We’ve noticed a trend, lately, of large dining tables smack in the middle of kitchens. We've seen many a dinette set or breakfast table worked into a kitchen space, but we're seeing more and more full dining setups in the center of this often utilitarian space. Whether we have previously failed to take note of this bold furniture placement in rooms, or if it is a new trend toward merging the kitchen and dining areas, we think we like it…
Being able to claim neither a full kitchen nor a dining room, we are quite envious of the opportunity to work with large, even oversized furniture. Kim has documented her entire kitchen remodel over at Desire To Inspire, and we were interested to see her choice of a large dining table for six, directly in the middle of her newly open kitchen. We didn’t expect to see such a dominant piece, afraid it might disrupt the flow of the kitchen, but we absolutely love it. She has worked a great, large seating arrangement into a warm and inviting kitchen and seems to still have plenty of room to navigate while cooking.
Perhaps we’re looking a little harder now, but we came across another great example of a sizable dining table in the kitchen in the March issue of Livingetc. Annick Lestrohan and Bernard Colombani have converted an old factory into a home, and placed an old haberdasher’s table just parallel to their countertops. The dining chairs are upholstered in a colorful floral, which brings a bright upholstered accent to a stainless, modern kitchen. It seems very inviting and gives this industrial space a warm touch.
If and when we find ourselves in a space with a bit more than 200 square feet, we’ll definitely consider this arrangement of furniture. It seems to add a sense of community and entertainment to the kitchen. What do you think?
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Comments (23)
"We’ve noticed a trend, lately, of large dining tables smack in the middle of kitchens."
That is one of the the oddest statements I've ever read on AT. Why are you asserting that a dining table "smack in the middle" of a kitchen is somehow strange or unusual? Most people with large kitchens, commonly known in the U.S. as "eat-in" kitchens, put a dining table in them. Lots of modern kitchens have an island and bar-top for dining, but this table-in-the-kitchen thing is rather old school, not so new-fangled.
What's more interesting about these photos IMO is the lovely use of textiles.
This is a trend? Slow day in SF today?
majority of "apartments" don't have a seperate formal dining room...
Isn't this what folks did for hundreds of years before someone in the 20th-century kitchen-cabinetry business invented "Peninsulas" and "Kitchen Islands"?
They used big wooden tables in the center of their kitchens to roll out pastry and bread dough, butcher meats, chop vegetables, stuff birds...
...and once the meal was ready, they pulled up the chairs and ate.
Next thing you know - We'll be hearing about the "New" trend for fireplaces in the kitchen...
I've noticed this lately too! What's interesting to me is when there is a large dining table placed in the middle of a kitchen, when there is often a large dining room nearby which also has a large table (3rd photo, for example). I disagree that "most" people with large kitchens put a table in them... I've seen far more islands than tables, until just recently.
I can see where AT is coming from. There has been a big trend away from kitchen tables and toward islands with seating bars.
We eat all of our meals at our small kitchen table. It's standard table height, but I would prefer a counter-height table with stools that fit underneath.
The chairs get in the way of cupboard doors, and the table is too low for prep work (might be ok for shorter people).
I would actually love a trend towards putting fireplaces back in the kitchen. I saw one in a cooking show that had the fireplace near waist-height, which seems like it would be awfully convenient and fun when you wanted to do a little cooking on the fire or just enjoy the view.
It's nice, but I still prefer an island with stools. That's how I was raised!
I've seen some new condo designs here in Vancouver with a one-sided linear kitchen, as opposed to galley style or L shaped. I think it would look really great, if you can keep it spotless. :-)
Here's a link to floorplans in the development I'm thinking of:
http://www.lumenvancouver.com/pdf/fpsample.pdf
I think they are very space efficient and feel open, compared to the ones with bars/stools plus tables.
SO much better to have a table than a kitchen island.
Thanks for posting photos of my new kitchen! I was left with no choice but to design the kitchen so that the dining table was in the middle because my house is small (about 900 sq ft) and there is no designated dining room.
kimg924 (& others),
Most eat-in kitchens have a designated eat-in area, and it's usually only big enough for a table that seats about 4-6. I think the point of this topic is that the table is actually in the midst of the action and the tables are the size you would usually find in a dining room.
I can tell you right now that the kitchens in the two pics would never work for my family. We have an eat-in kitchen, and whether it's just me, my mom & sisters or our extended family, we are usually gathered in the kitchen. Often someone is busy cooking, others are sitting at the table or leaning against cabinets. Those tables being so close to the counters and cooking areas would be soooo in the way. They look ok in the pics, but imagine trying to open the oven and check or remove food inside with people sitting at the table behind you-- there'd be no room. Plus, the tables make the room feel crowded and there aren't even any people in it.
I don't think I would like having a full-sized dining table in my kitchen. I move a lot when I cook and I feel like it would be in the way, and I wouldn't be able to use it for prep work because it would be too low. plus I would always be catching my leg on those corners (or am I the only clutz?). but mostly, by the time I finish cooking, there's often a bit of a mess I haven't had the chance to get to yet, and I'd rather not eat by it. a small, 'breakfast table' on one end of the kitchen, no problem, but unless I was very deperate for space, I'd pass on this trend.
re: floor plan
http://www.lumenvancouver.com/pdf/fpsample.pdf
I don't like at all!
Dishwasher next to tv? Terrible, terrible arrangement.
I hope this isn't the new west coast trend. yikes.
My dining table is in my kitchen. Right now it is an ugly IKEA table but I would like to get an old pedestal table (with leaf) some day. If I had a separate dining room I doubt we would use it.
This is the situation that I have right now - I rent a tiny house (approx. 900 sq ft) and there is only a living room, half bath and eat-in kitchen on the first floor. The kitchen cabinets and appliances form an "L" around two kitchen walls, one wall has doors to two large closets (the water heater and HVAC stuff is located in one and the washer and dryer are in the other). The other wall has a window. I moved into this place from a larger rental that had an actual dining room but I kept all of my dining room furniture in the new place and tried to make it work. Initially, I had the dining table flush against the wall with the window but I have recently moved it more into the center of the room to accommodate a small buffet (now covered with houseplants) that I moved to the kitchen from the living room. I also have a china cabinet in one corner, so my kitchen has been lately looking more like a dining room than a kitchen.
I much prefer a dedicated dining room to an eat-in kitchen. I'd rather have a galley kitchen (which I find easier to use than a larger kitchen anyway) and a separate dining room. Right now, everything is arranged so that I can open all of the cabinets (and dishwasher), but it is tricky to make the arrangement work. I find the arrangement of dining room stuff in eat-in kitchen to be more claustrophic than a tiny galley kitchen and I think I entertain less because I don't like the arrangement.
I'm with KWorld--I hate eating around dirty dishes etc. I like a real dining room. Since I live in a loft, we have the space, and fortunately, the kitchen sink view is blocked.
And no, it's not a trend.
When we were remodelling our kitchen, we moved the fridge into the dining room along with a counter (made of the old bits) for toaster oven & hot plate. The dining table was right there in the middle - and there's a fireplace.
I loved it. We have a nice big airy kitchen now (no island by the way!) but living like we were during the work felt so young, resourceful & friendly.
I like it. It's like when I remember growing up, our table in the kitchen where we all sat and ate supper every night. It really makes the kitchen 'the hub' where everyone can gather to eat, do homework, have discussions, etc.
I have a pretty large kitchen with a full-size dining table in it and it annoys me to no end. The chairs rattle about and get in the way, and the table itself is too low for a workspace. As soon as I can afford it, I'm going to get an island with a wood top (to mimic a dining table) and configured to allow seating on three sides. My dining room has wonderful windows and proportion and I want to spend more time eating in it and NOT in the kitchen!
We've always had this - in fact the last time I bought a property my main criteria was the ability to have a kitchen table in the middle of the kitchen - it doesn't get in the way - its not too low for food preparation - and its used for everything from children doing homework through to messy craft projects - I simply couldn't imagine not having a table in the middle of a kitchen and I don't want to have to balance precariously on a stool at an island unit while I'm relaxing over a weekend breakfast and reading the sunday papers - even when we had a formal dining table (as well as a kitchen table, not instead of) we rarely used it - it was a totally wasted area of the house
I agree with above - most apartments do not have formal dining rooms. We have a what is called an "eat in" kitchen (though it's still more on the small side). We just managed to cram a 4ft by 3ft table against a wall and added four chairs around it (two per side).
We have a "country kitchen" with cabinets on one side and a huge table in the middle of the room. There is also a fireplace and we have some free-standing cabinets for overflow. The table is totally the center of family life--where we eat, work, study, read, and cook. It is perfect for us and the house, which is a 1740 farmhouse.
Kim's kitchen photos need MORE CATS 8)!!!!