In the UK, we’re blessed with a rich diversity of housing from spacious new builds to character-drenched period properties. This means there’s a suitable living situation out there for everyone, or at the very least a huge variety in the ways we can set up and inhabit our interiors. With a combined living and dining room, it’s especially true; after all, there’s the potential for multifunctionality, eyewatering décor layering and, of course, interesting ways of zoning the area. So, whether you have a large open-plan space or you’re compromising on a missing dining room, make the most of the combo, using these nifty living room diner ideas from the interior designers at Evelyn Lily.
This guide at a glance:
Dining Table in the Living Room? Here’s How to Make the Combo Work For You
If you’re reading this, there are a couple of angles you might be approaching the living x dining room combo conundrum from:
- You’ve a large, open-plan space to play with
- Your compact living situation won’t allow you a separate dining room
- You’re part of the global demographic shaking off the need for a separate dining space.
Whichever sounds most familiar, don’t let the blueprints curtail your dinner party plans. No matter the square footage or the unorthodoxy of the layout, the initial steps remain the same and your goals achievable. As we’ll spell out in a moment, the secret lies in working cleverly with what you’ve got, rather than squishing in your living room furniture or simply scaling down the dining table.
Overcoming the Initial Hurdles
Coming to terms with a fiddly interior configuration is never fun. With the particular challenges posed by integrating your dining area into the living space, it can be especially head-scratching. Irregardless of size, you might worry about the dining table diminishing your Netflix experience, the view to the TV compromised. Then there’s the problem of blocking doors and navigating the room to contend with, not to mention the challenge of pinpointing a living room focal point when the layout is complicated with additional furniture making up the two disparate functional zones.
In a large open-plan space, your concerns might be more akin to the overwhelm attached to the blank slate of an unfurnished area, but remember, with this you have an advantage – the freedom to zone the space as per your priorities. On the flipside, those living in a pint-sized apartment or old-fashioned terrace might struggle to hatch a dining plan when there is very little square footage to work with. Whatever the case, it’s best to stay open-minded.
Sometimes you’ve got to come at it like a diplomat; you’ve got to get pragmatic, find the hidden compromises and become inventive with your choices. This might look like finding more unusual, multipurpose furniture or straying off the beaten track with the placement.
Making the Most of the Layout
To achieve the most convenient living room diner set-up, you’ve got to make every inch count. From being selective about the types of dining chairs you pick to making bold choices like positioning your seating in front of the window, there are many ways to carve out a dining area within your living room that don’t involve simply plonking a table against the wall.
A helpful technique for kicking things off is to draw up a quick sketch of the room and divide it into natural sections, thinking really carefully about what you could do with each chunk. Is there a nook you could convert into a mini dining area – e.g., under the stairs or by a bay window? It might be prudent to keep in mind that the flow of traffic doesn’t have to remain in straight lines either. Another thing to keep in mind is the direction of natural light. Where will it fall at different times of the day? Are there steps you can take to improve how it illuminates each zone?
Getting Your Storage Down to a Tee
When it comes to ergonomics and style, it’s a bit of a chicken and the egg situation. Without the correct amount of storage, your interiors can become too cluttered to ever look stylish, and without a flair for design, you’ll miss out on the best space-saving techniques. This is all to say that investing in the right storage – console tables, cupboards, shelving and the like – is a key step to ensuring things go right for your living room diner.
We talk about this a little in our guide to tackling long, narrow living rooms but it’s worth repeating here too – never skimp out on wall storage. With any combination of tall bookcases, wall-mounted or free-standing display units and open shelving, you free up so much more of the floor, which helps relieve that cramped feeling.
Finding a Dining Table that Suits the Living Room
Your choice of dining table creates a ripple effect that touches every aspect of your living room diner design ideas, from the overall aesthetic feel to which dining table centrepieces will match. Thus, it plays a pivotal role in the early design stages.
We have already pulled together a buyer’s guide for picking the right dining table, covering all aspects of the decision process (tabletop materials, leg styles and measurements included), so you might want to check that out next. We also gathered together a list of the cleverest dining tables for small spaces, which is a must-read if your dwelling is a Victorian-era terrace or something similar.
10 Dining Room Living Room Combination Ideas
With our (let’s be real) incredible preliminary advice out of the way, it’s time to dive into some practical examples. Here are 10 impactful living room diner ideas that prove that with a bit of extra thought, you can find ways of arranging furniture together in your combined living dining room that look like they’re just meant to be. Now, let’s get our thinking caps on.
1. Utilise the Area Behind the Sofa
Remember the qualms we mentioned about potentially blocking your view of the TV? Consider that problem solved. By placing your dining table behind the sofa, rather than more centrally as is traditionally done, you can avoid creating distractions where they’re not wanted (i.e., between the sofa and media wall). Plus, it’s much easier to blend the mealtime area into the rest of the scheme. For instance, you might want to opt for a more console-adjacent table you can style as a cabinet when not in use. Simply, push your bench or stools under the table for the ultimate concealment.
2. Try Banquette Style Seating
Those partial to the Parisian café style will absolutely love this living room diner idea. If you’re not in the know, banquette seating is a type of fixed seating arrangement that’s like a long, upholstered bench but built up against the wall. Typically, they’re upholstered, provided a booth-like feel, and are an extremely popular choice for breakfast nooks, as you can have them custom made to a particular spot in your room. When it comes to a narrow living dining room combo, this is great – L-shaped, curved or even a two-seater length strip would fit in nicely without overwhelming the set-up.
3. Go Ham with the Zoning
This one’s for all the open-plan lovers! A zoning approach, whether you opt to build-up your décor to carve out a distinct dining space or physically break up the room with screens, partial or partition walls, attaching visual motifs to the dining and entertainment zones will help to bridge the gap between the two, whilst maintaining a sense of cohesion. When these larger changes aren’t feasible or it’s not safe to completely knock out a wall, you can try a few tricks with the lighting and soft furnishings.
These last two living room diner ideas are key to rekindling the energy. With the right mix of task, ambient and accent lighting, and, of course, a snugly rug, you can draw the eye to particular spots and create the right environment for reading, relaxing or chowing down on your dinner. Plus, a statement pendant light over the dining table makes for an art installation in of itself and provides an interesting focal point.
4. Make Room with Bifold Doors & Corner Shelving
There are many clever ways to earn back square footage and allow for a pleasing day-to-day living experience, but we couldn’t divulge them all, otherwise this blog post would become a tome! So, here are just two that make a world of difference.
First up, rethink your doors. If they’re constantly getting in the way of your dining nook or there’s not quite enough space to squeeze by comfortably, turning them around on their hinges or opting for a bifold alternative, could work wonders and especially in a new build living room. Imagine that – no more worrying about spilling your cuppa when you’re navigating the corners of the table. And speaking of corners, use them! From circular tables with slimline chairs to folding corner display units, there are plenty of furnishings that can slot right in.
5. Don’t Be Scared to Partially Block Windows
You might view blocking the windows as a cardinal sin of interior design, but when space is at a premium, sometimes it’s better to hedge your bets and try something new. If you have a massive window or glass door out into the garden or balcony, you’ll find that it won’t look clunky at all. As long as you can slip through comfortably, consider it a job well done.
6. Go for the Storage Bench x Table Combo
This living room diner idea is a classic for a reason. Pairing the most compact seat of them all with hidden storage for your tea towels, utensils and other knick-knacks, it’s a smile-inducing solution to a cramped interior. Not only does it free up precious floor space, but with its lack of arms, things will look crisp, neat and airy – exactly what you want in a minimalist or country-style living room scheme.
7. Float the Furniture
In an awkward living room layout, such as those that seem to stretch out forever, it’s best to resist the urge to pop your furniture up against the walls. Instead, you should aim to float a long, rectangular dining table up alongside the sofa, so both sit in the centre of the room. Another way to spice things up is to opt for accent armchairs instead of your basic dining chairs; here, you can introduce a more distinct sense of personality, so your living room diner reads more professionally.
8. Use Your Walls
Your walls aren’t just the confines of the space – not at all – rather they’re also a convenient tool for storage, styling and functionality all in one place. Strategic in-built shelving units, wall galleries, mounted lamps, benches, tables and a whole host of other seating types make their home up on or against the walls. While many furniture aficionados ward against putting furniture up against the wall, lest it throws the space off balance, in moderation it can work and especially in larger, wider spaces.
9. Create a Dining Nook
Dining nooks are perhaps one of the most effortless ways to inject authentic character to new build properties. By introducing a functional island for eating, not only do they disrupt the flatness of a rectangular room by creating a sense of movement for your eyes to follow, but their nestled appearance is reminiscent of classic European bistros. You can indulge in that fantasy even further by positioning the nook by a window or wherever gets the most sunlight. Charming doesn’t cover it!
10. Nest Those Tables
Finally, let’s talk about nesting tables. These convenient pieces of furniture are exactly what you think they are – tables that slot into each other like nesting dolls – and in a small living room x dining room combo situation, they’re a godsend. Blending into numerous layout ideas, easily moved about the room depending on your needs and a brilliant companion to sofa snacking, they make your life so much easier. Psst: want some styling ideas for when they’re not in use? Then check out our guide on the topic.
It’s Time to Finesse That Dining Room Living Room Combo!
Alas, that’s all the ideas we could muster up to help you on your way towards mastering the ultra-ergonomic dining room living room combination. Take on board all of the learnings here, add a pinch of creativity and don’t forget to stay true to your personal style – tick off all three, and finessing this hybrid space will be a piece of cake!
If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge, though, or perhaps still harbour a hankering after more inspiration and interior advice, your next stop should be the rest of our design blog. From decision fatigue busting buyer’s guides to helpful styling tips, we really do have it all.
