As our lifestyles kept on changing over the years, influenced by the fast-paced modern life, so did our homes. While this is a good thing in most aspects, it has badly reflected on the dining room’s purpose. As more and more people now prefer to eat out, what was once considered to be the most important room in the home for keeping the family together over meals has started to gradually lose its sparkle.
Space is a luxury nowadays, especially given that the average home size is decreasing. So, in an already small home, it’s a pity to have an underused room. If you feel like your dining room deserves the chance to regain its importance in your abode once again, yet don’t know where to start with such a task, here are some ideas for you!
A Restful Room
If a room is designed to be comfortable, people are more likely to spend more time in it. But dining rooms usually consist of leggy wooden furniture that doesn’t exactly spell relaxation, right? So, why not boost the dose of comfort in the dining room with the help of modern dining room furniture that is a pleasure to use. Think cosy upholstered chairs with functional and stylish armrests that can allow you to make use of the area for rest too instead of solely for meals.
But to be able to pull this off, you need more than just the right chairs. Try to implement more pieces that guarantee your comfort, like an upholstered bench. This piece provides you with the freedom you need in customising your comfort by adding cushions. A comfy bench is a recipe for success if you want to decrease the tone of formality and you’re a fan of naps after lunch. From your least used room, it could easily turn into your favourite corner when the rest of the home is too loud for your liking.
A Green Room
What better way to make your modern dining set come to life than by surrounding it with greenery? Greenery is welcome anywhere in the home, and if you don’t have the space for that big garden of your dreams, the dining area is perfect to bring in plants of all shapes and sizes. Because the dining room usually features a limited number of elements, there’s plenty of space to decorate in with plants. For instance, you can fill up the corners, decorate the dining table, add interest to the windows, grab attention on the shelves – you name it!
Along with the vast range of indoor plants, there’s also a wide array of planters so you can choose based on your taste, space requirements and plant keeping abilities. For utmost functionality and aesthetics, consider implementing the ever-so-popular self-watering planters. Thanks to their innovative design, these planters are especially handy for both serial plant killers and busy people!
A Study Room
Don’t have the space for your own home office or the huge library you’ve been dreaming of? Don’t worry, you can repurpose the dining room! Instead of using it only as the meal area, you could make way for books and office pieces and get the perfect blend!
Because offices are often home to clutter, you can prevent the typical office mess with the help of a buffet with drawers or using various stylish boxes and bins. Rattan makes an excellent material for storage boxes as it’s long-lasting and has a timeless appeal. In case you need more books than your storage allows, you could always use up more of the vertical space by introducing space-efficient shelving.
And while you’re already taking a bold step and giving your dining room the added role of an office, don’t be afraid to mix and match styles. For instance, retro dining room furniture goes well with anything you can think of, even French provincial pieces. I’m sure, you’ll love the mix. Where retro gives off a cool vibe, French country carries a warm touch with it, so you’ll get the best of both worlds combined. How does the match of an ornate wooden French provincial bookcase and a sleek modern dining room table sound to you?
For families with kids, the dining room can also serve as a place for doing homework assignments or school projects. You can store their stationery material in storage boxes that allow for easy access. This is also the perfect chance to teach your little ones the importance of organisation by setting rules about tidying up. And if you followed my advice of adding comfort in the form of modern upholstered chairs, your kids would be in no danger of discomfort that can lead to lack of productivity.
An Entertainment Room
Nowadays, it’s rather difficult to stay away from the electronics and distractions, not only for kids but adults too. That’s why it’s a smart idea to have a room dedicated solely to entertainment away from the living room area. If you don’t have the space for a separate game room (like most of us), the dining room can be your chance to make it happen. By moving all the electronics and games to the dining room, the living room can be used solely for relaxation and spending your time together as a family, bonding while staying away from the screens.
Depending on what your family’s idea of fun is, you can bring in various entertainment options, like a big-screen TV and a PlayStation. The various components of your entertainment system can be neatly stored in a sideboard or cabinet. And if you’re not a fan of screens, you can always choose various board games that you can store in the sideboard or on the shelves. And if you trust your kids with not making a mess, you can even bring in arts and crafts kits. You can later proudly showcase their unique creations in the cabinet or stylishly arrange on top of the sideboard. To give off a more playful ambience, look for modern chairs that are more vibrant in terms of colour and design.