Dining room questions...

15 years ago

Here's my dining room...

As you can see, the way the little jog runs is a little off center from the kitchen wall. The dining room and family room area are completely open to eachother and have a cathedral ceiling running all the way across, peak indicated by the dotted line. Should I even that jog up with the kitchen wall? That would make my family room 14 X 14. Is that big enough? Will it not matter because its all open? We have a 19 X 16 Great room as well.

IF I DO even it up, what do you think of this idea...

I put a tall cabinet flanking each side of the dining room window. Maybe like 24" wide and 15" deep. Something like the sides of jaymielo's secretary piece with no counter...

Then I could either leave it like that or add a built in bench between the two tall cabinets under the window. That would then be a part of my dining room table seating. How deep does a bench need to be?

One more question. See my sliding door? Do I leave it like that so I have plenty of room to get in and out without interfering with the dining room table or should I really have it evened up on that wall?

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Comments (9)

erikanh
15 years ago
What was the original reason for that jog in the wall?

FWIW, my family room is 14x14 and open to my kitchen. It's not huge, but we've never felt cramped. We have 2 couches, a large ottoman which doubles as a coffee table, an entertainment center and a fireplace. I don't like couches pushed against the walls, so they "float" in the middle of the room, which I think adds to the open feeling. After the reno, we'll also have bookcases flanking the fireplace.
twogirlsbigtrouble
Original Author
15 years ago
Well, the family room started out as 18X14 and the dining area was 10X10. There was a 4ft jog, now its a 2ft jog. We decided to scrap our formal dining room and just make the dinette bigger. So we bumped it out a bit and then stole a few feet from the family room width. Then we also increased the width of the kitchen. So now we have this space. Is your family room your only living space or do you have another?
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Just out of curiosity, what room/s are adjacent to your DR? Is there a possibility that an opening could be made and with a support beam, you could have an almost wide-open DR which would give you more room and if so could you put your sideboard in the adjacent room providing that is not your bedroom or bathroom. I once lived in a house that would not accommodate all my DR furniture and I put my china cabinet in the adjacent room and it looked fine. In fact, I have an additional sideboard in my great room which I use for a dessert bar. When the meal is completed, everyone adjourns to that room and beverages and dessert are in that room, and those partaking can sit in more comfortable chairs and converse.
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We have a dining room and use it constantly. Our children grew up eating at the table and we use it for most meals even as empty nesters. Because the dining room is there, we are more likely to invite people to be our dinner guests. This is who we are, and the dining room helps us be this sort of person. We have plenty of friends and acquaintances who do not have a dining room as the center of their living in the house, even if the house has a dining room--this is who they are. The answer to your question is "Who are you and would you use the room? Is it a wise investment for your way of life? Do you really entertain? At your time of life, is it something you will really use?" Lavendar, fwiw: Your painted chairs are styled something along the style of the crafter-revival period from the period before WWI. Same style was revived a number of other times, including during the "shabby chic" period of recent memory. The rungs on the chair are somewhat reminiscent of pilgrim-era furniture, but the backs are not. This style is being pressed back into use for mixed-style rooms still. These are not classically styled but they are family-friendly and happy. Your rescued chairs are more on the lines of the Sheraton shield-back ones of the early 19th century Regency & Empire styles. They refer to classical Greece and such. Legs with spades at bottom are sufficiently suitable for this period, but yours seem to be more sturdy in the understory than the originals, which you can assume means "more functional." There were a number of "colonial revivals" including the U.S. centennial in 1870s and the 1920s-30s period, continuing in some ways into the 1950s. Then it recurred again in the 1970s for the Bicentennial and the rise of the pillared colonial split level and the McMansion and such. A suitable table for this chair might be called "Duncan Phyfe" -- there are lots of these coming onto the market now as our Greatest Generation gives up housekeeping. Chairs of the type of the rescued one above are not a good match with a round oak table with a massive pedestal; better to match it with a table with less stolididity and more upper class grace.
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I so appreciate all your thoughtful responses. I'm pretty sure this was my first post here, not convo. First question, anyway. Good point, Mimi, about the linens and stuff to block any views. I love that Mercer table, the simple lines and dimensions, I never noticed any sounds on our existing glass tables, Ingrid. Mtn, footsies? Very funny, ha. The Mobler table is pretty but too small, I think. I did look a bit on customade.com and need to do more. Thanks everybody. I had thought that this search would turn up lots of low priced options but not so. Oh, we also want a pedestal so there is room for knees. I had thought this would be easy, --wrong, wrong. Back to work.
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The one thing that I would change, if possible, are the solid doors in the upper middle of the cabinet. Is there any way you could have them changed to glass? I think they distract from the display of your lovely pieces, as the doors are the dominant things, to my eye. It would then give you more room to create a pleasing arrangement, with more variety, while still showing some of your place settings and stemware. It may be fairly inexpensive to have glass added to the existing door frames. If that's not possible, then I think you can display some of your glasses, some of your china, but remove most of them and add other things with more color/texture/interest. You might think about adding mirror to the back of the cabinet (or wallpaper, or other paper for color) for sparkle and brightness. This is pretty busy and too full for my taste, but I like the way they interspersed the china and glassware instead of just lining it up, and have added other accessories for interest:I think this one veers back into store display, but would mix up what you're doing now in a more interesting way. And the cabinets are closer in size to yours. I'd still add some more variety, myself. Maybe you could do something like this on a couple of the shelves and add a variety of things on the other shelves:
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malhgold
15 years ago
Not necessarily opposed to the bench idea, but I wouldn't want it as seating for my only dining area. Plus, you would have to push your table closer to that end and then the table wouldn't be centered in the room. I don't think it would look right. Also, you'd then have chairs right in front of those tall cabs and that wouldn't be very functional.

What do you mean about the sliders being evened up on the wall? Do you mean centered?
twogirlsbigtrouble
Original Author
15 years ago
malhgold - So do you think I could just add two tall cabinets flanking the window in the dining room and no bench? And yes thats what I mean. Should I have the sliders centered or leave them off center like they are for better acccessibilty?
november
15 years ago
we have a similar jog and decided to leave it in because it adds some nice visual separation between our eating area and family room.
erikanh
15 years ago
Yes, our family room is our only living area. There was supposed to be a formal LR off the foyer, but I turned it into a study and closed it off with a French door. Our house is only 2350 sq ft.

I'm planning a banquette in a my dining room also. I got the idea for a dining room/library from a magazine. For every day use, the table with no leaves will be against the banquette seating. The extra dining chairs (comfy and upholstered) will be situated at the other end of the room with a small cafe table near the bookshelves. When we entertain, the table will be extended and centered in the room and the cafe table removed.
twogirlsbigtrouble
Original Author
15 years ago
erika - Do you have photos of your idea for the banquette? Is that what they call that LOL? This house that we are building is 2390 sq ft. We really tried to maximize and minimize in the best places to achieve all we wanted within the square footage we could afford.
erikanh
15 years ago
twogirls, it's in magazine around here somewhere. I'll try to find it and scan it for you.

From reading the design blogs, banquette seating in the dining room is very much in vogue. You know how people always ask for a booth in a restaurant? Comfy seating lends itself to lingering after dinner and enjoying each other's company.

I think the best banquettes are the ones that aren't too deep, are at the right height, and have a back so you can lean back comfortably. My friend has a banquette that has pretty pillows arranged against her bay window ... beautiful, but not that comfy cuz the pillows are too low to lean back against and they kind of slip around.

Susan Serra has some great tips for designing a banquette.

Here is a link that might be useful: Banquettes at Susan Serra's blog
twogirlsbigtrouble
Original Author
15 years ago
I did a search for banquettes and saw some beautiful ideas. We only have 12 Ft width in our dining room and the kitchen island will be right on the edge of that. Im thinking if I do a banquette it will make more room for passing through. I love the look. And everytime we go out I ask for a booth. Im wondering if I should flank it with the tall cabinets or just leave it open. We dont have a bay window or anything, just a straight wall. And then as far as lighting, do I still place it over the table pushed toward the banquette or hang it from the center of the room?

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erikanh

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erikanh

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