Okay, remember that insanely cool table that my hubby built? (Yeah, I’m proud of him. Can you tell??).
Well, we took our transforming furniture idea and decided to turn our mudroom/entryway into a transforming dining room!
House Room Ideas: An Entryway with Hidden Dining!
A dining room in your entryway/mudroom? Whaaat?? Before you head for the hills, just hear me out — it’s cute, I promise!
Room Layout Challenges:
- Low ceilings
- Narrow space (need seating that allows traffic flow)
- Can’t block front door, stairway, or windows
Goals:
- Lots of storage space
- Dining room furniture that can fold/hide away when not in use
- Still functions as a mudroom/entryway for day-to-day use
- Cute & comfy style that doesn’t break the bank
After searching through a myriad of gorgeous options online, we noticed a pattern: most furniture was too large for our small space.
Solution? We started checking into children’s storage furniture! The Stuva series from Ikea was a perfect fit. The wardrobe was short enough to fit into our low ceiling space, and the matching toy benches were a great height for table seating while providing additional storage!
This is how our entryway looks day-to-day:
The table is folded away & its surface functions as an entryway station (keys, sunglasses, etc. are stashed in that little white breadbox). The wardrobe holds the extra dining chairs & also functions as a coat closet. The benches store dog stuff, fitness gear, and anything else that needs to stay by the door (Leif’s work bag, etc.). I am still tinkering with everything, so there will be plenty of detailed updates to come!
Aaaaand when it’s time for guests?? Check it out!
Tada!!!
We searched for quite a while to find chairs that worked. We originally wanted folding chairs to save space, but the cute ones were either uncomfortable or way more than we wanted to spend. We ended up buying the Laver chairs from Ikea for $9.99 a piece, and they stack nicely in the wardrobe. (It fits 3 chairs, and the 4th chair just stays out for guests.) We wish they folded away, but for the price, comfort, and beauty, we really couldn’t find a better chair! (If only they made the Jeff chairs in white!)
Ok, here’s one more photo of our awesome new dining room layout:
It is SO easy to set up and put away! The table legs are on felt pads, so it slides right over, and there is still plenty of space to walk around! I am in LOVE with the way this came together, and I really feel like we are maximizing our space like crazy! Storage in the table, storage in the seating, and all of it folds up, has another function, or hides away when not in use. Who’s ready to par-tay??
Do you guys have any rooms or furniture that transforms or works in multiple settings? How do you maximize your space at home?
P.S., I’m sharing this link at Live Laugh Rowe, I Gotta Create, The Best Blog Recipes, The Scoop, IHeart Organizing, & Serenity Now!
I love this! When would you like company?
And I thought having a leaf for our dining table was transformational…
Ha! Absolutely!! Give us some dates that work & tell us what you want to eat! Let’s break this baby in!
Score major points for such functional pieces! It all looks so bright and clean. Oh and congrats on your new contributing gig
What kind of lens and setting do you use for your pictures? I’m amazed at all the light!
Thanks, Erin! I have a Canon 5D Mk II & I used a 16-35mm lens w/ 3 external flashes. I can’t remember my settings, but I usually shoot between 4.0 and 10.0 for aperture and try to keep my ISO as low as possible (for this shot it was prob between 1000 and 2000). It was dark outside, so I really needed lots of light!
What a cool table! It’d be perfect in a small room or apartment because it’s multi-functional. Awesome job!
Thanks, Chelsea!! Btw, anyone who hasn’t seen her blog, it is totally amazing!! Go check her out over at http://www.twotwentyone.net/!
Very feng shui! You are on your way to multi-use like this guy in this famous Hong Kong clip.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Lg9qnWg9kak&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLg9qnWg9kak
Thanks, Jenn! I LOVE the way he uses the transforming walls in his house — such an inspiration!!
I’m really liking your blog.So I am now following
according2sharon.blogspot.com
Thank you, Sharon!
SUPER ideas–we have a very narrow dining room, but I’ve got a table in there with butterfly leaves. It’s just very hard to get around the table if there are people sitting in the chairs :-/ One thing I wonder about is when the table is opened…is it a problem having the innards of the end drawers exposed? Thanks!
Thanks, Kimberly! We haven’t had any issues with the exposed drawers, but I think I may eventually add side panels just for aesthetic purposes.
Those designs look awesome! I was wanting to create something like this. I found different table types here: http://www.foldingchairsandtables.com, but the storage underneath yours is what I love most.
Thanks so much, Anna!