Kimberly sent us an email: "Dear AT, I've lived in my townhouse for a year and can't figure out how to set up my dining area. The space doesn't lend itself to a traditional seating format because of the large wooden bar and the patio doors directly across - so it's a wide and narrow space...
(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: newyork(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
...I think the room will feel off-center if I set up the kind of dining room I want: I would love to have a dining table with a sofa or bench along the wall to the left and some sort of bar area on the right, but I'm not sure if that will leave the center feeling too empty. I'm hoping to come up with a creative solution that won't leave the room feeling off-balance.
Attached are a few pictures. The first one shows the furniture I currently have (two of those Pottery Barn wine racks and a dining room table - no chairs), I'm not committed to anything. The others show the old owner's furniture, but also the location of the large wooden bar.
Thanks,
Kim"
Anyone?
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Seems that this space would work better with a couple of tall wing chairs angled on either side of your round pedestal table (remove the leaf and place a small table lamp, books, vase of flowers, etc. on it - more like a library) and keep a couple of side chairs you could leave against the wall and pull up from time to time, plus the stools at the bar. Make this a place where you could relax with a glass of wine and a book, etc.
I'd definately put the tall cabinets next to one another on one side of the room and a buffet with a mirror above on the opposite side.
One of the other issues you have is that the French Doors open inwards and you are forced to keep floor space open for them to swing - Long-term, I'd investigate having a carpenter come out and flip the doors so that they open out rather than in.
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My very first thought was to hang curtains across the french doors. You can keep them open for a casual dining room look, or pull them close for a soft wall/ more formal dining area feel.
view MelissaLeigh's profile
Is the countertop bar itself symetrical? It doesn't appear so in the pictures. If it isn't, then I like your idea. Perhaps with a drop leaf table, so most of the floor space is open. I don't think open space is a problem as much as a blocked feeling with the doors. I would put a cushioned back on it to give it visual height (and comfort).
view 42rocky's profile