Designs for the Dining Room
It’s something we see happening all the time. The new home plans are drawn up. There’s a kitchen, bath, laundry room, and even mudroom cabinets. The one area routinely forgotten is the dining room. It’s normally located directly off the kitchen, the perfect place to locate a hutch to match the kitchen cabinetry.
If you’re building a new home––and are going to be choosing all new furniture for the dining room––why not consider ordering a few more cabinets? With custom or even semi-custom cabinetry, there are enough choices in stain color, so finding a table to match isn’t a problem. An alternative is to paint the hutch/serving cabinets in a neutral color so they blend with the table and chairs.
For a furniture look, keep the piece 60 to 72 inches long and top it with crown moulding. If you have an eight-foot ceiling, keep the cabinets at seven feet high to allow some open space for display. With a vaulted ceiling, it’s possible to stagger the heights of the cabinets for some visual interest. Countertops should be granite or a solid surface if you’ll be serving from them and wood if you want more of a furniture look.
If you prefer a built-in look in your new home, be sure to allow space for a recessed area in the dining room. This is a great way to maximize space in a smaller room. In my 1950s-era ranch, the built-in I have is 42 inches wide and 24 inches deep. There are sliding glass doors in the top section and solid doors below. This gives me the perfect place to house my seasonal glasses, dishes, serving pieces, and vases. There’s plenty of room for my growing collection of Franciscan dishes. This is in addition to a freestanding hutch that belonged to my grandmother, which I save for special family pieces, my china, and old family photos.
Take an inventory of what needs a place to be displayed. If you’re a collector, there’s no sense in keeping your favorite pieces in boxes. Remember that if you want to light the inside of the cabinets, glass shelves are essential. That way the light goes all the way through the cabinet and doesn’t stop at the top shelf. Be careful not to overload glass shelves, since they can’t hold a great deal of weight. Consult your electrician for the best type of lights to use and where they should be placed to maximize the effect. TPW
If you’re building a new home––and are going to be choosing all new furniture for the dining room––why not consider ordering a few more cabinets? With custom or even semi-custom cabinetry, there are enough choices in stain color, so finding a table to match isn’t a problem. An alternative is to paint the hutch/serving cabinets in a neutral color so they blend with the table and chairs.
For a furniture look, keep the piece 60 to 72 inches long and top it with crown moulding. If you have an eight-foot ceiling, keep the cabinets at seven feet high to allow some open space for display. With a vaulted ceiling, it’s possible to stagger the heights of the cabinets for some visual interest. Countertops should be granite or a solid surface if you’ll be serving from them and wood if you want more of a furniture look.
If you prefer a built-in look in your new home, be sure to allow space for a recessed area in the dining room. This is a great way to maximize space in a smaller room. In my 1950s-era ranch, the built-in I have is 42 inches wide and 24 inches deep. There are sliding glass doors in the top section and solid doors below. This gives me the perfect place to house my seasonal glasses, dishes, serving pieces, and vases. There’s plenty of room for my growing collection of Franciscan dishes. This is in addition to a freestanding hutch that belonged to my grandmother, which I save for special family pieces, my china, and old family photos.
Take an inventory of what needs a place to be displayed. If you’re a collector, there’s no sense in keeping your favorite pieces in boxes. Remember that if you want to light the inside of the cabinets, glass shelves are essential. That way the light goes all the way through the cabinet and doesn’t stop at the top shelf. Be careful not to overload glass shelves, since they can’t hold a great deal of weight. Consult your electrician for the best type of lights to use and where they should be placed to maximize the effect. TPW