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Small dining area decorating ideas


24 Small Dining Rooms That'll Make You Think Big

By

Stephanie Montes

Stephanie Montes

Stephanie Montes is a design and decor expert and writer who shares her knowledge of lifestyle trends, decorating, and painting. She also writes for Elite Daily, Hello Giggles, Brides.com, Elle.com, and Byrdie.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 11/02/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Space is a state of mind, but it can be difficult to think big when you lack physical square footage. If you've given up on that tiny space you should call a dining room and resorted to TV dinners on the couch night after night, allow us to inspire a much-needed redesign. Ahead, 24 tiny places that prove you can turn even the smallest amount of unused space into a formal dining room. Because even a small studio apartment in the city deserves a designated area for candle-lit dinners and early-morning coffee breaks.

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1

Get a Lazy Susan

A lazy Susan is perfect for smaller spaces. These clever contraptions are basically just trays that rotate and they make it easier to get items (like salt and pepper) around the table without having to reach over anyone. A round one sits at the end of this small dining table in a room designed by Chloe Warner, where interior glass doors ensure that the light flows through to adjoining rooms, too.

Laura Resen

2

Blend It Into the Kitchen

Unlike chairs, a bench can seat more than one person (a handful of kids!). Even better if the bench is built into the island, serving as a natural transition into a more formal dining space right off the kitchen. In this kitchen-meets-dining room by Jean Liu, the bench was added onto the opposite side of the island to double the room's use case and blend the more practical kitchen with the formal gathering area.

Stephen Karlisch

3

Turn Storage Into Decor

Open shelves are often the best storage option in a tight space, but you have to fill them wisely. Coordinating plates and serveware, like this classic blue and white collection, add a decorative element with a culinary tilt. The plates were the jumping-off point for everything in this preppy and sweet dining room designed by Cara Fox.

Cara Fox

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4

Choose Dual-Purpose Furniture

If you have to sacrifice part of your dining room for a home office, get the best of both worlds by choosing furniture that can perform well for both tasks. This roomy farmhouse table in a home designed by Leanne Ford can function as a great place to spread out for larger creative projects and serve as a perch for a few work-from-home folks. But, when mealtime rolls around, it can also function as a dining room.

Leanne Ford Interiors

5

Pair a Round Table With a Banquette

Two chairs and a corner banquette is a classic combo for a reason: it's a highly efficient use of space that also leaves plenty of room for fun. Together, they transform a bare corner into an elegant eating space, but it can also be a great backdrop for meetings and work. In this vivacious dining room nook designed by Ariene Bethea, the matching table and chair set creates just the right dose of cohesion.

Brie Williams

6

Cozy Up to the Walls

Often considered a design no-no in other rooms, placing furniture against the wall frees up space for walking in a narrow dining area that shares the living room and/or kitchen. A long rectangular or oval table like the one in this open-concept space by Barrie Benson can also be great as a buffet table for parties.

Paul Costello

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7

Choose Shelves Instead of a Cabinet

China cabinets or sideboards are lovely, but their bulk can dominate a room and uses space inefficiently. Floating shelves or custom built-ins, on the other hand, can be customized to fit your needs (fill the whole wall with them, if you like!) and offer more flexible storage than standalone pieces. They're an especially good addition to a room with high ceilings, like this loft designed by Lauren Waters.

Lauren Waters

8

Assess Your Priorities

If you live in a rental or aren't ready to make any permanent changes, having a storage piece to keep your collections stored and organized is still a good idea. In this small dining room, designer Lathem Gordon forewent a large dining table so there was space on the floor for a display cabinet.

Emily J Followill

9

Create a Booth

Both built-in bookcases and banquettes are meant to be directly next to the wall, offering as much seating, storage, and open floor space as possible—so when combined, they're a like small dining room superhero. And two banquettes are better than one! This clever set-up makes room for an entire family in a tight corner—and offers hidden storage under the seats.

Francesco Lagenese

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10

Choose a Table With Leaves

Invest in a dining room table with extendable leaves so you can collapse them when not in use. It's a simple fix but it really does make all the difference. In this Scandinavian-style dining room designed by Victoria Sass of Prospect Refuge Studio, four chairs are tucked around the table, but it could seat 6 as is, and even more when fully extended.

Victoria Sass

11

Work the Room's Angles

In this space by Osklo Studio, a custom sofa accommodates the quirky shape of the room. The table and chair can also move aside when the space needs to serve as a more formal sitting room. Even if you can't splurge on custom seating, rethinking the angle of your dining room setup could help you squeeze in more space or get the most out of a living room that needs to accommodate a living area, too.

Osklo Studio

12

Sneak in Under-Seat Storage

The built-in banquette is also a sneaky storage solution in this eclectic dining nook designed by Tamsin Johnson Interiors. Hidden drawers beneath the cushion can house things like placemats, napkins, and more. The paint color and the grooves in the exterior of the drawers match the cabinetry in the adjacent kitchen for a seamless look.

Tamsin Johnson

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13

Invest in Mirrors

Employ this bit of visual trickery to make any small room seem bigger: A mirror's reflection is great at faking extra space and bounces light around the room to make it seem airier. For a more traditional and formal look, opt for antiqued mirrors, as Celerie Kemble did here.

KARYN R MILLET

Hadley Mendelsohn

Senior Editor

Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior design editor and the co-host and executive producer of the podcast Dark House. When she's not busy writing about interiors, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, researching ghost stories, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again. Along with interior design, she writes about everything from travel to entertainment, beauty, social issues, relationships, fashion, food, and on very special occasions, witches, ghosts, and other Halloween haunts. Her work has also been published in MyDomaine, Who What Wear, Man Repeller, Matches Fashion, Byrdie, and more.  

30 photos in a Khrushchev house 5-7 sq. m, modern ideas and solutions

How to arrange a comfortable dining area in a small kitchen, the area of ​​which does not exceed 7 sq. m? For a family of 2, solving this problem is simple, but for a large one it is much more difficult. We will show you some good ideas for all occasions.


In the photo below, the dining area in a small kitchen in a real Khrushchev 6 sq.m. The window sill was dismantled and a wide tabletop was installed instead. Bar stools are reminiscent in design of those on which they sit at their desks at school.

The choice of original colors and materials made the interior unique and interesting. Read more about the repair of this kitchen in a separate post.

For one or two people

For a small family, there are many options on how to organize a comfortable dining area, after the arrangement of which there will still be visual space and a lot of space for free movement.


Here are some solutions that might work for you.

1. Window sill table

This option will be good for those who do not have windows facing the sunny side, but have a great view outside the window. Roman blinds or roller blinds will get rid of direct bright sunlight at sunset or dawn.

It will be nice to have coffee in the morning behind the window sill.

Minus - two people will not be able to sit facing each other.

2. Bar counter

The counter can be free-standing or wall-mounted (fixed to the wall with support).



The bar top can also be a continuation of the kitchen top.

3. Mini wall table

The tabletop can be fixed to the corners without support or with support.



This table can be folded down. The ability to remove the countertop, thereby freeing up more space, will be especially relevant if you have only 5 sq.m.

The photo below shows an example of a dining area in a real apartment with a kitchen of 5. 28 sq.

Read more about repairs in this Khrushchev kitchen in a separate report - see.

4. Separate compact table

Small square or round - the simplest and most familiar solution.

The round shape saves space due to the absence of corners. The diameter of such a miniature table, as a rule, does not exceed 80 cm.


5. Transforming table

Transforming table can be made in the form of a retractable tabletop, which is hidden under the kitchen cabinet.

For more ideas for inspiration and tips, see the video:

For a family of 3 or more people

A bar counter or window sill table for three people will already be uncomfortable. Here you can offer several other design options.

1. Kitchen corner

The traditional version of the corner with a corner sofa, table and stools in a set in one design is unlikely to fit a small area. The modern version of the kitchen corner is mobile and offers more opportunities for its installation.

Thanks to its different variations, its design can be adjusted to any room size and design.


When choosing furniture for a kitchen corner, you can focus on the standard seat height from the floor - 40-45 cm.



2. Rectangular or round table with a diameter of more than 80 cm

It can be installed in a corner or against a wall.



The dimensions of such a dining area will require more space, so either the size of the kitchen set or free space will have to be sacrificed.





In case guests come

It is unlikely that a large number of guests can be accommodated in a small kitchen. Anyone who was born in the USSR probably knows that in case of major celebrations, a folding heavy but solid table, which was installed in the living room near the sofa, always helped out.

Times have changed, but the idea remains. The modern model of this table has some improvements - the furniture has become lighter in weight and unfolds much easier. A similar option can be found at IKEA in the Norden series.


Another solution is an extension table with an inset top or folding floors. It can even be placed in the kitchen and, if space permits, laid out there.

If the size of the living room allows, then you can organize a dining room here, which can be used not only on the occasion of guests, but also for a delicious dinner with a large family.

how to design a mini dining room in a small kitchen

In the past, it was impossible to imagine a house without a dining room, where the whole family gathered for a meal, celebrated holidays, received guests. Now most people live in small apartments with small kitchens and it is problematic to allocate a room for a dining room. However, you can equip a mini dining room, or rather, equip a small dining area in the kitchen or living room.

If the hostess has only 5 sq. meters - this is not a reason to reject the designer's idea of ​​​​creating a spectacular functional dining area

Comfort and coziness of a mini-dining room in a small kitchen

There are many design solutions to highlight functional areas - this is the construction of partitions, and the correct installation of furniture, and zoning with the help of decoration or lighting. The main thing is to create a cozy and comfortable mini dining room for the whole family. Imagine beautifully and tastefully finished walls, glossy floors, good lighting and properly selected practical, and at the same time, comfortable furniture - all these components will help create a cozy dining area in the apartment.

It is important that the style of the dining room itself, or let's call it a small dining area, matches the design of the room in which you have placed a corner for gatherings and eating, be it a kitchen, living room or even a loggia

the dining area is the easiest. For this, a space zoning technique is usually used using various materials for finishing walls, floors and ceilings. Lay out the walls of the working area with ceramic tiles - this is practical and aesthetically pleasing, and paste over the dining area with vinyl wallpaper or, for more chic, with fabric-based wallpaper. Many distinguish a mini dining room with decorative plaster walls. This approach visually separates one space from another.

Zoning in the form of wall decoration helps to highlight the living space

It is also better to use tiles for flooring near the working area, as they are resistant to various types of pollution . At the dining table, the floors can be covered with laminate. If the size of the kitchen allows you to build an arch or a multi-level ceiling, then these techniques will help in zoning the space.

The design of the dining space in the kitchen can be emphasized with spectacular pendant lights installed above the table, or original lighting with LED strip or spotlights.

Different lighting above the work and dining areas will also help to separate them visually from each other.

The same technique should be used in the case of a small kitchen, only the approach should be more careful so as not to introduce imbalance into the overall interior.

Don't worry about how to arrange a small dining area in a small kitchen and still leave enough space - this will lead to nothing but stress. Just know that everything has already been invented, you just have to bring other people's ideas to life, fitting them to your needs

The backsplash of the working area can be laid out with ceramic tiles

The secrets of arranging the dining area

There are several tricky ways to arrange a small dining area in a small kitchen, and we will now prove it to you with examples: working area;

  • place the dining area in a free corner of the kitchen;
  • purchase a soft kitchen corner with a table;
  • install a bar counter;
  • build a pull-out or folding tabletop;
  • use folding or portable light furniture;
  • to equip the window sill as a dining table.

    • Pull-out and folding tables also won't surprise anyone, but they really save space in a small kitchen!

    Tips to make your dining area comfortable

    a dining area of ​​​​almost 1 sq.m, as well as a few practical tips that will help save space.

    All you need for a family dinner is a few stools or chairs from the living room. Thus, you will have a small dining room right in the middle of the kitchen

    The right choice of chairs

    Arranging a dining area in a small kitchen, think carefully about the choice of chairs, if you buy regular ones, you will quickly get tired of moving them around the apartment, in this situation, a practical solution will purchase bar stools. The main thing here is not to miscalculate with the height, so that they move freely under the table top. Bar stools are good because most models allow you to install them on top of each other, which allows you to compactly place them under the countertop or next to the table. You can also buy folding chairs, if necessary, they can be taken out to the loggia if the kitchen borders on it.

    Folding stools save space in a small kitchen

    Bar stools fit nicely in a small kitchen dining space

    Refurbish or ditch the door

    already thought about a folding or sliding door, freeing up a significant area. On the freed space of the wall, you can install a folding table, but this option is suitable for a single person, a maximum of two. Many dishes can not be put on such a table at the same time.

    Sliding glass doors to enlarge the space of a small area

    Extend the top of the kitchen set

    Additional corner folding top attached to the set, usually made to order. When it becomes necessary to have a snack, the countertop unfolds in just two movements. When folded, it does not cover the space. We slide stools or low bar stools under the countertop and the small kitchen ceases to seem cramped. The idea is not new, but its practicality cannot be overestimated.

    It is unlikely that a pull-out tabletop can be used as a full-fledged dining area, but a couple of plates and cups will fit comfortably on it, which means that you will not need to serve breakfast in the room or push sandwiches into yourself on the go

    Corner sofa with a table

    a small kitchen has room to place a small sofa and a table. If you are a social person or just a big family, then a corner sofa will help out a lot - more people will be accommodated on it in the same area than on stools. When choosing a corner sofa for arranging a dining area, pay attention that there is storage space under the seat - you can put textiles, rarely used dishes or homemade items there. Below in the photo, see the options for a dining area with a sofa in a small kitchen.

    What shape to choose for a dining area tabletop

    The shape of the dining table should be chosen based on your preferences, it is important to consider what you are more concerned about: the useful area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe kitchen or the ability to seat as many people as possible at the table. For example:

    The advantage of rectangular tables over oval ones is that they have shelves - and this is an additional place for storing kitchen utensils and various little things that are rarely used, but still, from time to time, are required by the hostess.

    The bistro style is ideal for an apartment with only two people. In addition, it is a very romantic and original way to decorate the kitchen interior

    French bistro at home - a small round table and a pair of designer chairs with high legs - one of the most popular furniture trends for small kitchens

    Oval dining table - the most popular for a small kitchen

    A square table should fit harmoniously into the dining space of a small kitchen

    Bar counter in a small kitchen

    a shelf may be the best option for creating a dining area. You can make a bar counter yourself, for this you need only 2-3 brackets and a board of the required length, the main thing is to fit such an impromptu bar table into your interior. See the photo for examples of using the bar counter.

    Video - Modern kitchen design with breakfast bar

    This video review contains 36 modern and beautiful kitchen interior design ideas with breakfast bar.

    Multifunctional kitchen table

    If space is in short supply in your kitchen, it's best to choose pieces of furniture that serve several purposes at the same time. For the most versatile option, get a kitchen table that can be used for cooking, storing kitchen utensils, and as a dining surface.

    Multifunctional kitchen table

    Let's use a window sill

    Despite the fact that in our country you will not surprise anyone with a small kitchen, but few of the residents consider the window sill as an opportunity to increase their working space, and even more so use it to organize a dining area.

    When you decide to increase the width of the window sill, use additional supports (for example, chrome pipes). This is necessary so that the structure does not bend, it is stable. It is also worth taking care of finishing such an impromptu table. It is desirable that the finish is low-porous and easy to care for. It is also necessary to take care of the protection of the slopes from dirt - we recommend covering them with a special silicone-based compound .

    If you have Khrushchev and the window sill seems too narrow, you can still equip a full-fledged dining area on its basis

    This choice of dining area will be very successful for your cramped kitchen

    The most popular way to design a dining area in a small kitchen space is to decorate the walls, which allows you to visually separate it from the working area.

    Learn more