Hmmmmmmm…..Dining rooms as a separate room. Not a huge fan. Mr. L and I entertain A LOT … and when we do we like our guests to be a part of the fun and the “fun” always seems to be in the kitchen, so why would I want my guests sitting in a room away from the good times? So… when I think great dining it usually involves the kitchen & dining in combo. I can’t tell you how long it took me to pull pictures of dining rooms that not only look good but that I truly wanted to eat in. Would love to hear your thoughts on this matter? Traditional Dining rooms…Alive and Well or a Room better used for something else?
A small intimate setting for 2 (romantic … no? ) or for 3 or 4….tight, but personal. And everything should start with being personal….Also, this feels “Oh so French” .
I would have a lovely time in here. I can smell the tomato sauce thickening up and bubbling. I would have gone with a sparkly chandelier, but I don’t hate the one that’s there. I particularly love the mix of furniture periods & styles here. It feels warm, inviting and like its been collected and perfected over time.
Okay . . . this is a separate room from the kitchen, but it feels like a room made for fun. The painted chairs, the casual artwork, casual floors … I think I could have some great food and giggles in this room.
What I LOVE about this one is the casual elegance. It definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. The books add some whimsy and interest and I bet it just sparkles at night with that massive mirror so close to the chandelier. I really think this would be a great place to have diner with friends.
This room instantly takes me to Paris. I LOVE the marble table…and I love that this elegance is right next to the kitchen…I think because of all the glass (including) the chandelier it feels “upscale” to me. Mind you I’ve always been attracted to the sparkle of clear glass. An elegant evening meal could easily be accomplished here.
The least likely room I would probably do for myself….but I can take my eyes off it. I can imagine what this room would look at night. The over scale chandelier would sparkle like crazy all by itself, but with the reflective surface of the acrylic chairs and table it would be dazzling!!! I think, too, that the books on the back shelf add just the right amount of casualness, warmth & colour for me. If the books weren’t there, I’m not sure I would be so in love.
So there you have it….a romp through some of Sharon’s fave dining rooms….Would love to hear your thoughts…Bon appetite!
donna @ dh-designs
Great pics – my fav of the bunch has to be the marble table – I’ve never been to Paris (yet) but if this is what it’s like, I’m putting it ahead of Italy on the list!
I’m with you – combo kitchen/dining room. Ours is separate now and it’s not conducive to great parties. Plans are to rip down (I love the sound of that) the wall between, install an island and start the party! When, if ever, we get to it, you can bet I’ll be blogging about it!
Vicki Bergelt
I’m Designgirlaz (twitter):
I have our dining table that sits 6-10 in our Kitchen/Great Room. This is the room we have the most company in…..we also use this table for crafts/projects/homework/ holiday baking, etc…
When we entertain more intimately we usually only have one other couple (total of 4). We have a 4 seater table in our dining room. The other parts of the room contains comfy upholstered sitting/reading area. We love it.
Lisa Goulet
My favourite is the third one – looks comfy and casual and like you say “a good place to have a giggle”. I like separate dining rooms as I have a large extended family and it’s impossible to get everyone around the kitchen table. But I always look for a living room/dining room combo so I can extend the dining table into the living room, if extra space is needed….
jennifer@nicolejanehome
Hi Sharon & Yvonne…I agree that separate dining rooms are a little stuffy and outdated. Maybe it’s because we’re Westcoast girls, but I think entertaining is more about being relaxed and having fun with your guests. My next home will definitely have a much more open plan with a large entertainment-sized kitchen & eating area. If it needs to be fancy, I’ll amp up the candlelight and crystal!!!
TLC_Designs
Great post, ladies. I recently worked on a home renovation with a client where we made the decision to break down the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room for the same reason you stated – all the fun happens in the kitchen! My client found that guests who were seated in the dining room (which most of the time was not ALL the guests since there was over spill into the large kitchen area) were left out of the good times. Now there’s a huge kitchen area with a substantial seating area adjacent to the kitchen island…no more segregation.
Great idea for a post – it’s so seldom considered to stuff everyone into the kitchen…down with the dining room
Anne-Marie
I have a separate dining room, but we shuffled the floor plan a little and it’s open to the eating area in the kitchen. Two tables so close may seem silly, but with huge families and loads of kids around it’s perfect to let all the kids have their own table and adults to have theirs – after dinner we all head to the comfort of the living room, anyhow