Moving dining to great room

7 years ago

Hi all! Need your help!! Trying to get the most out of our main rooms in our house without having to cut into walls! We don't use the separate dining room off the kitchen much and we really don't use much the "living area" of our great room that opens into the kitchen. When entertaining, people usually stand in the great room facing the kitchen talking to us since the couch faces opposite the kitchen. Was thinking about moving the casual dining room table and hutch into the great room and adding a few comfy chairs or such to make an open area for entertaining. Maybe a TV above the fireplace instead of a huge mirror we currently have. And then moving the living room furniture into the dining room to create a much more cozy feeling living room that we actually might go into and use as a "reading" or "talking" room. Having a hard time visualizing this or thinking it might look strange to others. Starting to make the move just to see but any ideas on how others have done this or how to create this? Of coarse, doing this there is no need for a kitchen table in the breakfast nook and will be looking for alternative ideas for the breakfast nook!! HELP!!

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PRO

Build Beautiful

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Happy Wednesday brixham ,

The kitchen is the heart of the home so your situation is understandable & common. At some point in time, designers stopped understanding the function & flow of moving from one room to another & either lay out plans to include fancy room names with no flow, or the infamous, 'open plan,' which is basically not having a plan (or clue) at all.

I'm saying that so you don't worry about what might look strange to others. What's most important is how your family & friends use it. Reading / Talking rooms are great, a lost art of planning along with libraries. Low chairs, moveable ottomans encourage people gathering together in this case (as opposed to long couches). People talk in perpendicular (90 degree) angles easier than parallel straight lines.

The TV above the fireplace can be done - usually heat & viewing angles are the issues to tackle there. If there's a problem, there's a solution.

Your ideas for your home should be encouraged & not be imprisoned by 'great room' or 'formal yadda yadda' labels.

I'd like to help you with more specifics, but it is hard without any photos or plans. For this reason I give every project a free 15 min strategy session - hit me up!

Hope that helped,

-frank

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Comments (6)

jck910
7 years ago
Some pictures of the spaces would help. Please post some here in the comments
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ShadyWillowFarm
7 years ago
You may just need to rearrange the furniture in the great room so people can sit and chat and still be connected to the kitchen. Will they sit at the dining table if you move it to the great room, or will they still stand and chat? People are attracted to the kitchen, so designing that whole big area to accommodate guests will then help you define the other spaces for most efficient use.
Sandy Cherry
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks everyone for your comments! So I started to change things up just to see (doesn't cost a thing) but pictures will not do it justice. Plus being nana today! I actually do love my home and the things I have, just want to use the best RE. Entrance into the home, music room on the right, dining room on the left. Did have dining table and this hutch in there. Great room had the couch facing the wood hutch on the wall (still there) and grey armless chairs to the right and left of the hutch. Kitchen has the breakfast nook. Attaching photos.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
7 years ago
IMO a lot of pictures but not much context I actually like to work with floor plans drawn to scale because there is no way to get a feel for the space from a bunch of pictures
Sandy Cherry thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Sandy Cherry
Original Author
7 years ago
I apologize but was asked for some photos. Here is a floor plan for the first floor. The living Room noted is the music room, the family room noted is the great room I am referring to. Second floor has our family room. Thank you for any assistance.