A Genius Dining Solution For Your Tiny Dining Room-Less Home

Dining rooms are a luxury many of us don’t have, but we all need spots to sit and eat—and extra spots for our guests to sit and eat! This super-clever and equally approachable DIY will allow you to create a whole new “room” in the very smallest of spaces.

Tiffany of Offbeat & Inspired found herself without enough seating for dinner guests, so she cleverly converted an unused corner into the world’s sweetest and smallest dining room. Let’s hear how her “cafe corner” came about:

We don’t have room for a dining room table anymore. I LOVE having people over for meals, so this conundrum has been on my mind for a few weeks. I decided that since the living room with 2 sofas and a big coffee table has the most seating right now, adding more seating and table space to that room would be my best bet. Sure, everyone won’t be able to sit together like we could at the big house, but we’d at least all be in the same room.

As the bases of the stools are 17″x17″, it’s as if an entire room was added in less than a foot and a half — creating the lowest-profile, smallest-footprint dining space imaginable.

The genius of this nook is that it can add more eating space for dinner parties, but it also provides the perfect, intimate spot for romantic meals for two. The configuration allows the diners to sit closely together (without being cramped), but the best part is that it faces them away from the rest of the home. No matter how much we love our homes, it can be nice to get out once in a while, and dining while gazing out the window is almost like being in a restaurant. And so much cheaper and more convenient!

Another valuable bit from this post is the reminder to steal style tips from our favorite establishments and bring our favorite aspects of beloved bars, restaurants, shops, libraries, and cafes home:

I’ve been drooling over cafe interiors for a long time now . . . I love how the styles can differ so much from place to place, yet they all share the common threads of cozy, comfortable and inspiring. With inviting nooks to set up camp and read, snooze, chat, drink, or whatever your busy self needs at the moment, it’s a breeding ground for relaxation and creativity — a vibe that can and should exist in a home.

And while the goal of adding seating for dinner gatherings was certainly accomplished, so much more than just a dining room was gained:

Now there’s extra seating and eating space in the living room, AND I have myself a new work spot, breakfast nook, or a comfortable place to unwind while I enjoy my view of downtown Lexington with a hot cup of tea.

Those of us who work from home constantly need new work spots, so well done there.

Definitely check out Offbeat & Inspired’s The Cafe Corner post, complete with thorough instructions for building your very own cafe corner.