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Design Dilemma dining room home office

Awkward Front Room - Dining, Office, Kitchen combo

5 years ago

Hello!

Ya'll, I need your help. The front room of my place is long and awkward and my current setup isn't quite.. right. It serves a purpose, but I don't know how I feel about everything being against the wall. My husband said it has a very "retail" feel-- gee, thanks lol.

The room is about 28 ft by 9 ft and contains a pantry space, fridge, dining space and office setup. I tried to incorporate the same style of flooring in the picture attached, with tiles that are about a sqft.

Right now I use two dressers in this space: the one we use as a pantry measures about 3ft tall by 6ft wide, and the other is 5ft tall by 3ft wide and serves as a coffee bar and extra storage. The low/wide one is next to my desk and holds some office supplies, a printer, and lamp. I also have an aquarium, deep freeze, and a digital piano that have to stay in the space -- which, I guess, alludes to the pickle I'm having. Everything that's in the space has to stay in the room (or be replaced by something that serves the same purpose). However, everything is capable of moving, except for the stove and washer/dryer.

I would also like to somehow incorporate a reading nook, which is why the arm chair is squished into that one corner..

Any suggestions are SO appreciated. Please let me know if you have questions and thank you!

-Ro

Comments (2)

Cheryl Smith
5 years ago
Having a floor plan is great but it also helps to have some pictures. Stand in each corner of the room and take a pic of the opposite corner. That way each picture shows 2 walls and we get a better idea what you have to work with. Do you have another living/family room? Is the freezer a chest or upright? I'd like to see the kitchen have your kitchen stuff. Move the freezer next to the fridge.
Sammie J
5 years ago
Not sure this will work until we see pics of the space, but here goes: Move the freezer next to the refrigerator. Instead of the coffee bar dresser and pantry, try a combo unit in the same area as the current pantry. This one is probably too large, but you'll get the idea:

Add an L-shaped desk in the existing area, something like this:

Move the aquarium to where the coffee bar used to be, and move the piano to where the aquarium/freezer used to be. Add a reading nook in the corner where the piano used to be.
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Do you own or is this a rental? The pix look a little stretched like realty ones. Since there is a rad between the doors, forget putting TV there. I'd keep the dining close to the kitchen and put the sitting/TV area to focus on the long wall. Start with the fun project of finding a knockout chandelier to hang from that pretty ceiling. Is there a fridge under the microwave? I see only one wall outlet behind the door and one above the counter, so you'll have to use extension cords and cord covers along the baseboards to have enough lighting here. Consider floating your sofa facing the long wall and TV. Then use a drop leaf table behind it for dining. You'll be able to open it all the way for entertaining. Anchor your seating area with a rug 2-3 feet wider than your sofa.
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Yes, do what I did not do, pull the doors and then store them somewhere if you ever want to sell the house. IMHO, a round table, in front of the fireplace but moved out a bit so you can get around it, will look cozy and suit your daily needs. It's quite common in Victorian or European homes. You can expand when you have company. There's nothing wrong with people coming right into your house. You only open and close the door when they come and leave. The only thing to plan for is the dirt that will track in. With your hardwood floors, you're at an advantage compared to someone who had carpet. Here's a photo from the Pottery Barn web site. The table is even on sale now. They show it on the web page also matched with chairs similar to yours. Note: I don't have any affiliation with PB, it's just an example of what's out there. You could even get a little tea cart to put between the two chairs under the stairwell, and roll it to where it is needed for meals. https://www.potterybarn.com/products/tivoli-round-extending-pedestal-dining-table/?pkey=cround-tables&isx=0.0.4388
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Unfortunately no this is the main floor so we can't move the office area into a bedroom. I don't understand what you are saying with that sentence. The 10' X 11' main floor room is perfect to stage as an office. Definitely do not make the desk the first thing that people see when they walk in. Their thought will be "Odd, but I guess there's no place for a desk anywhere else. Maybe I can live with that." You want them to think "I can't wait to welcome my friends and family into this beautiful room."
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Hi jestarr82, we live in the San Francisco Bay Area where real estate is very expensive. We think it is a luxury to have a dedicated room just for laundry, home office and exercise! This is how I would design it: You will achieve the following: All the required functions Both the washer and the sink are close to the water lines in the bathroom Space for the Peloton bike arm exercises. I put the bike off-centered in the open space, so you can use the space above the counter/sink for your arm exercises. You can place a TV on the opposite wall of the bike and play beautiful sceneries as background; Or on days when you don't want to do the Peloton exercises, watch your favorite TV shows while exercising. A mirror there will also make you feel good when exercising. Iron board can be placed on the wall behind the Peloton bike (bottom left corner), if needed. Each grid is 6" wide in my drawing. The only tight space is that you only get a bit over 30" between the bike and the edge of the deck, but I don't think it is a big issue. Personally I would not give up a big desk if you need to work from home. It makes a difference to have a sizable deck. Hope this help. Good luck!
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