Brent and I love to entertain at our house. We often have people over for dinners, bbqs, yard games, game nights and more. We had a need for a larger dining room, but didn't have the money to tear out walls. So one day I told Brent my plan and he thought I was a little crazy...
(Just for a reminder here are two pics of how the front room and dining room were set up)
My crazy plan...Convert the small-ish dining room into a sitting room/wine lounge. To do this, I moved the small loveseat from the front room under the wall of wine art. I also pulled in a small white coffee table, two side tables and two wonderful chairs I'd found a couple years ago at a flea market. I left the bar and hutch in the room.
I love the result! And since we've had the room arranged this way, people have already been sitting on the furniture. When those pieces were in the front room, they were NEVER used.
The room is cozy and comfortable now. It also feels more appropriate for the square footage in the room.
And it's just off the kitchen, so guest can sit in there and enjoy a glass of wine while I'm finishing up meal preparations.
Someday...in my dreams, I'd really love to make that window a set of french doors that open out onto a larger deck in the back yard. It would create really nice flow in and out of the house to the yard. Even better for hosting large gatherings.
For now, we'll enjoy this new lounging area.
And soon, I'll share what we did with our dining table, because I'm sure you're wondering where we're eating our meals now. :)
My very first stab at officially helping a friend design a room! How exciting! Thank you, Tara, for giving me this chance. I hope you're happy with how the room is shaping up.
Tara's front room was sort of a blank slate except for the blue curtains that were made by her mother-in-law. They had to stay in the room, so we designed the rest of the room around them. The room is open to the entry, dining room and front hall. It has beautiful wood floors and a window that lets in lots of light.
Tara had a wood armoire that we moved into the room from the basement. It will serve as storage for her daughter's toys. She also had a black leather storage ottoman for her daughter's shoes. It will serve as a coffee table.
We started with a stroll through a furniture store, so we could discuss scale and colors. We settled on a loveseat in a natural linen color. Tara found the one shown below at Cost Plus World Market for a great price. We also determined that two small-ish chairs would be nice in the space. Because the curtains had such a striking color, the chairs needed to incorporate the bright blue. She purchased two of the chairs below from Cost Plus as well.
So far, we've got the chairs, loveseat, armoire and ottoman in place. Now we're just hunting for the finishing touches like a sofa table, pillows, a throw and a rug. I'm going to spray paint some lamps she already had and get some new lamp shades. I'll share the finished product when the room is ready. For now, here's the inspiration!
