So we have this large space for a dining room/entry room that I’m not quite sure what to do with (obviously besides putting in a dining room table). The usable space (minus the walkway from the door to the kitchen) is 16 ft. long and about 9 ft. wide. I hate to use the entire space for just a dining room table that we probably won’t use much because we have some eat in kitchen space for casual meals. So if I put a dining room table at one end, what should I do with the other end? Living in small apartments for the last decade I’ve found some clever ways to break up space like a bookshelf like this one from ikea in the middle of the room dividing up the dining area from the ‘other’ area. But then what should we do with the ‘other’ area? It seems like if I’m going to divide it up, each space should have a purpose. Maybe I should just be okay with the large space despite my instincts to use every possible square foot of this house (again, from a decade of small space living). Any advice?
Dining/Entry way help
So we have this large space for a dining room/entry room that I’m not quite sure what to do with (obviously besides putting in a dining room table). The usable space (minus the walkway from the door to the kitchen) is 16 ft. long and about 9 ft. wide. I hate to use the entire space for just a dining room table that we probably won’t use much because we have some eat in kitchen space for casual meals. So if I put a dining room table at one end, what should I do with the other end? Living in small apartments for the last decade I’ve found some clever ways to break up space like a bookshelf like this one from ikea in the middle of the room dividing up the dining area from the ‘other’ area. But then what should we do with the ‘other’ area? It seems like if I’m going to divide it up, each space should have a purpose. Maybe I should just be okay with the large space despite my instincts to use every possible square foot of this house (again, from a decade of small space living). Any advice?
What about using low shelves… say about the height of your table to define the dining room from an entry area/ hallway? Or, if the dining room is that huge, I like the idea of having the dining table – and maybe some seating areas in two corners – would make it very inviting for gatherings.
Our neighbors have that exact shelf as a divider between a room which is nice because its very open so its not too overwhelming. But, I agree not to necessarily physically divide the room as divide the purpose, I like the idea of a “bills” area, something that closes off to hide your mess. I have a constant struggle with the mess of bills on my kitchen counter. I can never seem to keep bills, coupons, etc. all organized.
buy really GIANT furniture. you know you really need a table that seats 15.
the computer is going in the office upstairs so we probably won’t need the space for that. my other idea i’ve been tossing around is a ‘secretary’ kind of dresser/drawer for mail/bills/paper etc. and some bookshelves
we have a pool table in our formal dining room… and a one year old… it seems to work well with our space… especially b/c we entertain so often… I love the idea of creating some sort of informal sitting area perhaps at the other end of the room… for quiet times… I saw a book shelf like that at west elm…
Where’s the computer going? Unless you do messy publishing projects, a computer space on one end keeps the computer geek in the center of the house instead of isolated.PS: I’ve seen pool tables that convert to dining tables.
Pool Table
I don’t think you need to necessarily use a physical barrier to use the whole room. Great rooms are so popular these days, you can leave it open and just put something else, like a little bookshelf and seating area, on the other side of the room. That way, when you have parties, it’s all open space, and will make your house feel larger.But I DO like that shelf. I was eyeing a similar one at Bloomingdales Home last week!