7 Layout Tricks to Help You Squeeze a Dining Area Into a Small Living Room

PublishedDec 4, 2024 1:45 AM EST

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Sign Up for Domino’s Newsletter

By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to ourTerms of Useand1 acknowledge the data practices in ourPrivacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

When dining out, my boyfriend and I almost always choose the bar over a table or booth. We like the closeness it brings,2 the easy access to the bartender doesn’t hurt, and with a clear view of the kitchen, it feels like dinner and a show. Back at our studio apartment, the story is different. I dream of a proper dining table we can dress with colorful linens, one where we can spread out when friends visit.

At present, we eat at a two-person, bar-height peninsula because I’ve yet to solve how to fit a dining table into the ad3jacent living area, already crowded with a sectional, coffee table, dresser, and desk. Yet the single empty corner nearest the kitchen still gives me hope of transforming it into a dining nook. Needing to visualize how a living-dining combo might actually play out in a small space, I began collecting images of others’ clever layouts, including Georgie Stogdon’s cozy London home (pictured above). Here are the rooms I studied and the lessons I gathered along the way.