Today I will share how we solved a few of our small space design dilemmas, plus I’m excited that our four new chairs arrived along with the first set of slipcovers!
Now that the chairs are around the table, our dining nook feels so cozy and welcoming. Just like I imagined it would! (I shared all the thought behind our dining furniture decision back in this post). The furniture feels like it’s been a part of our home and family all along! We still need to re-stain and paint the table, but all in due time.
I chose these ticking slipcovers because the original slipcovers I ordered wouldn’t arrive until later in December. These were on sale and would arrive right away. Since I’ve always wanted to be able to change slipcovers for the seasons, I thought the extra set was worth getting now!
Well, turns out I love the ticking fabric and color of these slipcovers so much I can’t imagine wanting to switch to anything else! HA! I’m so glad I got these. But I am sure I will love the others just as much for different reasons. I know I will really enjoy being able to change the mood for a new season.
The ability to change slipcovers sounds especially exciting to me because I love to decorate, but our home is not large! Having a more “compact” home presents unique design dilemmas that you may not have in a larger space.
(I shared 10 tips for large living rooms and awkward spaces here).
This is also why I sometimes “overthink” …. for me, maybe it’s not “overthinking” but more of a necessity!
It isn’t always easy to determine what will be the right choice in a small space, let alone one that makes sense on my budget. Not only is our main floor more compact square footage-wise, but every wall has windows, doors or openings. I absolutely love all of the windows and doors, but they take up wall space and that impacts furniture placement and options as well.
Squeezing in enough storage, seating and display areas as well as breathing room for people to function and gather without making our home feel crowded to us was a puzzle we had to figure out.
Having limited space is also why I was so pleased find that we could add the rattan serving cart to the end of our kitchen island. Sometimes solving design dilemmas is matter of careful advance planning, but other times a solution is a happy accident or can only be found by experimenting to see and feel what works in the room. I wasn’t expecting we’d have room for a cart in our dining nook without it feeling crowded, but it fits perfectly and adds so much the room.
Our floor plan, and limited floor and wall space is one of the reasons I decided to add built-ins during our renovation! It was a practical choice to address several needs at once in practical ways.
The built-ins in our dining nook (and kitchen, too!) not only maximized storage and seating on a wall of windows, but we made sure to add little nooks I can decorate and re-decorate to my heart’s content. That makes me happy! In the dining nook I can swap pillows on the bench and my new slipcovered chairs will be a fun and practical opportunity for seasonal change — and none of these updates will take any extra floor space!
It feels so good to see our home coming together, but also to know we are here to stay and get to keep making it our own for years to come!
Even though it’s slow going at times :) I never regret being intentional in making our house a home.
Do you feel the same way?
Speaking of solving design dilemmas and maximizing small spaces, I’m working on a post about our new living room furniture arrangement, too! Stay tuned :).
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Recent Posts You May Have Missed:
Our Dining Nook Banquette Progress and Our Table and Chair Decision
Make a Fall-Inspired Hurricane Vase
My New Rattan Serving Cart (how I’ll use it in my kitchen + why I’m so excited about it)
Why I Love Colored Candles in the Fall (+ My Favorite Colored Battery Operated Candles)
Yes we just finished a remodel which took out our dining room wall (updated kitchen and added a banquette). We are a compact cape cod but love our home too. Trying to rework the flow is a challenge and takes time. Love the coziness of your home and hope to end up with that same feeling. Cheers!
Thank you Katie, and yes it certainly does take time! Enjoy your home! I love Cape Cod style homes!
Absolutely lovely!! :)
Thank you Patty! 🩵
I’ve been following you for some time now. Your new home is stunning.
I love how you put things together. So homey.
Thank you Rose 🩵
do you feel that the oval table takes up less space than a round table with 6 chairs.
I do because of the way our room is set up, we’re able to take advantage of the window bench along the wall for more seating as well as the chairs. And we have more floor space on the other side for people to gather or walk through without trying to navigate around chairs.
Your dining space looks so cozy – I just love it! Also, I’m very impressed with the way you used stripes with stripes, it looks “perfectly casual”. I’m loving the peeks of your living room and can’t wait to see more!
Oh thank you! Mixing is my favorite look, I don’t like to have everything feel too fancy or like I bought it at once!!
Lovely!! Clever!! Love the book cases in the window seats, <3