Dreaming of outdoor dining

Now that we have the beast down as seen here, we've turned our eyes to our VERY bare and VERY large patio in the back.
Sorry this is not the best picture and it is def not representative of the size. Its probably close to (actually it IS - I just went outside and measured it) 22x16. Massive I tell you, massive. The dilemma here is that I don't want a piddly 4 seat table, which would look ridiculous. Nor do I want a table and side "conversation area". If we are outside entertaining, its usually over dinner or at least drinks and the conversation is so much better over a table.

SO... I'm envisioning a big table - at least a six seater but I am contemplating enough room for 8. Now that I type the number 8 that seems a little big but it would be ideal for larger parties and once one of the kids in our family has kids on either side we'll need more than six. hmmm... Guess I'll just have to measure it out and see how big an eight seater would truly be functionally as well as visually. Any thoughts?

Turning my attention to how I want it to look has been a bit of a conundrum too. Eric and I strike a balance of style in our house between cottage/country (me) and more modern (him). Compromise is the name of the game but I do have to admit our joint tastes have merged into this fab eclectic style that I LOVE!!
I love these images of eclectic al fresco dining options and am finally developing an idea of how I want our space to look. A little bit farm and a little bit sleek. Imagine mod chairs surrounding an oversize and drool-worthy distressed farm table. Something like these:

And then picture it surrounded by some aluminum silver chairs like these:


What do you think? Totally inconceivable? or totally fab?