new kitchen doesn’t fit dining room

6 years ago

We are almost done with a kitchen renovation. We opened the wall to the dining room, and now the two rooms just don’t work together. The kitchen will have a quartz lagoon countertop, it is white/gray with soft veining. Backsplash will likely be a grey tone subway to the ceiling around the hood and window. What do I do in the dining room? We were thinking of a shaker style wainscoting painted like the cabinets below on walls and maybe a black paint on top of the wall for drama. I can lose the hutch, and thought about painting the bottom of the cabinet black. Also, need a new light fixture, something. Closer to the ceiling because we want the room to feel casual and may hang a tv between the windows. Going for more of an eat in kitchen feel rather than formal dining room. The table and stool must stay, but everything else can change. Thanks for your help!

Featured Answer

groveraxle

6 years ago

Replace the china cabinet with a more modern sideboard with art above. I would not in a million years put a TV between those windows. That will kill this room. And hang your new pendant or chandelier at the proper height centered over the table. Hanging it too high won't make it more casual; it'll just make it look off.

I'd keep the table, chairs, and rug. I like the curtains; you just need longer ones so you can hang them higher.

Comments (29)

jhmarie
6 years ago
Consider painting the two rooms the same color - warm up the kitchen a little with a green / gray.
Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
I had this same dilemma when the white wainscoting was installed in my kitchen/dining a few weeks ago. You could tie them in together by bringing elements of your new kitchen into your dining room. Ie: new white/light coloured chairs, a white/more modern hutch.

Here’s how we tied ours together:
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Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
Maybe some lighter, more airy curtains.

Honestly if you don’t do any of those things, your kitchen and dining rooms are both gorgeous and look great the way they are.
blubird
6 years ago
Getting rid of the boob light in the dining room and replacing it with a light fixture to coordinate with the kitchen pendants will be the only thing you need to do. Lovely rooms.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Heidi, thanks for sharing your pictures, you did a great job on your rooms. I am definitely thinking the curtains will go. We have put in white wood blinds in other rooms and will do the same here. I think that will help lighten the room. Can you take a better picture of your wainscoting ? It looks like what I am going for.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Bluebird, I agree that the boob light must go. What should I replace with? I feel like I need to bring the chrome or stainless steel into the light. I also want to bring some black in the room.
Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
Sure Orec.
Here are a couple pics.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you, Heidi.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Yes, the china cabinet needs to go, although I don't have any idea what I will do with it. Any thoughts about wainscoting or paint colors?
User
6 years ago
I would not paint black in dinning room. Just because the island is black doesn’t mean you need a lot of black in the dinning. Keep wall color in kitchen and dinning the same
PRO
Anglophilia
6 years ago
I think it looks just fine the way it is!!! Live with it for a while! Get used to it! Don't make any mistakes you may later regret!
Indigo Rose
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I hear the "hate" on here all the time about tv's, but I love the smallish one I wall-mounted near my kitchen/dining table after knocking down a wall and creating a long kitchen-casual dining space. It's positioned so that I can tilt it toward the kitchen and see it from there if I'm busy, or when at the table, to watch the news and weather in the morning or after work. I'm all about form and function for the way I actually live.

ETA- Anglophillia makes a good point.
Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
Or you could have it professionally refinished in a lighter colour
groveraxle
6 years ago

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orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Oh, I like the room without the dark hutch. If I could lift it, I would take it out right now! The lights are definitely the direction I want to go thank you!
Stacey
6 years ago
Is the top part of the hutch removable?
suezbell
6 years ago
With all that black in your kitchen, painting your china cabinet black might well be an alternative to replacing it.

If the top part comes off, it, alone, could probably be used as a bookcase and/or curio cabinet and/or tv stand.

If you decide to get rid of it, Habitat for Humanity Restore Store will pick up donated furnishings.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Yes, the top of the hutch is removable. I think I will try that first, maybe put a mirror up. I have a pair of lamps that might work with the kitchen pendants . I would love to but a new sidebar, but with the kitchen Reno it is not in my budget.
arcy_gw
6 years ago
A proper chandelier and hemmed up curtains is all I would do. Losing the china for a side board look loses you A LOT of storage. Function wins over STYLE in my world. Painting the two rooms the same wall color would work, but I would stick to the dining room color. Gray is soooo depressing.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Groveraxle, just noticed the pooch in the corner! Sweet, but my cat would likely object.
groveraxle
6 years ago
I removed the hutch, added buffet lamps and art:

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Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
Orec3 - I actually really love your sideboard/hutch combo. I don’t think the brown-ness of the wood takes away from your kitchen. Your dining room is perfect as it is. If you want some whiteness from the kitchen and truly want wainscoting, the wainscoting alone should solve your problem. Everything else would just be gravy. Just my two cents!
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
Groveraxle, thank you! I love the buffet lamps, brings in some black and the art brings some color.
groveraxle
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Removing the hutch totally opens and lightens the room. Adding wainscoting to the dining area will not have nearly as much impact.

P.S. Tell your kitty not to worry about Grover. He's afraid of cats.
Heidi Kostrey
6 years ago
Groveraxle - maybe, but orec is trying to make the kitchen/dining more cohesive. Didn’t say anything about opening it and brightening it.
orec3
Original Author
6 years ago
I definitely want to have the rooms work together, lighter and brighter is always a good thing. Thank you all god your input, I appreciate your help,
groveraxle
6 years ago
Heidi, the new kitchen is bright and modern. The hutch works against that. Removing it does make the space more cohesive.
nearingemptynest
4 years ago
We are considering opening the wall to our dining room and having a kitchen and island configuration similar to yours. Would you mind sharing the overall dimensions of your kitchen and of your island? Are you happy with the layout? Anything you would change now if you had it to do over? Thanks so much.