Creating the perfect dining space

Your kitchen dining space really is the heart of the home. A multi-functional hub where you can gather with friends, family, and your children, it provides a place for eating, socialising, and for some – work! With this in mind, it’s essential to get the layout of the space just right.

Take into consideration size

The size of your space will ultimately give way to the final design of your kitchen. Smaller kitchens are best suited to breakfast bars and small tables that are integrated with your cabinet design and storage space.

Think about layout

Is open plan your thing or would you prefer a partial divide? It’s also a good idea to zone off areas to ensure your kitchen has a good flow.

Consider materials and lighting

For more traditional kitchens, wood is a great option for your dining space. If you’re going for a modern breakfast bar, why not opt for Corian – for something sleek and stylish?

The lighting around your dining area also needs to be good. You don’t want it to be too bright – instead you want to create ambient lighting by layering your light. Layered lighting is also very useful if you’re using your space for other activities – such as work.

Keep things clean and uncluttered

If you’re opting for a kitchen diner, you’re likely to have a lot going on in the space. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to conceal all your pots and pans and integrate appliances for a more relaxing, uncluttered, streamlined look.

Our top design ideas

If you’re still struggling to decide what you want your dining space to look like, why not be inspired by some of our customer kitchens?

In this modern kitchen, a 80mm feature breakfast bar was added for casual dining. This gave the room a more informal and sociable feel – but by using stylish materials like Corian, the final result was still modern and upmarket too.

A variety of dining spaces were included in this family kitchen. A small breakfast bar area was tucked on the end of the kitchen island and a large, separate dining table was added to seat the whole family. This really highlighted the size of the room and open-plan feel of the kitchen.

For this traditional style kitchen, getting the materials right were key to creating the perfect dining space. A stunning old, oak table was added for more formal dining, and a smaller, round table was cut into the kitchen island for quick eats and breakfast time.

This innovative kitchen design reveals that you don’t have to stick to traditional shapes and colours when it comes to your dining space. A curved island bar added real wow factor and has proven to be great for all those social events. The monochrome colour scheme and crisp white table top also throw something a little different into the mix.

If you’re feeling all inspired by today’s kitchens, why not come and chat to one of our design experts at a Kitchen Design Centre showroom? You can find the locations of our kitchen showrooms here. We’ll be able to talk you through all our latest designs and identify exactly the right style of dining space for your home.

What does your dining space look like? Tell us in the comments below or share your pictures with us over on Twitter @ModernKitchens