One possibility would be to swap the living room and the dining room. Since the current living room is larger than the current dining room you could still keep some comfortable seating (couch and upholstered chairs?) against the front wall for a keeping room/dining concept. Then your new dining areas (kitchen and dining room) and living areas (living and drawing room) would have good flow between them, which would work well both for family and entertaining. You could also add some builtin bookshelves in the drawing room or new living room to create a library area to add another fun element to the living areas. These bookshelves could be against the long walls in the drawing room, around the window with a window seat in the living room (former dining room), or built to create some separation in the open area between the drawing room and living room/stair area. Your plan seems to show some sort of builtin there, but I'm not sure what it is.

Yes, JudyG that's exactly the way people were using the taller table. Sort of a café look, or casual bar setting. One home had a beautiful huge kitchen all done in white with dark wood floors and RH style fixtures and hardware. Where you would normally think would be a traditional dining room, they had made it up with a large high table and 6 barstools. It almost looked like an extension of the island. Another one was in a very open and light kitchen. It was smaller and where you might think of putting a breakfast nook they had a round café-style table with four barstools. I liked it because it gave a more casual appearance. If people were sitting at them, they were on the same level as those working in the kitchen. Almost like a bar at the island for that effect, but with some separation.

Hi Rorli, I hope you are doing well. Congratulations on the space! The best way to cozy up a space, without spending a lot is through - Art - I feel the Giant picture on the wall is substracting from the space rather than adding to it. You can replace it with something beautiful that you like and/ or a medium sized framed mirror - This will reflect all that beautiful light in your apartment and make it more spacious. You can add a wall hanging in the empty wall space near the bar area. Rugs - A giant rug which accomodates bothe th sofas rather than just the coffee table. This will also make the room look bigger. However, It is important to buy a plain or maximum two tone rug for this effect to work. If buying a rug with lots of detail, please buy it in a lighter color. Cushions - Lost of colorful fluffy cushions in various shapes and textures and a couple of throws wil help balance out the beigeyness of the sofas. Lighting - Adding fairylights in the balcony and a couple of tall lamps in corners will help too. If you can, replace the central light with a chandelier of your choice. Plants - A few indoor plants add that homey feeling while having the added bonus of supplying oxygen. You can also opt for fake plants, if you don't want to buy real ones. Common color scheme - This is the most important aspect because even after buying new furniture, it may not look good if everything is mis-matched. To make the room feel more spacious, you can shift the light in the corner next to sofa, after removing the sofa from the corner a bit. You can also just replace the single seater with a luxurious Armchair of your choice , tilted to face the tv and put the small table next to it to turn it into a viewing area/ reading nook. Above - Blue/ white color scheme works very well with plants. Monochrome neutral color scheme with pillows and throws. If you need any more ideas or help, feel free to contact me. Hope this helps!

A McSo. Couldn't the base of 15cm overhang be supported end to end with steel. As a single steel structure mounted on the larger cabinet area visible here. It should be sufficient for supporting the extension. Corbels will provide additional support but IMHO may not be required. Have you thought about an semi circular or a D shape counter to avoid sharp edges. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs, Bangalore.