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No Room for a Dining Table? Think Again

A table and chairs can be squeezed into the smallest of homes with a little ingenuity

Joanna Tovia 24 February 2017

Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well. Follow her photodocumentary about pets and the people who love them on Instagram @unfoldingtails

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Small-space living is appealing for all kinds of reasons, but inviting a dozen friends over for dinner isn’t one of them. Many houses and apartments with limited room to move can find it challenging to squeeze in a dining space at all, let alone one that can accommodate a crowd. As these spaces reveal, however, even the most compact of homes can provide a welcoming place to eat – with or without dining companions. Imagination is often all that’s required.

Connors & Co.

Benchtop extension
Don’t blame yourself if you’re having a “Why didn’t I think of that?” moment after seeing this kitchen. A simple rejig of the benchtop in this Sydney studio apartment creates a spot for one to perch by the window, when sitting on the sofa to eat gets old.

Snaauw's Kitchens

The same idea has been implemented here, although this time the benchtop has been widened as well as extended where needed. It’s an inexpensive solution to a small-space dilemma.

Masfotogenica Interiorismo

Shelf life
A single-wall kitchen that’s also a thoroughfare can throw extra obstacles in your way. Brackets and a glass shelf can be the answer when the stools can be tucked underneath and out of the way.

Browse more compact-kitchen design ideas

Inspired Interiors

Corner solution
If you’re short on kitchen, wall and floor space, how’s this for a solution? Just about every house or apartment has a corner that could be turned into a handy spot to eat.

Vertebrae Architecture

Orange crush
A single-wall kitchen like this could accommodate a table and chairs for four at a pinch, but why clutter up the space if you don’t need to? Open shelving and a minimalist bench work wonders in this micro-apartment …

Vertebrae Architecture

… and free up just enough space for a sitting area nearby.

Ute Günther wachgeküsst INNENARCHITEKTUR+DESIGN

Instant table
Talk about clever. Here, a custom-designed shelf is hidden away in a recess when not in use, but pulls out to create a surface to work or eat on as needed.

By Rydéns

Flexibility first
Narrow rooms are notoriously difficult to furnish well, but can work beautifully as a dining area. A table like this one maximises the area’s versatility – fold down the leaves when fewer people need to use it, or turn it into a table for four or more when you’re in the mood to entertain.

13 ways to decorate a narrow room

Lindye Galloway Interiors

Easy fix
If you don’t already have a bay window, popping one in is often a simple enough project for a professional, and it can create just the extra space you need for a dining nook. A round or oval pedestal table is essential if you don’t want to be moving the table in and out (not to mention bruising yourself against the corners). Stick to low-profile chairs on the other side of the table to keep the look open and make the most of any views.

Read more about pop-outs

Position Fastighetsförmedling

Light and white
If you can’t live without a table and chairs for four or more, consider painting all furniture white or in another pale tone. Doing so helps the arrangement visually disappear rather than encroaching into an already space-challenged room. It’s simple but it works.

Bouger Stockholm

An all-white table and chairs can find a home on the smallest patch of empty floor space, in or out of the kitchen. Transparent chairs such as the Louis chair by Philippe Starck seen here, make even less of a visual intrusion into a room.

Jeanette Lunde

Easy living
There are no rules to say you have to have a dining table, of course. When you have a living area to sit in that’s as comfortable as this one, sharing a meal here with friends or family is unlikely to feel like an inconvenience. Add a couple of dining chairs to the scene and it’s a zone that can work just as well for lounging as it can for day-to-day meals or connecting with loved ones over a shared meal.

Your say
Have you squeezed a dining table into a small home? Tell us about it in the Comments.

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Fiona Anastasia Whitefoot

Interesting ideas and concepts in this article. While I personally don't like tiny kitchens, I still like the clever ideas used to create a space in such a confinement of space. Good one!

1 Like 25 February 2017 at 7:07PM

No Room for a Dining Table? Think Again

A table and chairs can be squeezed into the smallest of homes with a little ingenuity

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