Interior designer Janice Kanter often found herself writing bills or setting up her laptop in her dining room – “at the most uncomfortable table and chairs” in her Arlington, Va., home.
The cozy space right off the kitchen has great light and a view of the living room fireplace, so she liked to settle in there rather than at a much larger table that seats eight in the family room at the back of the house.
After more than a decade of walking through the front door and seeing a dining room never used for dining, Kanter – vice president of Theodore’s contemporary furniture store in Georgetown – decided to create a “nest-ier, chill-out room” filled with stylish furnishings and art.
She jettisoned a dining table and six chairs for two generous wing chairs, custom-ordered with legs four inches higher than normal so she could lounge or pull them up to work at a small round pedestal table.
A low “totem bench” holds African carvings, a galvanized steel bookcase displays design magazines, and a potted palm adds color and texture. Recessed lights make it easy to read or write; a floor lamp sets the mood.
Kanter says a number of her clients are remaking their homes to fit their lifestyles. Young condo dwellers with limited space use barstools at kitchen counters for casual dining and buy oversize coffee tables and floor cushions for entertaining. For people with larger homes, “there is no living room and no dining room, just knocked-out, eat-in kitchens and a great room that can accommodate a table.”
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Having a separate dining room is not an option for interior designer Nestor Santa-Cruz. His apartment near the National Cathedral measures 650 square feet, including the bedroom.
But it’s just as well, he says, because “I don’t cook. When I have dinners, I get carryout.”
The area originally intended for dining in the L-shaped main room serves several functions. Most days, a 19th-century walnut table is topped by favorite artifacts, ceramic pieces and flowers. When the designer needs work space, he puts aside the decorative elements and uses the 45-inch-square table for drafting. When friends come for cocktails, “one side of the tabletop flips up and becomes a sideboard. And it has a hidden compartment for storing silver and napkins.”
To accommodate a dinner for two, a pair of antique French chairs are pulled up, says Santa-Cruz, who works at SKB Architecture and Design in Northwest Washington. A foursome means two extra seats are brought in from the bedroom.
Such multi-tasking in a space that others might reserve for dining “works for my lifestyle,” he says. “I think the last time I actually cooked a meal for someone was three years ago.”
