Yes, we have a fireplace in the dining room. Our DR isn't very large -- about 13'x16' and the fireplace is in the middle of one short wall. The fireplace is great when it's just a small group and we don't have to expand the table too much, but when we have a large group and the table is fully open, it puts some people a little too close to the fireplace and they can get rather warm..

But I love the relaxing atmosphere of having dinner by a fire. It does make everyone want to linger over dessert and coffee.

We have a double sided fireplace which opens to our dining room on one side and great room on the other. We love it! I think it adds so much character to the rooms and as Chibimimi stated it really does add to the ambiance of a dinner party or holiday gathering.

Gina- That sounds nice! Do you have any pictures? Is it a gas or wood fireplace, if I might ask...and how close are the dining chairs to the fire?

I know gas fireplaces give you more control with the heat, but I really like this big wood fireplace. I think new glass doors might help...and keep sparks off the chairs :)

Looking at the photo, I would say that some people are going to get WAY too hot, while others will not even be able to SEE the fire.

If there was a hearth I'd likely be enjoying my dessert sitting on that instead of a chair. Love love LOVE to get as close as I can without actually burning. :)

LuAnn- Not the actual photo...just the idea. The room is large enough, the table wouldn't be quite that close.

Autumn- I like to get close to the fire, too...especially after being out in the snow for a while :)

I believe the OP said the dining room was fairly large. Surely the table could be moved further from the fireplace, if it became too warm.

We were going to do something like the photo but I worried it was too much "room bleed". Our current fireplace separates the living room and dining area. It's more of a smallish kitchen table area. It does not get too hot as we have a blower on the fireplace and an overhead fan for circulation.

Hi Lavender -

Attached are a couple of pictures, you may be able to see that our dining room is open to the kitchen and our family room is on the other side of the fireplace so those three rooms create a great room with the fireplace in the center. Please forgive the clutter!

Gina

here is another picture...

Gina- Thank you for posting your pictures! Your fireplace looks great...and makes the kitchen even more inviting :)

House- Good to know about the blower. I'm still not sure what 'room bleed' is...does that mean the rooms aren't clearly defined?

Cottage- You're right...it would be large enough to move the table further from the fireplace, if it got too hot.

I don't have one now, but have had one and would love to have another (in a climate that was not south texas)

Do you plan to move to a cooler climate? Or just really hot, right now? I get the same way in early March...but I'm so tired of snow! LOL

Here's a sketch of the dining room, to show the table, in relation to the fireplace. The rest of the spaces are still a work in progress...but I'm much more conscious of universal accessibility, since my husband's illness. {{gwi:1501235}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

This post was edited by lavender_lass on Fri, Sep 27, 13 at 12:50