help with swapping living room and dining area

13 years ago

We are moving right along (though not as fast as I want) with the renovations we're doing. Since we are moving a lot of furniture around at the moment for painting/plumbing/etc, it was a good time for me to revisit my idea of moving the dining room into the living room and doing some kind of seating area where the dining table was. We love the dining table in the living room but are trying to figure out what furniture we could fit into the dining space. We'll have to buy stuff since what we have won't work though we did play around with moving the big chairs up there and trying to "mock up" the idea of having seating in that space.

Here are some pics of the space. All the white tile is coming out and will be replaced with EcoTimber Woven Solid Bamboo. I want to keep the flow going to the library which is tough because there's a big opening to that room. And we like that and will keep it. The last picture has the measurements of the area I'm working with.

The dining table will move to the living room and the rest of the furniture (minus the big chairs) will stay in there too.

The buffet will move to the left side of living room, where the bar is and the bar will move to where the china cabinet is. Right now the dining table just looks odd because of the opening to the library. Plus there's not a lot of room to back up your chair without worrying about falling off the ledge.

That hole in the wall has been covered so I have that full wall space. The swag in the chandelier is gone since we moved the box. That's the only thing that gives me pause, could I still use the chandelier in this space without a dining table? Maybe if I raised it?

Another angle.

We moved the chairs up here just to give us a rough idea of what it might be like to have a sectional or a pair of loveseats or loveseat and a chair up here.

This will be the floor that is replacing the tile. Eventually we'll replace that sunken room carpet with this too but we can't do it right now.

I'm looking for suggestions about what kind of furniture to put in this space for seating. I don't want to float stuff to the edge of the walkway (picture where the dining table was) so I'm thinking of hugging those two walls with something and then a big ottoman in the center for seating/coffee table.

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (7)

tinam61
13 years ago
No real suggestions - just wanted to say I love that tray you have hanging on the wall. Also, I think you can still use the chandy - you may need to change the height a bit once the table is removed.

Looking good! I like the flooring and can't wait to see what you do!

tina
yogacat
13 years ago
It sounds like there's a step down into the library. Is the dining room floor level with the living room or is there a step down? If the latter, you might want to consider the challenges of food service when steps are involved.

What's on the wall opposite the opening to the room with the ceiling beams? How wide is the entire room? Will this space be used as your primary seating area or is it just for occasional use?
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susanwrites
Original Author
13 years ago
Tina, Thanks on the tray. I do love the tole trays. I have a bunch more of them in the kitchen. Well, all down now to prep for painting. Good to know I could maybe still use my chandelier. I love it.

Any ideas on what kind of furniture to put in the spot? A couch on the wall and a chair on the side closest to the library?

Yogacat, yes, you step down from the tile into what is currently the living room. I'm not concerned about food service. We only use the dining room when we have company over (not often) and everything is a challenge then. :) We have a table in the kitchen nook and another table in the library for eating though it's just the two of us and we usually eat from our laps in the library. Also, I love the idea of having the table farther away from the bathroom so you don't hear everything going on in there. :)

This will NOT be primary seating area (except for maybe the dog). It will be mostly for when we entertain. We spend all our time in either our offices or the library, which is where the TV is.

Here's a better view of the rest of the space. It's not a "room" per say since it's all open. I don't want to push out farther than the small opening toward the bathroom because it would impede walking back and forth to the kitchen.

As it stands right now, I am thinking a loveseat/sofa/whatever that goes on the long wall with a table in the corner, a chair on the short wall and an ottoman in the center. I'm thinking grounded furniture(I'm way too attracted to furniture with legs.) The walls will be Flowering Herb.
elsa42
13 years ago
OK, I'll play devil's advocate. What will you do for a light above the dining table in the "new" dining room?
susanwrites
Original Author
13 years ago
elsa - I love having people play devils advocate and get me thinking in different ways or thinking about things I might have overlooked. So thank you.

We were discussing this last night. One, I'm not of the school that I "have" to have a chandelier over a dining table. I much prefer using candles so if I never have one there, it's okay. There are recessed lights on dimmers and I have two buffet lamps that will be to the side so there would be plenty of soft light. Two, if I decide I want a chandelier over the table, I hire back my wonderful electrician to install one. We have a blank switch on one side of the room where we took out two recessed lights that were in an odd spot and on their own switch so he could trench over and install one. It would mean redoing the ceiling but at least I think it's doable.

But the conclusion I came to last night was not to worry about it for 6 months or so because we will be dinking with the room until we get it just right, playing with the table placement, etc.

I realized another bonus on swapping rooms that I had forgotten about - I will actually be able to use the leaves in the table. In the old spot there was no room to expand the table. :)
elsa42
13 years ago
Good answer, and I agree; with the amount of recessed lights you have it's not necessary. If you like the look of something hanging over the table, you could probably find one of the hanging candelabras (the kind that use real candles).
susanwrites
Original Author
13 years ago
What do you all think of this possible couch for the new living room area?

It would tie the blue to the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: craigslist couch

help with swapping living room and dining area

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help with swapping living room and dining area

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tinam61

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