Here is a link to Mom's DR. She's 83, so please excuse the decor. :) All that is being changed as we speak. This room opens to the den, which is between the DR and the kitchen. (???) The master BR is to the left, the door on the right goes down the hall. As I said, just a space to hold the house together.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I think it would fit nicely into a sitting/reading room, as long as you don't fill it full of dishes. What about family mementos, pictures, etc even books. Turn it into a "display case" instead of a "china cabinet."

I agree with Allison, it is lovely. You never know where you can tuck a "china" cabinet. I have one at the top of my stairs and have a doll collection in it. It works for me...

I have a small breakfront in my bedroom holding a few books, decorative boxes and a couple of framed photos. I think you have a great space there to make a small sitting area. Some of your china pieces would be lovely in there but as others have said, mix it up so it doesn't look misplaced.

It looks very much like a curio cabinet so no one will think "China cabinet" once it is staged. Go for it!

I like the idea of using it for books or pictures. You could also use it as linen storage. Pretty folded towels and quilts look great in glass cabinets.

Sounds like a great idea to use as a sitting room, reading nook, library, tv room, etc.

I like your china cabinet and it looks like it could be used to house lots of different things and not look like it was a china cabinet.

So would you make the den into the dining room, since that is next to the kitchen?

I do think this could be a nice sitting room, and your cabinet would be great in there. It doesn't really feel like a china cabinet to me, rather more like a display cabinet/bookcase, so you should be fine.

Or you could keep the den as the den, and make this a part of the master bedroom in the future.

It's definitely now a curio or display cabinet. I think you could use it anywhere.

Once I had a large party where I needed lots of tables, so I removed the sofa etc from the family room, and put the dining table with all leaves extended, into the family room. I put a wingback chair at each end. My point is that after the party was over we decided we liked the arrangement so much that we kept it like that, brought in the china cabinet, hung a chandelier over the table, and never brought back the sofa etc. (until we sold the house and had to stage it for sale). We used the wingback chairs to watch TV and never missed having the sofa at all. You can turn any room into whatever you want, if it makes you happy. I say be creative with your new space and make the rooms that work for you.

Your "hold-together" room reminds me of my parents 60's ranch that I grew up in. Their hold together room sat between the kitchen, and all the bedrooms, and an open staircase going to the basement. All doors and about 5' of limited wall space. It was a walk-through room to be sure. My mom put my piano in there, there was nothing that could be done with that room. I often think "what would I do, how would I decorate" if I got to move back into that house. How cool that you have this opportunity! Maybe you could turn yours into a grand foyer or "rotunda" of sorts. :-)

I have a similar cabinet, although smaller... Crate & Barrel. I used it in a sun porch in my x-house. We moved into a new place and it has a huge master bath. I have it in there now with folded towels and pretty bottles, etc. Looked good in both place.

Can you fit it in your kitchen. Its a good place to store oversized bowls, dishes. Lots of use for it, doesn't look strictly dinning-room.

Thanks so much for your responses! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back here...life does get in the way sometimes. :)

I so wish I could fit this in the kitchen/den area, but it just won't fit! ACK!

I like all the suggestions that I use it as a display cabinet, etc. But one reason I like it so much is that it holds (part of) my collection of vintage glassware. I wouldn't mind taking out the china, but I'd like to leave the glassware. Do you think I could stage it with other things...maybe some family photos, and my mom also had scads of vintage knick-knacks. Bird figurines, McCoy and other pieces, etc. If I mixed that up with the glassware, do you think it would look less like a china cabinet?

Thanks again. My mom had to go into the nursing home, and I'm drowning in her 51 year accumulation as well as my own 36 year accumulation. Going a little nuts trying to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of!

I'm sorry and can only imagine what you must be facing. I would suggest looking into Craigs List or a garage sale where you could make some money to help you make this transistion.

Good luck,
Jane

Jane, that's very sweet. Putting my mom in the nursing home was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but there was no longer any other options. but we've been blessed that while we are far from wealthy, we have a decent income and no debt. So I'm not terribly worried about the cost (I'm also chea...uh, frugal! LOL), just how to do it all and make all the decisions we have to make. My husband and I are both disabled, which complicates things even further.

I've always loved to decorate, and I distract myself by making plans for the house. I can obsess for days about one little thing like this. I truly appreciate your concern.

igloochic, thanks so much! Maybe I'm stuck in conventional thinking...problem is, I don't have much imagination. LOL

Do you have a smoking room? We do, but thought we were the only ones left in the US that would allow smoking anywhere! Ours is our sunporch.

Thanks again for helping me think outside the box. I'd love to see your home for inspiration.