6 Easy Ways to Carve Out a Dining Area in a Small Space

Even if you don’t have space to set up a full-fledged dining room in your apartment, carving out a little nook in which to sip coffee and enjoy dinner with guests is integral to your life at home. Small space dwellers have shown us that there are plenty of possibilities to get creative when it comes to styling an eating area in the midst of a larger living room or even within a studio apartment.

Utilize an Empty Corner of Your Living Room

Small dining nook with vintage inspired gold table. — HATTIE KOLP

Not sure how to best fill an empty living room corner? Consider placing your dining table there as Hattie Kolp did. Even if your space only allows room for two chairs, the end result is far better than eating every meal at the coffee table. Finish off the look like Kolp did by adding a fun light fixture and some eye-catching art.

Dress It Up With Textiles

Small dining nook against brick wall. — SARAH JACOBSON

To help tie your dining space in with the rest of the living room, dress it up with cozy textiles as Sarah Jacobson did. No guest will mind plopping into a chair flanked with soft sheepskin, that’s for sure.

Hanging a chandelier, as Jacobson did here, helps make this nook feel like more of a distinct room.

Rearrange Furniture

Trendy dining nook with wishbone chairs. — MARIANNE SIDES

Marianne Sides realized that by rearranging a few pieces of furniture around in her living room, she could carve out a little dining spot after all. So, look around your space and strategically evaluate your configuration before ruling out the possibility of a table altogether. A corner that’s currently housing a plant or accent chair can easily be converted into a dining nook.

Add Tons of Décor

Trendy dining nook with dried florals and rattan pendant lights. — LOWE SADDLER

Don’t shy away from decorating your dining nook, even if it’s quite small. Lowe Saddler brought this corner of her home to life through the use of dried flowers, beautiful pendant lighting, a mirror, and even a disco ball. The sky is truly the limit.

Paint an Arch

Dining table in front of black painted arch. — LIZ MALM

Liz Malm painted an arch next to her dining table, which serves a division of space of sorts while adding an artistic touch, of course. Creatively positioning her sofa to section off the living room makes a major impact.

Try a Bistro Table

Minimalistic dining area with two chairs. — NICOLE BLACKMON

There’s no reason you can’t make the most of unused kitchen space and place a small bistro table in the corner. Maximize seating potential by incorporating a small dining bench like Nicole Blackmon did—it takes up much less room than an additional chair and looks very chic.