Our new space is rather informal, but it works for us:

We used to have a very separate formal DR, a smallish kitchen, and a small breakfast area.

My Kitchen and DR were originally two separate rooms with a small table space in the kitchen (very small!) When we remodeled, we removed the wall b/w the Kitchen and DR, added a peninsula for some separation, and eliminated the small table space in the Kitchen. This gave us a much more functional Kitchen with plenty of counterspace and room for multiple people working at the same time.

An added bonus is that we now use our DR every day for meals - no more wasted square footage (rooms not used much).

Here's our old Kitchen facing into the DR doorway

Left side:

Right side:

Here is our new Kitchen from the same point of view but with the wall down b/w the DR and Kitchen

Left side:

Right side:

View from DR (opposite end of the kitchen)

We also had a separate small dining room, and a small kitchen that communicated with a long, narrow ''family room'' that also held our kitchen table. We removed two walls to open things up, and we also now use the dining room area for all our meals.
Before-kitchen:

Table at one end:

Other end:

New:

Opening things up was absolutely the right thing to do for us, and it also fits well with the house.

fouramblues - What a beautiful space! I love your lighting and your windows.

buehl - Gorgeous! And I want your view when washing dishes!

leela4 - What a transformation, you can barely recognize it's the same place! I love all the book cubbies. I have so many cookbooks, it would be nice to be able to store them in the kitchen!