we have now! We actually converted a large bedroom in the basement of our current home into a home theater, with the raised "stadium" seating. We have a large 8 ft projection screen.
We have enjoyed it thoroughly!! but after 5 yrs, have decided that we do not need it. Instead we will get a 60" LED which we will place on the front wall of the LR. We are downsizing considerably and the Living Room will become the entertainment center.
But if you do the Home theater Jimbo2012, you will love it!! We are just ready to simplify and have more of a multi-use living area.
We were surprised when we visited TV for the first time in May, that so very many of the homes did contain a nook and a dining room. Most of the homes here have large open living area-kitchen combos. We were so glad to find the Aspen, It fits our needs to a tee!
Judging by the responses to this thread, we are not alone in wanting fewer dining areas.

Heading down this path ourselves. We have an expanded Gardenia and the Kitchen is wider then normal. So the nook is larger. Currently still in the planning phase as still not happy with a living room used for just a living room. But would like to put a table that could seat 6 in the nook, or one with the ability to expand to 6. Eliminate our dining room set. Beautiful set hand carved in Germany with folding leaves that hide under the table if anyone still wants a dining set that will expand to seat ten. Convert dining room to a seating area with the TV on the back wall so it can be seen from the kitchen. But then we will have a "formal living room"? Not the right solution yet. Maybe make the dining room the TV area and the living room a reading area as we already have a gas fireplace there. Like I said, still planning. Might also like some type of folding table to set up on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still working on the details before the change begins.

Saw pics of a house for sale on the net can't remember if it was villages or mls, that had two high end looking card tables with four chairs and book shelves in the dining area. Kind of businessman's club style. Thought of this thread when I saw it. One could push the tables together to make a large one for family but have it set up for gaming (cards mahjong etc) most of the time.

One of the craft projects I never got around to was a card/mahjong table that when you removed the top the table would have chip racks which could also double as mahjong tile racks built in. Played around with the router to get the slot right just never made the table.

In this house the dining area can make a great home theater

Love what you did with the nook!
 

Now you have me re thinking my choice.....I am looking at the Sunflower now when I thought that the Aspen was the house for us!!. It has the golf car garage and a nook. The rest of the living area is very similar to the Aspen, in that it is light and open. The frame/siding construction decreases the cost a bit and that will leave room for some upgrades that I was afraid we had to shelf for now. And we could not add the golf car garage to the Aspen on the lot we chose. But the Sunflower fits just fine.

The Dining area is very spacious and the Nook would be a great home office, like you designed. We hated the idea of setting up a home office in the guest area and having it in the way when family comes to visit.

The home office in the Nook is such a great idea! More central to the rest of the house and there is plenty of room. We even thought that with the Sunflower we could put a closet in the foyer where the arched doorway to the nook is located and not lose much function in the home office.......
Lots of possibilities.... Now I am confused!!!

Originally we were going to use the dining room for a living room
and the living as a family room and get rid of the dining room set.
Problem - what do you do with the "stuff" in your china cabinet?
Also, I use the table (with the pads on) when I want to quilt.

I don't really want 2 tables but not bringing the dining room sets
off a "chain reaction" - we would need a bigger kitchen set, etc.
We bought all new furniture when we moved to FL and don't
want to do that again.

A lot of tough decisions when you downsize!

I find we can read in our living room, read on the lanai, front porch, and in the den, all quite cozily. We cannot, on the other hand, seat six or eight for dinner with no dining room furniture. We frequently have need to seat that many. Eating on the lanai is not a given in the winter cool weather.

I like having a dining room. I like the way it looks and like the additional storage.

Did you get your office cabinets from the people that put in the kitchen cabinets?

No, it was my real estate agents husband that did the work. He ordered the cabinets from the same place the builder did. Took a couple weeks to get the cabinets from Indiana but they are identical, same manufacturer. Same thing with the countertop, and get this...

$2200 installed :-)

That's one reason we got the Bogonia over the Gardenia. We didn't need to seat 16 for dinner indoors but a work station with file drawers is really handy.