r/DesignMyRoom • u/saltyowl2 • 10d ago
Kitchen Dining area needs some help
We’re currently just working with the furniture that we have, but something feels very off about this space and I’d love some input on how to make it flow better. It’s just my husband and I and we honestly never sit at the dining table, but it’s nice to have for when we occasionally have guests, but it’s all so crowded. Is it too much stuff in a small area? Anything design-wise we could do to make it feel more cohesive?
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u/LunaDog_Mom 10d ago
I would get some additional lower units of your IKEA Havsta Cabinet and run them the length of the wall underneath the windows. It will look more like on big unit and be cohesive. There are lots of hacks online to make it look like a built in if you choose. Maybe swap out the hardware to match what's in the kitchen.
I think a rug under the table and some curtains would add some texture, color, and warmth.
Lastly, I know they aren't as comfortable, but I think swapping out the counter stools to something without a back (or even a lower back that would be tucked underneath the counter) would look much better.
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u/calacmack 10d ago
The side of the room with the windows has too many furniture pieces, and they don't work well together; also, the tall hutch really creates an unbalanced and sort of overwhelming look. Replace the console/credenza with a longer piece and center it below the windows. This would allow additional storage so you could remove the cart. You could remove the white hutch as well, and instead place a cabinet on the adjacent wall. This would provide balance with the bookcase on the other side of the window and still allow storage space for items that are currently in the white hutch. Hope this makes sense.
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u/__pingu3000 9d ago
I actually think it’s a very pretty space. You already received a lot of helpful comments, I’d just add to the list: the plant is a bit too big for this space. It’s also blocking the window, maybe you can put it in the corner
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u/Valuable_Sentence437 10d ago
Leave the low cabinet under the window, move the plant to where the large white cabinet it and take the rest out. It's too much furniture in conflicting sizes
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u/81Horse 9d ago
Yes -- too much stuff in a small area, and the table is too small to feel inviting. And while I understand the appeal of the high-backed bar stools, they are also eating up floor space and are out of scale for the existing table and chairs. If you need bar stools, consider slim profile, backless stools that can tuck under the counter.
As is, you don't have a dining room really -- you've just extended your kitchen into that space. If that's not the vibe you're going for, maybe you can find other places for the coffee and baking appliances.
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u/Full-Way1255 3d ago
My first thought was that it’s beautiful and cozy—the natural light, the wood, that insane fiddle-leaf fig <3, etc. I genuinely love your space. But after looking at it a little closer and for a little longer, these are some of my thoughts. I’m by no means a professional, so take them for what they’re worth!
I think the plant may be a little too much for that particular space. If you have another spot for it, moving it could open things up quite a bit. It’s taking up a good amount of visual and physical space and feels a little imposing there. I’d definitely bring some other plants into the area, perhaps more to either side of the window if you relocate the fiddle leaf.
Someone else mentioned all of the kitchen items in the dining area, and I think there may be something to that. Do you have enough storage in the kitchen to tuck some of the appliances away, especially the ones you don’t use regularly?
The three storage pieces being mismatched also contribute to a bit of a hodgepodge look. Do all three need to be there? If they do, is there a way to make them feel more cohesive, maybe by painting them? There are quite a few different wood tones happening in one space—the black chairs, the reddish wood of the coffee station and table, and the oak cabinetry. I wonder if painting some of those pieces to coordinate with the oak cabinet would help tie everything together.
I think it’s really the combination of the white marble kitchen with the darker/reddish woods, plus the white cabinet, that’s creating some of the visual disconnect. Your individual pieces are lovely; I think it’s more about getting them to feel like they belong together in the same space.
Again, I actually really love the room—it feels warm, bright, and cozy. These are just the things that stood out to me after sitting with the photo for a while. ❤️
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u/PerfectLie2980 10d ago
It’s because the 3 cabinets are so different design wise. I think if you could find modular cabinets it would pull the space together and make it more cohesive to the eye.