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Help! Awkward Dining Room.

How should I position the table? What size, shape?


Comments (18)

  • PRO
    last year

    I'd probably do a round table that has leaves so you can expand it when you have guests. Center it on the wall adjacent to the kitchen and on the window wall. You could probably do a 60" round, but tape it out to make sure you have enough space to pull out chairs.


    A round table will make it easier to get around when accessing the room from either the hall or the kitchen.



    Karen Troncoso thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors
  • last year

    Consider a rectangular table, about 40" wide, centered on the kitchen wall. This should leave room for a narrow console on the kitchen wall, with art above to help balance and define the space.

    Karen Troncoso thanked S J
  • last year

    How many people are you looking to be able to seat? Will you use this table every day, or only occasionally? Because of the shape of the room I would choose a rectangular table. If you're living in the house, place some chairs or boxes to represent the edges and see how the proposed size affects the traffic patterns. Walk around them for a couple days to get a feel for the size before you order anything. I would leave the walls clear in the dining room, but you could put a buffet or console on the wall where the laundry room is.

    Karen Troncoso thanked kandrewspa
  • PRO
    last year

    The number of doorways and traffic patterns render the usable space very small. If you don't eat in the dining room every day, you might consider a dropleaf table against the large wall. You can then pull it out and expand it when you have guests.

    Karen Troncoso thanked Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
  • PRO
    last year

    The plan above shows just how tight even a 38" table will be in that space. It would leave about 27" of walkway on either side of the chairs, even less if it's a 42" table. It's difficult to determine the width of the table shown.

    What is the room to the right of the dining room? and to the right of the kitchen? Can you show the entire first floor plan?

    Karen Troncoso thanked Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
  • last year



  • last year

    Thanks for all the responses. Its very tricky! I would like to use the table everyday. There is no other space where we could eat. Could sit 4 daily and expand to 6 if needed when we have visitors.

  • last year

    Is this an existing home or a new build where walls/doorways can be moved?

  • last year

    Its an existing home

  • last year

    The previous owner added the ”primary bathroom” encroaching on the dining room.

  • last year

    You might consider bench seating. Not always convenient for people getting in and out of spaces but it can help when there are space issues. Not sure if you have enough room along the kitchen wall or not without drawing it out.

  • last year

    Without seeing the actual kitchen, it’s impossible to tell if this might work. Placing the table against the kitchen bar, or building a bench or banquette there Similar to these. It could be wider and less deep to fit the space







  • last year

    A drop leaf rectangular table will fit four when placed against the wall and six when pulled out for guests

  • last year

    A circular table for 4. Put it near the window for a pleasant view and light. Add a leaf to seat 6.

  • last year

    I have a small dining room next to my smaller kitchen that is also the main pathway through the house - lots of doors and no windows. We said no to eating there and moved the round 48” table into the corner of the living room next to the window with a lovely view and could not be happier eating there. We are going to build some cabinetry for a mud room kind of space in one corner and a console for more storage on the one longer wall of the former “dining” room. So my advice is to really look at how you can arrange spaces in a way that works best for you and yours, no matter what they have been called or used for in the past.

  • PRO
    last year

    Great comment, gurukaram! I had a similar thought after viewing the OP's first floor plan. Could your dining table be moved to the "family room" area? That seems like a lovely spot to have a meal, with the corner windows. That could work if you don't really need a family room and a living room right next to each other. The family room looks quite small.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    The bench seating or using the family room space for dining are good suggestions.

    Is it possible to remove the short walls separating the dining room and living room so you can use a few feet of the living room for the dining area? This gives you a wider, squarer area for the dining portion.

    Perhaps consider a remodel in the future to lay out the interior living space in a more usable way.