Certain spaces in your home can serve multiple purposes. A guest room could also serve as a nursery when needed. A bedroom is a place for rest but also could serve as a home office. In many cases, a living room also serves as a dining room.
If you want to create a dining space in your living room, this guide can help. Soon, you’ll have a space for the family to enjoy meals together or for you to host the next group get-together. Coco Republic has unique pieces to help create the living room/dining room combo space of your dreams.
Benefits of a Combined Living and Dining Room
Many homes do not have traditional dining rooms, but you can create a space with the same function in another room.
Dining spaces are a good place to commune with your family — it’s even scientifically proven that having a meal with your family benefits everyone involved and creates a healthier household.
Creating a Combined Living Room/Dining Space
There are a few easy steps you can follow to get ready for your next group meal and create a dining area in your living room.
Find the Right Table
The most essential item for any dining area is your table. This furnishing will provide a place for you and your family or guests to place the beautiful bounty of the food you will share, and it is the main piece that will designate the difference between a living space and a dining space.
The size of the table you choose depends on a few factors. If you’ve got a large family or plan to host large groups of guests, we suggest a larger table that will seat six to eight people.
An option like our Madre Wishbone Live Edge Dining Table meets that size requirement with a level of grace and elegance that will uplift your entire space. Crafted with sustainably sourced timber, each iteration of this table is utterly unique and will bring the beauty of the natural world into your home. The black iron legs add a touch of industrialism to the design, which can be further heightened with our Mala Alabaster Pendant above.
Even if you have a smaller space, there are plenty of ways to choose the perfect table to combine a dining room and living space.
Start with a smaller table — ideally one that seats two to four people. To save even more space, we recommend going for a round table like our Flex Marble Dining Table. The forged steel at the base provides an interesting visual accent, while the sleek white marble atop it ensures that you can pair it with a wealth of other textures and materials.
A round table allows you to add and remove chairs as needed, and the circular shape creates the illusion of taking up less space, thanks to the lack of sharp edges.
You could also choose to repurpose a side table as your dining table in order to save a bit more room. An option like our Vertu Marble Side Table creates the illusion of space, thanks to the open base. You can push it against the wall to create more space and further separate the dining area from the living room area.
Pick the Perfect Chairs To Match
Picking out your chairs will depend on a few factors. If you’re using your dining space to host elegant gatherings, you can opt for something intricate in design, such as Coco Republic’s modular Phoenix Dining Chair. This piece combines curving lines and light upholstery for a design that would look attractive with the Flex Marble Table.
If you prefer simpler designs, the sleek woven leather of our Milano Woven Dining Chair would be a lovely accompaniment to the Madre Wishbone Live Edge table, especially if you plan to host a larger number of guests.
The placement of your chairs and tables will help you further distinguish your dining area from your living room area. If you’ve placed your table against a wall, line up the chairs with their backs to the living room furniture in order to create more of a separation. However, if you’re not aiming to save space, the tip below should prove helpful.
Choose a Stunning Rug for Under Your Dining Table
Rugs in dining spaces add a beautiful design element and pop of color, but they are also the perfect way to create the illusion of a separate space. By placing a rug underneath your dining table and chairs but not your living room furniture, you can visually segment the space.
Ensure your rug is always larger than your table, and choose a color and design that complements the furniture you have already chosen.
There are many different materials you can choose from when selecting a hardy rug for a dining room, but our favorite for the dining room is jute. The Musa Abaca Rug is chunky and on-trend, which makes it perfected for elevated style.
This material is easy to clean and hard to damage. It doesn’t absorb stains like wool or fabric, making for the perfect rug for an environment made for eating. This material is also sustainable and eco-friendly, so it aligns with our standards. As an added bonus, it pairs particularly well with the Madre Wishbone Live Edge Dining Table we mentioned above.
If you prefer a statement rug that’s one-of-a-kind and unique, just like your space, our Vintage Overdye Rug is what you need. Each rug is sourced from all over the world and can be chosen according to your exact specifications. This rug is truly a treasure that will elevate your space like no other piece can.
Use Lighting To Designate Space
A beautiful statement chandelier can both help light your dining space and separate it visually from your living room, while still melding seamlessly with the rest of your room.
Our Versailles Chandelier is a luxe glass lighting piece that is both contemporary and timeless. The layered rows of glass bring to mind ages past, but the matte metal of the frame anchors it firmly in the present. When placed above a dining table, you can create a sense of enduring elegance.
Our Patras Alabaster Pendant combines unique alabaster hemispheres and bold brass metal to create a more modern style. The shapes that make up this piece are decidedly contemporary, making this chandelier a focal point that will draw the eye.
If chandeliers are a bit too permanent for you, tall floor lamps placed in your living room area can create a warm, cozy feel. Those who are more adventurous might choose the Heydar Resin Floor Light. Standing with all the stature of a skyscraper, this light-colored lamp features geometric cut-outs that will distribute light in interesting ways throughout the room.
If you prefer something simpler that still adds elegance, our Element Alabaster Floor Lamp is for you. It comes in stunning brass and sleek alabaster combination to complete any corner of your living room/dining room space.
Using Furniture Layout To Portion off Spaces
If you’re working with a living and dining room combined space, you should get familiar with some ways to portion off those spaces to make it easy to keep track of what space is for dining and what space is for relaxing.
The best way to break up spaces in a home is with furniture. Having your sofa face away from the dining area will break the space up effortlessly with a clear divider of where the living space begins and where it ends. You can also use chairs like our modern Miami Occasional Chair and a coffee table to create a cozier, potentially smaller living room space, allowing more room for the dining room to shine.
Another fantastic way to format your furniture is by using a sectional to quarter off a room. This clearly defines lines to where the living and relaxing space is allocated. It makes it clear that the dining space is elsewhere and not a part of this portion of the room. We suggest using our Soren Modular Sofa to provide a hint of softness and comfort while simultaneously helping you divide your two spaces.
Creating the Living/Dining Room Combo of Your Dreams
We created this guide to make sure you are prepared when you tackle your next living and dining room combo. When it comes time to put our suggestions into practice, be sure to check out all the living and dining room furniture Coco Republic has to offer.
Sources:
Why the Family Meal Is Important | Stanford Children's
Jute and hard fibers | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
13 Rules to Arrange Living Room Furniture for TVs, Tables & More | The Spruce
