Hi Sam, I know where you're coming from, I too wanted to buy such a beautiful ornate table for my new home still under construction but it just wasn't going to look like it matched the modern home I wanted to put it in. I also wanted to feel like it could be used as most kitchen tables in a home are used, especially for me living on a farm, for eating or repairing something on some newspaper etc...impossible to do on such a beautiful table, you would ruin it to see it scratched !!! Not to put a damper on your tastes but your home will look so much better and have more style if you continue to try to match what you already have and that's at least a stunning kitchen that you've shown us all on this forum. If you think of the style and colour of your kitchen everytime you want to buy something or decorate, it will hep ground you to keep it similar. I understand there are people who say it's nice to have countless pieces of furniture that are all different in some way, as it can look like you acquired them along your journey in life but I think that this mixture of designs and colours doesn't gel in a modrrn house very well at all, perhaps a quaint old cottage but not a modern home with a lovely kitchen like you already have!!!

turn the big coffee table sideways so that the two lazy boys are closer together and nearer the window and place the new lift chair on the left angled towards the tv and the view with generous walking space all round and a small box type (more stable) coffee table placed to suit the right or left handedness of the user...we've also found that remote controls for ceiling lights and fans as well as an angled lamp between our two chairs makes reading easier with electric cords secured beneath the chairs

Wow, thank you so much everyone for all your brilliant suggestions. We own the place and found a way to remove the bars. Knocking down the wall between kitchen and dining is unfortunately not an option. Combining all your suggestions, will: 1. Go for white walls 2. Look into the built-in bench 3. Have a white or glass oval table with less chairs (no arm ones) 3. Change the wall lighting (and a pendant light?) 4. Mirror across dining area 5. Large artwork on the wall above the bench Will post the finished look here after

Anything with colour would be a bonus in your place IMO . So grab 4 cushions in the same blue , and 4 with say lighter blue and white stripes or chevrons ( wiggly things haha ) -- that references the dining chairs and brings in a lighter blue . The cushions are for the couch btw , in case you hadn't clicked haha . Maybe a rug . Definitely a larger artwork with the dark and lighter and maybe a mid blue too , a splash of yellow and orange and grey in places . Suddenly , its gone from drab to okay . One thing I do slightly worry about though is the table top colour -- its got olive green drab tones to the brown IMO , and will probably make both the top , and the chairs , look plain and almost muddy in vibe -- a Japanese Black stain on the table top ( similar to your island front ) would look better with blue chairs in my mind .