Dining table placement

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

The dining table was originally supposed to go between the island and living room; however, I'm not sure if this is going to be work because we have less space than I thought. We plan on having a brick arch between the kitchen and living room which is going to complicate placing the dining table there even further. We could do a wood beam which would take up less space than the brick arch, but I still do not think it will work. The other problem with this is lighting. I really want to have a pretty light in the living room and a separate light over the dining table. I'm thinking maybe I could use the keeping room which I really wanted (but is not a must have) as a dining room instead and perhaps still have room for a couple of chairs between the kitchen and dining room table? My original plan was to have a loveseat and a couple of chairs in the keeping room. Or maybe the dining table could go in the space between the island and the keeping room? The island is 9x4 and we can reduce that if it makes things work out or flow better. I'd love to hear your creative opinions of the three scenarios and any other ideas you might have! Thanks in advance!

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Comments (4)

jlc712
8 years ago
The living room is very large, and I think you have enough room for a dining area and a living area, if you arrange the furniture differently than shown in the blueprint. But, it depends on how large your furniture is, and how many people you need to seat in both areas.

I would be sad to lose the keeping room area. One other option might be to flip the island so it's parallel to the fridge wall. That would give you room for a table between the kitchen and keeping room.
tiffanygarrido thanked jlc712
tiffanygarrido
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you! This is something I hadn't thought of, but sounds like a good option. Do you think this would mess up the flow of the house?
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Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been able to post - things have been pretty hectic with work and the house. Everything's moving very quickly! I wanted to thank everyone for their ideas and information, and give you an update. We played around with the idea of a galley kitchen layout for a little while as suggested in some of the posts, but decided to go with a modified version of Plan A where the sink is in the corner of the "L" and the DW underneath the small side window. We now have plenty of counter space next to the range (thanks for the heads up buehl - I'm pretty new to this stuff and 15" next to the stove would've been tough). I know we lose a little base cabinet storage with the corner sink, but I think it looks better there than being off-center on the side wall. And, I think we should be able to fit our pots and pans in the space. In terms of the eating area - I don't mind the sitting right next to the hallway (we don't want to be IN the hallway, but next to it is ok - and we should have enough space for that). I think palimpsest made a good point in that there won't be traffic issues when the two occupants of the home are sitting down for dinner. We still haven't decided on what to do with the seating area yet. We will probably put in a table for 4 (normal or counterheight) as shown in the original Plan A. However, I am also considering a built-in counter with 2 seats facing into the kitchen (and maybe a third at the end of the counter) in case we need more base cabinet storage and counterspace. However, my BH doesn't like this option since it is less intimate dining and less flexible. Thanks again for all your feedback! I will try to keep you updated as much as possible!
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10 years is a lifetime so I definitely think moving a light fixture or fan would be well worth it. It certainly doesn't fall into the category of "remodeling". Life is too short to spend it being unhappy with your home. My grandparents used to drive me crazy as they'd live with all kinds of inconveniences and then fix up the place before they sold it, so they never got to enjoy any of their improvements. I would consider doing both. I would move the dr table to the FR for more formal dining, and I would get a narrow rectangular table for the nook. I'd build in a bench against the window wall and add a bench to sit on on the opposite side. I'd also move the ceiling fan and add a light over the dr table.
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Sorry, this is my drawing! I didn't want to post the architect's because his company name is on it. I haven't quite finished the details in mine. That should be an opening to a hallway next to the fridge. Thanks for the idea...I hadn't thought about that. Do you think it would mess up the flow of the house though?
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Afton, it would help a great deal if you'd post a plan of the room with measurements and all openings (windows, doorways, etc). How many people do you need to seat regularly? Is there anything else you need/want in the room besides table, chairs, and sideboard? When you say "the rest can go", what pieces do you mean? I see a toy truck, so I'm going to mention now that my favorite kid's chairs are from Ikea, either the Ingolf or Agam. Keep those in mind when you look for a table and chairs so you can co-ordinate one or more child's chairs.
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suzanne_sl
8 years ago
How do you envision using your dining room? Many people opt for island seating and a breakfast-type table and call it good. Others want/need seating for 18 of their nearest and dearest every Friday, Sunday and/or holiday. Some people are good with a dining table in the same space as their kitchen or living room, others either must have or despise a separate space where you aren't looking at the dirty dishes. I think you could make space in either the kitchen area or the living room area, but they will have a different feel. I know you must be decisioned out by now, but maybe you could find one not-dead, not-frazzled brain cell to give the function question some thought, and that might help.

Also, have you posted your kitchen in the Kitchen Forum? There are people there who are very good at kitchen space planning and more than generous with their time. I was wondering about that space in the bottom right corner of the plan, but I suck at kitchen design, so don't take me too seriously. Ask over there, and that might help you decide on what to do about a dining space too.
tiffanygarrido
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, I know I don't want a closed off dining room; however, I would like it to be a somewhat defined area with it's own lighting etc. with a farmhouse table that seats at least 10 with an extension. It can be smaller for every day use, but I'd like it to extend to seat a minimum of 10.

I'm ok with it being in the original space. I actually like it there. I just want to be able to have it's own separate chandelier and maybe define it in other ways as well. I also don't want it to feel cramped. I want it feel like it "goes" there.

I understand what you are saying about it having a different feel. I think it feels a little more formal in the living area. Is that what you think?

Thanks so much for your insight!

Dining table placement

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