Living Room and Dining Room Switch
What do you do when you entertain a lot, you don’t need a formal living room, and your dining room is becoming a tight fit at dinners and parties? For our clients, the solution was to swap the living room and dining room!
Why the switch?
With both the music room that we previously designed as well as a large family room, they had little use for a formal living room. On the other hand, they needed a larger dining room with increased seating capacity. Rather than undertaking major structural changes like moving walls, we decided to essentially flip the existing rooms. The large, open archway between the two made it an easy choice.
Living room and dining room – before
With this plan, the former dining room became a casual sitting room with a relaxed mood. The proximity of the conversation area to the new dining room allows easy movement between the two, and is especially helpful in managing traffic before and after meals. Comfortable chairs upholstered in performance fabric invite guests to have a seat, pick at appetizers on the stone-topped cocktail tail, and enjoy their company with a drink in hand. We designed the seating arrangement to feel cozy but not cramped, and the soft, washed palette adds to the open feeling. Floor to ceiling window treatments in cream linen frame the bay windows.
Sitting room – after
Sitting room detail – after
The new, larger dining room features a custom table with two leaves to create flexible seating options. In keeping with the soft palette of the adjoining sitting room, oyster-colored side chairs feature intricately carved backs, while barrel-backed host chairs at the head and foot of the table echo the same oyster shade. Touches of brass in the chandelier, sconces, and drapery rods elevate the overall feeling of the space.
Dining room – after
Dining room – after
Custom dining table detail
The reconfiguration of the two spaces achieved two goals at once. We created a better overall flow in the downstairs floor plan, and brought a cohesive sense of brightness and openness between the rooms. Cheers to another successful project with this family!
To view the full project portfolio, click here.
Header image: Sitting room by Glenna Stone Interior Design; Photography by Rebecca McAlpin
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!
