Creating a beautiful, functional dining area in a small or oddly shaped apartment can be challenging. However, you can do it if you consider these tips on how to create the perfect modern apartment dining space.
Typical challenges in an apartment dining area include limited space, awkward angles, tiny kitchens, and sparse natural light. You can work around all these things if you put your mind to it, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either. So when you’re thinking about how to create the perfect modern apartment dining space, consider these options. Whether you want a mid-century modern or contemporary appearance, these tips can help you.
Choose Round or Oval Tables
It’s easier to add an extra chair around an oval or round table. That way, no one has to straddle a leg or get poked in the belly by a sharp table corner. Round tables are versatile, too, as far as the seating you can pair with them.
Glass-topped tables give a sense of lightness and space. You can cover them with a tablecloth for meals, but uncover them during the day to make the table seem like it’s consuming less space.
Try Benches or Banquettes
A bench against a wall or an L- or U-shaped banquette can define a dining space while combining it with a kitchen. Don’t be shy about shoving a bench against a wall or under a window. You’ll add enough seating without taking up too much space.
Counter Height Dining
For small apartments, consider combining the kitchen and dining areas with a counter that can serve as a bar, dining surface, and prep area. Use contemporary counter height stools for seating; when not in use, these stools can stow right up against or under the counter, saving space.
Multi-Function Furniture
If you choose to go with benches for seating, make sure they double as storage. You can find benches with a hinged top and space underneath to stow extra pillows, linens, or books. As for the round or oval tables, select drop-leaf or expandable versions so you can collapse or expand them as needed. Chairs with coasters can double as office chairs when you work or use the table for crafts.
Mirrors and Light
One of the challenges of how to create the perfect modern apartment dining space is determining how to define your dining space as a separate, functional area while you avoid creating a claustrophobic feeling.
Use mirrors to reflect light and unify the décor between the dining and living areas while also marking the dining area as a separate space with a different function. Hang a chandelier or another pendant light fixture over the dining table to create a separate feeling for the dining space.
Take advantage of windows as sources of natural light to make the dining area seem bigger. A clean, uncovered window draws the eye to the outdoors, opening the space to make you feel less cramped when clustered around a small table for an intimate meal.
Consistent Color Scheme
The odds are that in an apartment, even a spacious one, the dining area will open onto or share space with another functional area, like the kitchen or living room. You can create a unifying flow by using a consistent color scheme and style in the two areas.
Define Space With Rugs or Art
Even if your dining area is a tiny tulip table for two, you can formalize it a bit with an area rug underneath that marks the space as a separate area devoted to sharing a meal. Choose a rug that complements but doesn’t copy the style or colors of your other floor coverings.
Size and Scale
Often, people make the mistake of thinking that if you have a small space, your furniture must also be small. Luckily, that’s not true. You can choose a statement dining table for an apartment that serves as a focal point as well as a work, entertaining, or creative space.
However, one tip is not to match a statement table with oversized chairs. Let the table speak for itself, and surround it with more minimal, clean-lined chairs that are comfortable without being bulky. Opt for mid-century modern chairs that use spare forms with curves or unembellished legs. You could even try transparent chairs with colorful seat cushions or cane chairs with spindle arms and legs that have texture but not a lot of bulk.
Style
Your apartment expresses who you are, what you like, and how you prefer to live. There are no hard and fast rules for choosing furnishings, artworks, or textiles for your décor. Your taste will often determine if you go for a unifying palette, an era for your furnishings, or an eclectic mix and match approach.
When trying to create the perfect modern apartment dining space, leave room for experimentation. The table will be your primary choice, but you can thrift and switch out chairs, benches, wall art, and mirrors until the area feels right to you.
Take Time To Shop
Don’t feel pressured to complete your entire apartment in one fell swoop. Shop online for contemporary home furnishings and choose one or two pieces that call to you. It seems obvious that the table would be your first choice for a dining area, but it doesn’t have to be. You could fall in love with a particular style of chair or stool and build your dining area’s aesthetic around it.
Materials
A modern apartment can combine all types of materials, both traditional and contemporary. You can pair a wood table with metal or plastic chairs. A glass table looks great with colorful plastic, metal-framed, or wood chairs. Also, don’t forget about leather as an accent or upholstery option.
In the dining area, use wall space to display a gallery of photos or a piece of textile art that adds depth and contour.
If you aren’t sure how to decorate your apartment to include a dining area, consult an interior design professional for advice on diagramming your space and selecting pieces that express your style.
