Dining room built-ins or not, colors, etc?

11 years ago

Thanks to all here, I am moving ahead with my dining room project. I am putting in a built in wine bar hutch on one end of the room and on the opposite wall want to flank the 5' opening with 2 additional built ins or small buffets. Here is a basic layout of the room, I'm displaying it with IKEA stuff but not set on using IKEA as of yet. The room is 12'6" by 15'4". The windows are off-center as shown which is why the big built in is going against that wall.

The big built in will basically look like this (the design is pretty well set. I don't want to make further changes as this is what works with existing wall, power outlets etc.

I'm going to do the big built-in in a painted finish with the counter area being a cork product. I'm thinking a creamy white to a taupe color. I'm planning to paint the room an orange/pumpkin color.

My question is, would you do the 2 small china buffets to match (I can have them built by the same guy) or should I just buy 2 freestanding units? I only have 41" on either side of the door so looks like most things I can buy would be 36" wide.

Here is a plan of this part of the house-the plan does NOT show these built ins, just the room and a table.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
I'm thinking don't do it. Do you ever entertain large groups? With only 15' across and the one built in taking up more space, you might wish you had the room if you had a big group over. Further, the built in is helping to center the windows in the room, but the book cases will work against that. I like your final plan for the bar area...I think it'll work well.
0
Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author
11 years ago
No, I'm doing it regardless. I currently have furniture on all 3 of those walls, just nothing cohesive and not overly well designed. I currently have an attic full of china and serving stuff that I have to traipse up a flight of stairs and unpack every time I use them. As it stands even with the current stuff I have in there I can extend the table out to 100 inches and still have room to walk around (this is when we are seating 10 people). Usually I only have one leaf in, not 2 so there is plenty off room. We entertain and use this room a lot but it is such a pain to go all over the house getting dishes from one attic, warming trays out of the closet, platters from the dresser in the foyer...
My question is whether to make those 2 buffets built ins or freestanding.
0
Related Discussions
Built-in corner cabinets in dining room or dining area
Q
Comments (6)
annab6...I was looking at corner cabinets after reading this thread. Are yours flush with the wall? I found an example of one that looks like what you might find in an old house. (See link) It's sort of a black and white rendition but looks like it's treated like the trim. I love built-ins and I love corner cabinets so your thread got me looking at them :-) Thanks monablair :-) I think my builder thought I was nuts when I said I wanted cabinets the whole width of the room. He kept saying SHOW me what you want so DH and I drew these one night on a napkin when eating and talking about it at Chili's...lol. We still laugh about our napkin drawing I handed the builder. Here is a link that might be useful: Corner Cabinet
...See More
Built-ins for TV, video games, etc.
Q
Comments (1)
Our entertainment center is quite a bit larger but...We did storage for various video/ audio components and DVD's/CDs in our built in. We put regular cabinets on the bottom and hid everything behind closed doors. We used an infrared receiver in order to be able to use the remote while the doors are closed. The top was more like a bookcase with a space sized for the flat screen which we mounted to an articulating arm. For CD/DVD storage we had 2 narrow glass front 12" deep cabinets. I've also seen CD/DVD storage concealed in narrow pullouts or in drawers as well.
...See More
Need tips on designing built-ins for TV, speakers, components etc.
Q
Comments (18)
Hi Carol, I am building out my hometheater in a basement and can help you a little on your speaker/placement issue since I have researched the topic. You have a giant space that you want filled with sound. Given your layout, for TV/Movie watching, I would stick with a 2.1 or 3.1 system (Front R, Center Channel, Front L) and the .1 is the subwoofer. Your rear speakers (for a 5.1 sytstem) are too far away to be used in that manner. Also, given how big your space is, you would need a massive subwoofer or 2 to properly pressurize the room for theater type bass. However, that doesnt mean you cant enjoy some of the bass. Proper placement of a subwoofer involves doing a subcrawl, however, for your purposes, I would probably place it in a corner maybe under the TV. This is will give you some "corner loading" which can maximize some bass (although its more "boomy" rather than a nice even bass sound". Don't put the sub in a cabinet. Ideally, you want the center channel directly under or over the TV aimed out the main listening position so you perceive the dialogue as coming from the TV. Now you also stated that your husband wants music and if you want music in your den and in the dining room, I would put two speakers in the dining room area and hook these up to the "zone 2" section of your receiver. That will allow you to play music in your den and dining room at the same time or each area independently (the midrange recievers, <$600, will allow you to play the SAME source in each zone. If you want to play two different sources, you will need to spend more). If this were my floorplan, this is how I would do it, even though you will have to sacrifice a "true 5.1" setup because your space doesnt really allow it, unless you are willing to put two in ceiling speakers (as rears) above the wing back chairs or speakers on stands behind the wingbacks. Now for products. Receiver: Get a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver with Zone 2 functionality. Denon, Yamaha It seems like you want things discreet, so I would recommend bookshelf speakers. While small, you can achieve great sound for your space. Chane (http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/chane-loudspeakers), Wavecrest (http://www.wavecrestaudio.com/products/hvl-1-two-way-loudspeaker-pair), Infinity (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WY7c39wmgNu/fg_37900_FFBrand%7CInfinity/Infinity-Bookshelf-Speakers.html). Ideally, you want matching speakers for your FR, C, and FL. There are a million speaker companys out ethere. These are in a good price range, recommended often around the internet. And as a disclaimer, I am in no means a pro or audiophile, these are just some ideas I came across in planning my own room.
...See More
Decor ideas for dining room built-in
Q
Comments (3)
Hi Kirsten. I had friends with exactly the same layout in their house when I lived in Peoria. They had the same issue as you: what to do with the humongous built-in, but theirs was fumed oak, on top of that. I suggested they do what your house's previous owners did -- paint the thing white -- but that wasn't something they were willing to do, since they had all oak furniture, and wanted to keep the moody feel. What I did manage to persuade them to do was have a metal shop create an extra-long planter to hold a bunch of individual pots to avoid the spotty look of the too-many ditsy plants in the window, which problem it looks like you'd otherwise be dealing with. Theirs was unfinished copper, to tone in with the wood they wanted to keep, but I think you could get away with polished brass. Magnaverde.
...See More
Related Professionals
Sweetwater Interior Designers & Decorators · Duluth Furniture & Accessories · Lake Zurich Furniture & Accessories · Mesa Furniture & Accessories · North Bergen Furniture & Accessories · North Myrtle Beach Furniture & Accessories · Savannah Furniture & Accessories · Chino Hills Furniture & Accessories · Hampton Bays Furniture & Accessories · Clive Furniture & Accessories · Danville Custom Artists · La Crescenta-Montrose Custom Artists · Fremont Window Treatments · Oak Park Window Treatments · Walnut Creek Window Treatments
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
I'm sorry, I misread. Do you have baseboard that will be in the way unless they are built in? That may help you decide.
0
mtnrdredux_gw
11 years ago
So the title says "or not", but you don't want vote on "or not"?

If that is the case, i would do the buffets to match. A cork counter sounds very cool BTW; is it tile or?
0
annkh_nd
11 years ago
Are those wine fridges? I'm not keen on the placement - I think they make it look too chopped up. I think I'd put the fridges at each end, and drawers in the middle. You might need to split into two drawer stacks. Or, if you need non-drawer storage, put doors in the middle.

My understanding is that wine bottle storage as you've shown is not good for the wine (especially with windows in the room). Do you go through enough wine that the cubbies are short-term storage?
0
patricianat
11 years ago
For anyone considering built-ins or library for dining room, I suggest you take a look at this. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/search/label/Kate%20Middleton
0
Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author
11 years ago
My vote is about the 2 buffets, should they be painted to match the big built-in or not. I'm thinking I could actually do them in a nice wood since they aren't huge, maybe walnut or something interesting. There is a baseboard there so that would be something to work around and may make freestanding a better option.

annkh, I can't put the fridges on the end without having to do a significant side support which would eat up about 6 inches of the total between the 2 ends, plus I don't want the wine fridges directly below the wine racks as they will generate some heat going up. That is actually where I originally had them so I agree with you on the aesthetics but the cabinet guy kind of dashed that. My main wine storage is actually in my basement so this will be short term stuff and tall liquor bottles mostly.
Here is a pic of a cork countertop for anyone who is curious,

Or maybe this one, I haven't decided. This second option pic is before it is sealed and grouted.

Here is what it looks like finished (this is a shower, but same basic look).
0
violetwest
11 years ago
I think I would do the two buffets in a nice wood, maybe to complement the color of the countertops, since your color scheme seems neutral.

As for built ins or "buy two units" question, I think it would come down to convenience and cost. It might be cheaper and quicker to buy them and have them installed -- depends on if there are units out there available to you that would fit your needs. If not, have the guy build them.
0

Dining room built-ins or not, colors, etc?

Comments (8)

Annie Deighnaugh

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Annie Deighnaugh

mtnrdredux_gw

annkh_nd

patricianat

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author

violetwest

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Dining room built-ins or not, colors, etc?

Comments (8)

Annie Deighnaugh

Annette Holbrook(z7a)Original Author

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Annie Deighnaugh

mtnrdredux_gw

annkh_nd

patricianat

Annette Holbrook(z7a)Original Author

violetwest

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author