Last blog I wrote about reworking the dining room in my apartment to create a multipurpose space. I use the room for eating and also reading, painting and sewing. Shelving units moved from my home office provide the storage space for books and dishes.
There are a lot of books and magazines about this topic. So let me dip in.
New Diningroom Design brings a modern esthetic to some fabulous rooms. In this book most of the dining rooms are integrated with other spaces, either kitchen or living areas. You have to spend time studying the rooms because there is no text for clues. Think “a picture is worth a thousand words” for this one.
In Small Spaces: Maximizing Limited Spaces for Living, Elizabeth Wilhide, supplies all the clues. The book begins with design strategies that examine flexible layouts, natural light, extending sight lines and finding hidden spaces and storage. She then embarks on a room-by-room house tour.
It’s interesting to note that Dining Rooms are not on the list. “Eating areas” are integrated into other spaces.
Small-space living is a popular topic with the shelter magazines. The July/August 2011 issue of House Beautiful shows a richly decorated New York studio (650 square feet) where the book-lined entry a
lso doubles as a dining room. This issue is full of tips for making the most of modest places.
Have a look at their Small Space Decorating Workshop for more ideas on multipurpose rooms. The decorating style tends toward traditional or contemporary classic.
Apartment Therapy hosts an annual Small Cool contest where it welcomes submissions from homeowners in four categories ranging from Teeny tiny (1 - 400 square feet) to Small (801 – 1000 square feet).
Apartment Therapy's big book of small, cool spaces is based on the creative solutions to small-space problems by designers and homeowners.