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Design Dilemma Dining Rooms Furniture

Small sitting-dining room & odd furniture. Advice needed.

Simone Hutchinson

6 years ago

Me and my partner just bought our first home together. It's a 1930s ground floor flat with a private back garden. Because my partner and I each need a study for work purposes, we have had to make the dining room our sitting room, too. (The lounge, at the front of the flat, is my partner's workroom, while I have a study that's off the dining room.) The kitchen is a tiny kitchenette, so can't fit any seating. Working out how to maximise the small space of the dining room is challenged further by having old fashioned furniture. The sofa is new, just in art deco style. The oak dining suite is 1950s Old Charm (inherited). The teak buffet is just something I bought secondhand years ago. The coffee table and bookcase, ditto. I plan to strip the dining suite and refinish in natural oak, and reupholster the chairs in a bright, modern fabric. However, I could change the buffet, coffee table and bookcase. The patio doors open onto good outdoor dining space. But, living in Scotland, the weather is too wet most of the time! I'd love some advice on how to make this room work as an entertaining and TV space. (Our smart LED TV is currently being used as 2nd work monitor in my study.)

Featured Answer

Jules Mc

5 years ago

With the front of the flat assigned to bedroom and study space it's the three rooms at the back where you could make the most change to enhance the living space. You only ever asked about furniture placement in the lounge but given that you've bought the flat are you open to making some bigger changes to maximise the space?

For example, is the wall between the smallest bedroom and the lounge supporting?I'm assuming that's your study but if your partner is at home and working at the front of the house, knocking these two rooms together would give you a much more versatile space with an office area for you, with doors open onto the garden on a nice day. (Replacing with a stud wall if moving on is not a major job). Another idea might be to keep that wall up and see if the kitchen could be opened up to make an open plan kitchen/living/ dining space. The dining table could then be located near to the kitchen area. With either of these options you are losing one of those four doors which are making furniture placement awkward.

Another idea (I'm full of them!!) Do you need the storage cupboard in this room? This could be blocked up so access is obtained via the largest bedroom to make a bigger wardrobe/cupboard space in there. If you'e got enough wardrobe space in there that could also be an office area with double doors to be closed off out of sight when not in use. Doing this (and moving the radiator, perhaps for a streamlined vertical one elsewhere in the room) would give you more opportunities for furniture placement.

Please feel to tell me none off these are possible or appealing. I watch with interest when someone asks for an opinion on a cushion only to be given advice for the room that will see them spending £5,000!! (I do it myself to avoid getting off the couch and do something with my own house!! Plus, I'm great at spending other people's money) Best of luck and keep the photos coming as you make changes because you have grest potential with this flat and there is some fab advice on here .

Comments (18)

Carolina
6 years ago
Hi, it seems like nobody picked up on your question, so I'm bumping it for you. Congrats on your new home.
Kate
6 years ago
Congrats on ur new house! It’s actually a nice space. From what you described you are looking for more seats big space which is achievable.. if you are moving the TV here, the logical spot is next to the bookcase in place of the picture. You probably thought of that. The bookcase and dresser are quite large. Maybe you could have a slimmer bookcase or wall shelves and move some books into another room? Then a new dresser could go there. Removing the old dresser and moving the dining should free up space for another arm chair.
The room would also look nice with a rug to pull together the entertaining space?
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hi I love the elegant look of this room. I particularly like the colour and style of your furniture (looks pinky tone on my pic which is lovely) I think you need a little more drama in there and agree paint chimney breast I would go really dark and moody to lift your wall paper and furniture like a chalky charcoal in silk to pick up shimmer in paper I would keep accessories in either silver or gold I would choose silver chrome to pick up the beautiful mirror which I love and feel chrome will give it a more edgey look. keep paintwork white to contrast. im not s lover of the corner unit and would go with ladder shelves in white or a drinks table in lovely chrome and lovely mirrored pieces thats what I see anyway but lovely starting point would not dismiss tinkering with it a bit more. lots to like there already
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Hi Kate. It looks a nice room. You only have a couple of pics in your ideabook so there's not much to go on in terms of style and colour. Maybe go for something like the first pic however with a pale grey paint with a blue/lavender undertone on the walls (which your sofas appear to have) and also paint the radiators the same colour. You don't mention if you need privacy, if not, I'd go for Roman blinds hung outside the recess in the wall colour to make the room feel bigger/taller. Similar to the pic id add navy, white and deep mauve cushions and a throw mixing texture (include some velvet!) and pattern. If you add brass for lamps etc it will add warmth in addition to some green for a plant and flowers for the coffee table. This may be a no no (!) but a light grey cowhide rug may work (without markings) to avoid rug "rules". I also like the panelling in the first pic and you could use wallpaper panelling on one wall to the same effect if you're on a budget. The last 2 pics are just really showing how a cowhide rug and panelling could work in an elegant scheme with industrial touches. Depending on layout I might remove the shelves and add a huge mirror over the dining table although ideally it would be on the long wall to make the room feel wider. Dining tables do look good against the back of sofas which may potentially (!) work if your sofas were opposite each other on the short walls and perhaps the door opened the other way but then I'm not sure where the tv would go!
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Hey Andrei, Thanks for your advice - I should have mentioned that yes we are getting the proper advice, we are choosing an architect at the moment and I will make a note to ask them specifically about the stairs/kitchen fire risk aspect. I totally agree that if the kitchen was moved to the middle room (ie next to the open stairs) it would be ok to have it as the 'passage' to other rooms, however if it isn't a kitchen and is used as living space I'm more concerned about this. I guess because in a kitchen you're probably busy, whereas if you're in living area you're more likely to be relaxing and regular disturbance isnt great? We're not keen on moving the kitchen to another room, I feel it would look really out of place in either the front room with bay window, or the middle room with the open stairs (cooking smells/smoke/noise would travel upstairs easily etc). Equally, we're keen to avoid closing off the stairs too - worried it would make them pretty dark and would also affect the light to the middle room! I think I've narrowed down my worries to being basically that if the current dining room becomes living space, and has a large entrance to the kitchen where the current window is (plus maybe an additional entrance where the current doorway is), it makes the room really hard to use in terms of layout and furniture etc. It won't have much usable wall space and I'm struggling to think of how we could layout anything like storage/some seating, maybe a desk etc. Does that make more sense?
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E D
6 years ago
I would keep the dresser. It's handsome and (dare I say it) trendy. :) . You possibly need to emphasise the MC look with other items too.

Move the bookcase out of the room. It kinda clashes.

Can you move the dining table onto a wall? Judging by the photo it seems you don't need all the seating space around it.

This could perhaps free up some space.

Do you need a coffee table? Maybe one or two smaller side tables would be better.
Liz
6 years ago
I think the room is lovely but there are a lot of doors and this is restricting your use of space. Are there any doorways that are not needed e.g. that are just doors to cupboard? If there is any flexibility to reduce the openings so you can have more useable room. If so then you might have more options to place furniture. A floor plan with dimensions would helpful.
tamp75
6 years ago
It’s hard to tell the space available without a floor plan but I would consider creating two areas within the room, even though it is fairly compact. I would look to see if there is space to move the sofa so that it is at right angles to where it is now facing the patio doors with the arm of the sofa against the wall. Move it towards the patio doors a little where the buffet currently is. Will the buffet fit where the ‘chimney breast’ is? The bookshelf may have to go - is there space in one of your studies or a hallway? I’d then move the dining table back from where it is so that it is behind the sofa’s new position. The table may also work better turned at 90 degrees so the length of it is down the room. I’d put the armchair to the left of the window but this depends on whether you’re bringing the tv back in as the corner here might also be useful for the tv. The coffee table is quite large so consider replacing with a side table - maybe between the wall & arm of the sofa if there is space. Obv you need to leave space for a walkway through the room at the other end of the sofa.
Jules Mc
5 years ago
Agree with Liz about the amount of doors. Is there any way this could be a study instead of the front lounge or is that well and truly claimed?
A B
5 years ago
I love the room. It would be good to see a floor plan too.

There is too much large furniture in a small space. I personally would keep the sofa and use the 2 dining chairs as armchairs. Put a TV or electric wood burner on the chimney breast to create a focal point. Centre the seating area on a large rug. I agree with others, get rid of the book case.

I'd see if you can use your dining table as either your or OH work desk, that can then be moved into the room when you have guests over for dinner.

I think I'd then create a small breakfast area where your buffet is (is this next to the kitchen?)
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you all! I had given up on getting feedback so tonight it's been a welcome surprise to read all your comments. I think I'll get rid of the bookcase and build narrow shelves in the slim recess as suggested. Or, painting the bookcase a darkish greeny grey. And I'll get rid of the coffee table, also as suggested, and replace with a side table! I've been thinking about rugs. Definitely need a rug in front of the sofa. I've since moved the dining table lengthways and closer to the patio doors, which has increased the feeling of space. Unfortunately, this room has to be the main social room. But I feel more confident in making some changes. Thanks again for your input. It really helps having other opinions.
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
PS I now have a slim 40s bookcase by the fireplace with the small TV on. I will replace this with a wall-mounted bigger TV though.
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
Here is the floor plan for those interested
Jules Mc
5 years ago
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi Jules, thanks for sharing your ideas. I like a lot of them, but as you guessed, certain restrictions have to be respected. So, I've done some digging online to see what other flats just like ours have done with their layouts. There are only three streets in the city built like with flats like this, so there's not much to look to for ideas. However, variations on the back sitting room have included blocking up the cupboard and creating access to it in the small study. Also, a large number of people have removed the scullery door into the sitting room, widened the doorway as far as the chimney breast, and had nicely laid out the base kitchen units to sit over that widened entrance. It definitely makes the room feel bigger, and the scullery, too.

These are both things I'd like to do in time, but we have other priorities this year and next so cannot commit to spending on these tasks. What we can do is sort out the furniture.

I like the study in a cupboard concept. It would work for me in the smaller study, especially since it is not just an office but also where my sewing machine and sewing materials are kept, and, it's the laundry room.

After the first weekend of June we will have sorted out a few things and I'll put up some new photos. We are completing the fencing and weeding in the patio garden that weekend, and will have refurbished the dining table and chairs. After reading everyone's comments here, I also want to sort out the focal point of the sitting room by then. Hopefully this thread is motivating you too!
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
Re tamp :

I did try swopping the room around so that the dining table was at the back and the sofa nearer the patio, but the radiator on the back wall seemed like it could be nauseating if on when eating. I like the idea of replacing it with a tall narrow modern radiator, in the corner and also block the cupboard up (changing its access point to being in the study). But that's not happening for some time yet.

Re E D and Jen
I like the mid-century style too, but I think I have to ditch the buffet because it's too big for this room. I am looking to replace it with two separate slim, waist-height units that can be placed either side of the patio doors. Right now those spaces are taken up by a drinks trolley (my partner's late Gran's) and some DIY materials that need to be stowed away.
Simone Hutchinson
Original Author
5 years ago
To imagine where the new buffet units could sit.
A B
5 years ago
looking so much better already!
Jules Mc
5 years ago
You've got some great ideas and potential for your flat. Doesn't seem there's any hurry, especially when the sun is shining!! Just when you have the budget and time. Look forward to seeing the updates you've mentioned above when you're done!
lkirk44
5 years ago
Lovely flat if you put the tv on the chimney breast wall it would help for space, or utilise your lovely unit as a tv unit against chimney wall, move the dining table nearer the wall or patio doors length ways you can always move it out when required.
Small set of coffee tables are neat and pulled out when required too. Good luck and let us see your results x

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