Small Space Dining Room
Small spaces intrigue me (you might have guessed). The challenge of getting maximum out of minimum is one that will hook me every time. Discovering ways to make the seemingly unworkable work isn't too unlike the early explorers venturing off in wooden ships to find that, indeed, the earth is round, and, yes, you can arrive east by going west. There are solutions, you just have to find them.
I'm currently working with some delightful clients who are building guest quarters in a newly constructed barn. Because of code limitations, the guest quarters could not exceed 800 square feet. My kind of place.
I pulled out all my small-space tricks with this one, sometimes employing details seemingly tiny, yet huge in effect, making the end result both tasteful and exceptionally liveable. One of those tricks is a dining banquette. Push the seating all the way to the wall and bring up the table to slightly overlap it. It's the smallest footprint achieveable for a dining area.
The guest quarters banquette is an L shape that fits into a corner beneath two windows. It will be built in and upholstered in a creamy-white Sunbrella fabric. Long down-filled lumbar pillows will fill the space where the back meets the seat. Drawers below the seat will provide needed storage. The table will be round, in a pedestal style, custom made to fit the space. The pedestal will be made from a cast iron part from a 1920's Ford truck (we found it on eBay!), and the top and base will be aged white oak. Across the table from the banquette, there will be two dining chairs upholstered in the same creamy-white Sunbrella fabric as the banquette.
I was at the site just yesterday, and things are coming together! The banquette is ready to go to upholstery, and the dining chairs have arrived and are quietly waiting in their wrappings. The chandelier is already hung.
