Trading out chairs for a bench creates flexible seating in your dining room.

When your home has a formal dining room and your family mostly eats on barstools at the kitchen counter, the dining room might seem like wasted space. However, there are ways not only to make your dining room family-friendly, but you can make it a multi purpose dining room too.

Furniture is key to what happens in any room, but especially the dining room. If you have high-end woods and linens in your formal dining room, you won’t want kids using the space. Instead, a popular new alternative for a functional dining room is reclaimed wood, which has more of a natural look that can be dressed up or down. What’s great about reclaimed wood is you can’t really hurt it – a spilled glass of punch just adds to its character.

A reclaimed wood table and a wall with chalkboard paint make this dining room inviting for a family.

If you want to continue using the table you have, simply order custom table pads to keep moisture, scratches – and markers – away from the surface. They have felt or velvet on the side that faces the table, and a flat surface on the other side that can transform your table into more usable space once it is properly protected.

Try benches in addition to chairs at the table for flexible seating arrangements. Also, consider using an indoor-outdoor rug under the table. These are now available in attractive patterns that look nice but have the durability to be hosed off outside if necessary.

In addition to sharing meals in your dining room, the space can become an extra office and homework area as well. For several of our clients we have created custom built-ins in their multi purpose dining rooms that are actually hiding places for a computer, shredder and other supplies. When you aren’t dining, you simply pop open and slide back the hutch’s doors and you have a fully operational desk.

Also consider using a sideboard as a storage area. The top can be left clear for serving food while the inside houses a printer and fax machine that you access via a wireless connection from your laptop.

It is possible to have a beautiful and functional dining room that serves several purposes for your family’s day-to-day life but is also elegant for guests. If we can help you design your multi use dining room to better fit your lifestyle, please contact us.