Design a Stylish Living Room Diner Without Compromising Space
Open concept living has become increasingly popular, allowing home chefs to effortlessly entertain guests while whipping up meals in the kitchen. But blending living areas with dining spaces in a small apartment can be an interior design challenge.
With some clever layouts and decorative touches though, you can create a stylish, multifunctional living room diner without sacrificing valuable real estate or resorting to a clinical, matchy-matchy aesthetic. Read on for our top tips on delineating spaces, storage solutions, cohesive decor and more when designing your efficient and gorgeous living room dinner zone.
Defining Each Zone
When dealing with a studio apartment or open concept single bedroom, clearly separating the living room from the dining space helps differentiate activities like lounging, entertaining and eating. But that doesn't mean you have to install permanent walls dividing your home into tiny cubicles.
Instead, use area rugs in complementary colors to designate each zone. Position furniture to create clear walkways between seating areas and your dining table. If more privacy is needed, install semi-transparent curtains or screens to softly divide the room.
Built-In Storage and Shelving
Unfortunately, most small living room diners lack expansive storage spaces for hiding away clutter while keeping necessary items easily accessible. Built-in cabinetry and shelving solves both problems with style.
Recessed niches with shelves keep dining wares within reach but out of sight. Install floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves to stash tchotchkes alongside framed photos, creating a personalized display. Glass-front cabinets allow you to highlight beloved collectibles while preventing dusty build up.
Furniture With Storage
Even without remodeling your apartment to construct customized storage, furniture that doubles as storage containers offer hidden real estate. Lift-top coffee tables reveal interior shelves for stashing remotes, coasters and TV guides. Upholstered ottomans with removable lids or internal drawers are chic solutions for adding seating and sneakily storing extra throws and blankets.
Repurposed vintage luggage placed beneath console tables adds vintage flair while concealing chargers and electronic cords. Furnish your living room with multifunctional pieces granting style and storage space.
Creative Design Elements
While multifunctional small spaces must prioritize functionality, you shouldn't sacrifice form by settling for boring decor. Liven up your living room dinner zone with creative touches conveying your unique personality.
Paint one focal wall in a vibrant hue or cover a single section with lively wallpaper. Opt for an unexpected dining room chandelier, like an adjustable swing arm sconce or eye-catching pendant light over an oval table. Floating shelves crafted from reclaimed barnwood or pipe fittings add rustic flair while displaying cherished items.
Cohesive Color Schemes
A common rookie mistake when dealing with one open area serving as both living room and dining room is selecting discordant paint colors, furniture and accents for each zone. But cohesion is key when designing an aesthetically appealing, blended space.
Use two complementary hues like navy blue and burnt orange throughout the entirety of the space. For furniture, stick with a single coordinating finish like matte black dining chairs and coffee tables. Accent with natural wood and black metal accents. The result is a collected yet curated interior scheme.
Varying Textures and Patterns
While a cohesive color story connects your living room dining combo, relying solely on matching paint and furniture finishes creates a monotonous effect. Liven up your interior palette with contrasting textures and patterns that add visual intrigue while preserving harmony.
Incorporate ceramic garden stools alongside woven jute rugs, leather dining chairs and linen sofa throws. Hang abstract art prints full of fluid shapes and brush strokes near graphic black and white photography depicting linear cityscapes. The variety spurs interest while colors connect the whole space.
Furniture Layouts
When dealing with a single living room expected to accommodate lounging, dining and circulating, furniture placement is paramount. Maximize functionality by arranging seating areas and meal zones in an intentional manner based on architecture.
If open to the kitchen, angle the dining table near prep and storage spaces for easy serving while keeping walkways open. Sectionals, love seats and compact sofas lend themselves to small room scenarios. Break up space with two small love seats facing each other over a narrow coffee table or minimalist bench seating hugging walls.
Multifunctional Furniture
In a merged living dining zone where every inch matters, make furniture selections based on versatility. Nesting coffee tables offer flat surfaces for dining when expanded but tuck neatly beside sofa legs when guests depart.
Ottomans upholstered in easy-clean fabrics present casual seating but slide beneath tables to serve as foot rests when not in use. Convertible furnishings allow you to accommodate overnight dinner guests without cluttering your minimal abode.
Creative Extra Seating Solutions
When expecting a larger dinner party, uncover clever spots to tuck stools, benches and folding chairs to accommodate all your guests without eating into precious square footage of walkways.
Install corner banquet seating with storage bases in an unused niche. Nest compact stools beneath console tables or a kitchen island so they're handy for additional diners but out of the way in off hours. Accordion room dividers double as space-saving seating options when both sides are outfitted in cushions and fabrics.
Smart Small Space Solutions
While you've conquered defining spaces, storage solutions, furniture arrangements and cohesive style in your petite living room eatery, a few additional tricks create an illusion of spaciousness in tight quarters for that ultimate polished feel.
Hang mirrors across from windows to reflect light and mimic a feeling of openness. Incorporate glass furnishing like lucite tables and acrylic chairs to maintain visibility and airflow. Filter sunlight through light linen sheers so the space appears airier.
Affordable Update Ideas
Transforming your living room into a dining room likely requires multiple new furnishings and fresh paint. But you needn't blow your decorating budget to revamp your space.
Refresh walls with removable wallpaper as opposed to a painter. Seek out discounted floor models when purchasing new multifunctional furniture pieces. Frame collected personal mementos rather than investing in pricey professional art.
And don't overlook the transformative power of toss pillows, throws and area rugs for affordably updating sofas, chairs and floors. Little touches elicit big design impact.
Sample Layouts
When embarking on a living dining combo design project, it helps to have concrete examples of furniture arrangements within actual apartment dimensions. Study sample layouts to spur your own ideas regarding traffic flow, seating options and storage solutions.
For a tight studio apartment, position a rounded dining table abutted by a sleek bench in parallel to the kitchen counter bar. Angle a slender sofa opposite, facing both the dining area and mounted flatscreen. Area rugs distinguish spaces in the contiguous room while openings between furnishings allow for crossing from zone to zone.
In a one-bedroom open concept, define the living room with a sectional wrapping around a narrow console housing storage baskets and topped with table lamps. Locate dining furniture nearer to kitchen upper cabinets filled glassware displayed for a glamorous affect. The bench base provides discreet storage.
Blending living, dining and circulation within one small common room follows current open concept design preferences while maximizing every inch without requiring permanent delineations. Clever furniture arrangements, dual-purpose furnishings like storage ottomans and cohesive paint colors allow you to differentiate usage zones.
Creative lighting schemes incorporating eye-catching pendant fixtures and sconces plus decorative additions like framed personal photos, vibrant throw pillows and stunning area rugs personalize the utilitarian space.
By incorporating storage solutions, opting for furniture scalable to room dimensions and taking advantage of visual tricks that make compact quarters appear more expansive, you can delight guests with a gorgeous, multifunctional living room dinner zone perfect for entertaining.