Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We just bought a house that we loved for a lot of reasons. The one thing we do not like is the fact that it has a formal dining room. But we didn't want to forego buying this house over that, as everything else is perfect. Years ago we decided we have no use for formal dining rooms, as we always use the other eating area for everyday and entertaining use. Far more practical for us.
Anyway, I'm needing some creative ideas for what else could we do with this room? It's not a separate room and almost cries out "I'm a Formal Dining Room and nothing else!". It's next to the front living room and is between it and the kitchen, serving also a passageway to the kitchen and to the rest of the house so if we closed it off, it would be a pain to get to the kitchen and office.
The house has a study/office already, and a family room, and enough bedrooms. If we left it empty it would look odd and we don't feel like just sticking random bits of furniture in there. It should be useful.
pictures would really help. i am picturing a hallway room that is maybe eight or ten feet wide, with non-centered doorways. consider that you want a useful space, yet you have no need for any more functions. if you don't want the space to be functional, a minimalist display of sculpture, traveling memories, and/or art would be nice. if you want some functionality, maybe a small library comes to mind, with at least one chair / ottoman combo. a homework area for the kids perhaps? a music area (piano, guitar, etc) if you play?
Yep, builders insist on having a fdr when 90% of people use it 3 times a year. Also, a flr that nobody uses since everyone uses family rooms.We use our flr as an office - lots of space. FDR is the homework room with lots of desk space and room for books and papers and kids' computers.
In our last house we turned the formal dining room into a music room. We had a piano, some guitars, a drum set, a table/chair where we could hook up the computer to powered speakers and work on music/homework.
Make it an informal library/Barnes 'n Noble type reading nook. Go ahead and put in a few comfy lounge chairs and a sturdy center coffee table that is big enough to hold books and table games...... maybe a corner bookshelf and some nice big plants like a big palm, etc.
A picture as per progmac's suggestion (sorry, I didn't think of doing that before! ):
It's a bit too fancy and formal for our liking and we don't have a china cabinet, nor do we want one. We prefer to use the informal eating area, which is right next to the kitchen, facing lots of nice windows overlooking the backyard. The piano is going with the vendors. Even though the vendor offered to leave it, for a price, it looked like it needed a lot of work (sounded off, and lots of keys were either yellowed or missing ivories. Plus, it's a bit big and bulky.
The front entrance is to the left of where I'm standing taking this picture. The flr is to the right of me. The fdr has two non-centered doorways (you pictured it perfectly, progmac!) which we prefer left unblocked. Ordinarily the flr wouldn't be our preference either but with three adults living in the house, the separate living spaces will be nice. And it won't be too formal, by the time we're done with it.
I like the reading nook idea. Perhaps the wall with the china cabinet can have some shelving units on it for books and for displaying knick knacks .... yes, you've got my creative juices flowing
To me that looks more like a room that someone tried to make into a formal dining room and didn't quite pull it off. That room would be easy to repurpose. Add some floor to ceiling book shelves where the hutch is, put in a couple of overstuffed chairs with ottomans and you have a reading room.
A grand piano in the center of that room would look amazing too.
^^ true that. But some magazines on the center coffee table and a couple of laptops/ipads if the house is wireless....... Oh, maybe a wii....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
):
