Maximizing the Space in Your Dining Room

Your dining room is the site of so many special occasions; therefore, you’ll want to pack in as many of your friends and family members as possible. But sometimes the room can’t always accommodate your guest list. In that event, it might be time to rethink the space’s layout and contents. With a little clean up, strategic disposal, and a few well-chosen pieces, you can let your guests stretch out and dining experiences expand as well. Here’s a basic guide to maximizing the space in your dining room and making the most of it.

Declutter!

The first and surest way to clear up any space is to go through it and decide what needs the old heave-ho. Assess the furniture, decorations, and so on in your dining room. If a particular piece isn’t pulling its weight because it’s out of style, falling apart, seriously unused, or simply looking shabby, get rid of it. Often, we hold onto things out of a misguided sense of nostalgia or the idea that it might come in handy again. Resist the urge to hoard. Review and dump, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can work with in your dining room.

Consider Seating

Benches and banquette seating can save plenty of space. Benches, for example, provide more room to sit with long and often padded seating areas. And where you might usually have two separate chairs, you now have seating for anywhere from four to six people. Banquette seating is built into the wall and is usually padded for added comfort, and just like benches, you can seat many more diners. Both benches and banquette seating have the added space-saving benefit of saving space when the dining room isn’t in use. You can either push the benches under the table or push the table up against the banquette. Benches and banquette seating can also come with interior storage areas that can stow almost anything away until you need it next. Speaking of storage…

Storage Space

It’s common to keep the good China, glasses and other serving ware, cloth napkins, and other special occasion accoutrement located where they’re used the most. That’s a good idea, and often those things lend a bit more class and distinction to a dining room, even when not in use. But ponder the best way to store them without overwhelming the room. Regarding the latter, bureaus, breakfronts, and similar cabinetry for holding plates, stemware, and so on may look pretty but they take up a lot of room.

Contemplate installing shelves higher up on the walls so your serving ware is handy but not intrusive. Of course, if there’s another place to keep these things out of the way, move them there. You’ll save yourself a lot of dusting and a big cleanup job when you do entertain.

Round and Round We Go

Here’s a good tip for maximizing the space in your dining room: go round. Specifically, go with a round dining room table. While a long, rectangular or oval table can provide many places to sit, they can also take up a greater amount of floor space. Add to that each chair, sticking out a foot or so, potentially tripping up guests and making movement a little more awkward. Round tables can handle just as many, if not more, diners while taking up less space. And you can gain even more space when you go with a central pedestal leg versus four separate ones on the corners. Round tables automatically provide a feeling of unity and camaraderie as well since all guests have equal access to one another. King Arthur was onto something there.

Mind the Lighting

What does the lighting set up look like in your dining room? If there’s an overly large and intrusive chandelier hanging over the table, replace it and free up the area above and around it. It’s best to free up the visual areas around your dining room to get a greater sense of roominess. Table lamps in each corner also provide a nice wash of light, erasing shadows that can induce a sense of claustrophobia.

Leaf It

If you prefer a rectangular or oval table with a lot of length, save the stretch for special occasions by buying an extendable table with a hidden leaf or set of leaves. Make the table longer when company stops by for a holiday dinner or other event, then sneakily shrink it down again when they leave. The room may be a bit snugger during big celebrations, but the rest of the year it’ll be scaled down. You’ll have a dining room that can be cute and tiny or a Viking mead hall as needs arise.

Keep It Bijou

If you don’t live large or throw many gatherings, all the better. You can make your dining room or dining area permanently free and clear with a tiny yet elegant bistro set with a round table or smaller kitchen dinette furniture. Place your modest table and chair set in the furthest corner or right under a window to make meals a sophisticated and classy experience. In a studio or other small apartment, don’t be too proud to purchase a tasteful and decorous folding chair and table set that you can close and place against the wall. This can even turn your dining room into a multipurpose room for work, play, or whatever.

Optical Illusions

Returning to the notion of tricking the eye, get your roller and paint brush ready and slap on a lighter paint color to give the room a greater feeling of openness. Light colors such as white, yellow, lighter blues and greens, and even certain greys can make a room feel bigger and airier and can reflect the sunlight that comes in through the windows or the chandelier and surrounding lamps. Mirrors, of course, are an age-old way to make a small space feel larger by adding another dimension of depth to the room. A large and well-chosen piece of art displaying an outdoor scene or an expansive and illusionistic design is also a welcome addition to the room.

If you’re searching for the perfect kitchen dinette furniture or just need some redecorating ideas, visit any of our Houston stores, or the newly opened showroom in Rosenberg, TX!