Am I crazy to put dining room table against one side of the room?
TL;DR - I'm thinking about putting our "formal" dining room table against a bay window with an upholstered bench on that side (photos at bottom of post). Is this a crazy idea?
We are changing our formal living room into a dining room to have more space when we have extra people over for a meal (not so much these days but hopefully someday soon!). The old, smaller dining room space will eventually become an office/reading area and we will get rid of the Queen Anne dining set that was a hand-me-down and is way too formal for us. We recently were given an Ethan Allen Cameron trestle table from family friends who are downsizing to a smaller home. Other than that, the room is basically a blank slate with a bay window on one side and a fireplace on the other (pics below). There is no overhead lighting so I can do nearly anything (limited by one A/C vent). We don't plan to reface the fireplace or anything right now - even though I would like to eventually, the hearth in particular is terrible - but might add a mantle.
As I was looking for x-back chairs to pair with the table, I came across a photo of a room that had a table with an upholstered bench up against a set of windows and thought that it might be good for my room too. I thought that it would help preserve a comfortable walkway in front of the fireplace and prevent the room from feeling too much like a bowling alley. I found a bench at Ethan Allen and some x-back chairs from Canadel (also shown below) that I liked but haven't ordered anything yet.
I went to tackle the rug next and I realized it is going to be virtually impossible to find a stock rug that can both fit all of the chairs when they are pulled out and also be centered under the table without running past the bay window wall. I think I need something along the lines of 7'6" x 12" and a custom sized rug or FLOR tiles (who knew those were so pricey?) is going to be a huge chunk of my modest budget. I had been planning to get an indoor/outdoor polypropylene rug in the $300 range that would be easy to clean and wouldn't be devastating if it did get stained, since we have 3 young kids. This isn't the time to "invest" in a really nice rug. We won't eat meals in this room daily (we have an eat in kitchen) but it will get regular use for board games and puzzles and distance learning.
So now I'm second guessing the whole table against the wall thing even though I think I might really like it if I can pull it off well enough. If I center the table, I don't think I would do the bench and would likely just get 8 of the Canadel chairs. Normally, I would get the furniture and try it both ways but I need to figure our for sure if I am going to do all chairs or chairs/bench before I order.
I also have no idea what to do for other furniture especially since one side of the fireplace is larger than the other. Ideally, it would be built in cabinetry but that's definitely not in the budget now! I think I am going for a transitional look that is simple yet slightly more elegant/elevated than eating in the kitchen.
Inspiration pic:
Canadel chair:
Bench:
Floor plan:
Photos:
Comments (12)
MarylandHomebody
3 years ago
KW PNW Z8
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Saloom Dining Room Table vs. Ethan Allen Dining Room Table
Comments (3)Please read the following recall before you buy EA. Ethan Allen "American Impressions" and "New Country" rectangular dining tables Could collapse and cause injury. Products: 7,071 wood tables sold from 8/03 to 1/05 at Ethan Allen furniture stores nationwide for $1,069 to $1,199. "American Impressions" table bears model number 24-6414; "New Country" table, model number 33-6404. Model number is stenciled on underside of table. Hazard exists because table may be missing some of the eight small wooden blocks that are supposed to be located on its underside to add stability. Ethan Allen has received 33 reports of incidents in which tables may have collapsed as a result of missing blocks. No injuries have been reported. What to do: Inspect underside of table for stability blocks. If there are fewer than eight, call Ethan Allen at 888-339-9398 to arrange for free in-home repair. For information, go to www.ethanallen.com or e-mail company at recall@ethanalleninc.com. Ethan Allen says it is sending recall notices to all known customers who bought the tables....See MoreOne side cabinet, one side wall to formal dining room what size fridge
Comments (13)To give you the basics... There are three general types of refrigerators: Standard-depth These are generally the least expensive They are around 36" total depth - including refrigerator box, doors, handles, and required air space behind them Widths will generally range from 30" to 36" Counter-depth These are a bit more expensive than standard depth but much less expensive than built-ins They're usually around 31" deep -- The refrigerator box is around 24" deep -- The doors and handles add another 7" or so to the total depth They don't usually need as much air clearance on the sides & back as standard-depth Built-ins These are usually the most expensive refrigerators - often by quite a bit, especially if it's fully integrated They're usually 25" to 27" deep For standard-depth and counter-depth, the refrigerator doors and handles must extend out past the surrounding walls, cabinets, counters, other appliances, etc. This is so the doors can be opened fully for full access to the interior as well as the ability to easily remove drawers and shelves for cleaning. In situations like yours, we usually recommend a 6" to 12" pullout utility or pantry cabinet b/w the wall and the refrigerator (the width depends on how deep the wall is - the shallower it is, the narrower the pullout needs to be). But, I assume you have to work with what you have. Height may be an issue for you as many refrigerators are now around 70" tall with the requirement for extra space above for air clearance. Unfortunately, it appears the alcove for the refrigerator was not well designed so, as someone else pointed out, you may have to remove or modify that cabinet above the alcove. However, that cabinet appears to be a standard 12" deep cabinet and those are pretty useless over refrigerators, so you won't really lose much storage space. One note, based on the what I see of that wall, if you want a more common size refrigerator (36"), you will probably have to: Put the hinge on the least functional side (so the door opens away from the Kitchen and landing space) -or- Get a very deep refrigerator so it opens into the DR doorway -or- Get a narrow refrigerator so you have room for 6" to 9" of filler b/w the wall and refrigerator How wide is the doorway? You might look into widening the DR doorway so the wall in the Kitchen is no deeper than 24" or so - then you could get any refrigerator around 36" wide and not have to worry about not being able to open the door If you go with a smaller refrigerator - including smaller capacity - you may be able to find one that fits. Is there a place for a 2nd refrigerator elsewhere (e.g., basement)?...See MoreCan I combine two rooms into one large dining room?
Comments (14)Can you post a rough sketch (straight lines are not required!) of this floor of your home so we can see how they relate to each other? If you can note each rooms wall lengths and door and window locations, I'm betting there's a good solution out there that we just haven't come up with yet because we still don't have a very good feel for the existing layout. It's really too hard to get a complete idea with just photos. It would also help If you let us know your budget. That will help us know if we can dream big, or we need to keep to modest changes. One of the first thoughts I have, even without seeing your floorpan, is maybe you could split up the room next to the in-law suite (your current dining room I think?) so that part of it combines with the in-law suite to make that a little bigger, and part of it combines with that little extra room that's really just a hallway and plant area now, so that it makes the dining room bigger. (Again this is all based on whether or not I'm understanding which room is which, but I hope you are understanding my idea.) Now, it would be more expensive than just tearing down one wall, because you would be tearing down two walls and building a third, but maybe that would make the perfect size dining space, and you'd have a little bit bigger in-law suite as well. That could be a win-win. And now, you or others can say that can't possibly work because of this or that, (or maybe it does) and someone else has an idea, and so on. So please give us a rough sketch. That could be just the thing for someone to come up with a brilliant idea....See MoreBlue wall against mirrored wall in dining room?
Comments (11)Though I'm not a fan of mirrors - I think your room is beautiful. It sounds as if your furniture is modern -ish and in my opinion emphasizing the modern elements would look best. Keep the color scheme as simple as possible. As for the mirror - is there space for items in front of it - narrow tables (slim tables that are 18" wide) or plants? There are also vinyl cut outs that may stick to the glass - I don't know - but I've googled them and there are so many....I think as long as anything you use is simple - not ornate - clean lines - organic forms - it should look ok. Or maybe if you felt you needed to - suspend a curtain from the ceiling - well suspend the curtain rod....See More
ericalynn523
3 years agobzoff
3 years agoI was planning to center it on the bay window (which is also not centered on its wall!) since it will be closer to there. It’s not super obvious that the fireplace isn’t centered at the same point but it is kind of annoying!
I am planning on overhead lighting but hadn’t gotten that far yet since I got stuck on the rug. I was thinking two open pendants, one at either end but then I was wondering if I might need some recessed lighting over/in front of any buffet/cabinet(s) next to the fireplace as well? I’m not really a sconce person...
bzoff
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agobzoff
3 years agobzoff
3 years ago
PROTimeless Designs by Melissa LLC
3 years agoericalynn523
3 years ago
PROBANDD DESIGN
3 years agoThis design is what we did for a client. Note the bench, table, and lighting.
Chloes Bloom New Build · More Info
Rose Star
2 years ago
Timeless Designs by Melissa LLC