How Do You Use Your Dining Spaces?

How do you design and execute a beautiful, functional, and streamlined renovation? You ask the right questions. At Lee Kimball, our first focus is not on a home’s physical space, but on the people who live there.

You can invest in a renovation that looks beautiful in photos but simply doesn’t work for you. Take a home’s dining spaces, whether they consist of a set-off formal dining room, an open area off the kitchen, an island or table in the kitchen, or a combination of these. When we sit down with our clients at our very first appointment, the in-home consultation, we ask a simple question: “How do you use your dining spaces?”  The answer goes to the heart of how our clients want their home to “live.” It’s important to think beyond the parameters or limitations of the existing floor plan to explore the natural rhythms of daily living. 

Every family has their own unique way of living and relating in their dining spaces. Here are just a few scenarios that our clients have shared:

• It’s all about the kitchen. We love to cook and decompress as a family at the in-kitchen table or island.

• We enjoy throwing dinner parties in our formal dining room but also want an easy flow for mingling.
• We throw casual gatherings and want our guests to have access to multiple seating/congregating areas.
• We’re sports fans, so a large TV screen is a must near our dining areas, especially on the weekends when we often have friends over to watch the game.
• We only need a single dining space. With multiple dining areas, including a formal dining room and informal kitchen table, we have areas we rarely need or use.
• Cooking isn’t really our thing, but we do love a nice bar area and lots of gathering spaces for entertaining.

By first focusing on the client and not the space, we can get a clear picture of what we need to consider in designing a renovation that seamlessly integrates with their lifestyle. The results are often remarkably transformative. Consider this metamorphosis. Instead of the addition the client thought was needed, we were able to transform a dated and compartmentalized floor plan into a light and airy modern kitchen complete with a stunning island.

Interested in seeing more examples of how our “people first” approach results in spaces that not only look beautiful, but live well? Check out more of our stunning dining and kitchen area renovations.

Are you interested in exploring how to make your home work better for you? Get in touch for a complimentary in-home consultation.