As someone who has been eating every meal either at her desk, on the couch, or sitting outside, I can tell you with enthusiasm that I am so eager for the dining room nook in our new kitchen. Finn and I haven’t always been great at sitting down each night for a family dinner, but now that Rory is eating real food we’re going to make it a priority to eat together as a family each night. And having a large and cozy space to do just that was my goal with our new space.

Dining Room Nook – Inspiration

I’ve always loved built-in banquettes and I’m really excited that we’ll have our own. It makes a space feel intimate and comfy, plus it offers up a lot of storage. My biggest pet peeve about our old kitchen was that the dining area felt so disjointed from the kitchen area. Now that we’ll have our bar area and the dining room nook, it will feel like one cohesive room.

Here are some dining room nooks that really inspired me with our own…

Photo via Amber Interiors

Photo via Katie Hodges Design

And here’s the plan for my space…

Walnut Dining Table // Chairs //  Chandelier // Pillow // Pitcher // Rug  // Gold Pulls // KraftMaid cabinets in the Color “Cottage”

The Storage Bench

We decided to go with drawers for the dining bench. We love the drawers in Rory’s built-ins (photo above) and these will be exactly the same as those, but in the color “Cottage”! We’ll have four large drawers for extra storage. I am not totally sure what we’ll put in there yet, but it sure is nice to know we’ll have lots of space.

As for the cushion, I created a custom window bench cushion through Patio Lane. (It is the same company we used for the bench in Bridget’s kitchen above.) I knew that I wanted a leather looking fabric for the seats so we could easily wipe them down. I ended up choosing their Horizon Marine upholstery fabric from Sunbrella because it’s actually used on boats, so it’s great for spills and water! But it’s soft and subtle enough for indoor use. I also chose the color “Capriccio Toast” for a pretty light brown that will complement the other wood tones in our home. (P.S. If you’re in need of a cushion, use code DIYPLAYBOOK10 for 10% off at Patio Lane).

I went with a 4-inch cushion so it will be super comfy on the booty, along with double welting. Because my bench is so big, it ended up needing three cushions to cover all of it. I can’t wait for them to arrive and to get them all set up in our dining nook area!

The Dining Table & Chairs

Photo via Castlery

I’m partnering with a new-to-me brand, called Castlery, for the dining room table and chairs. They’re a direct-to-consumer e-commerce furniture retailer with super reasonable prices.  I had a blast browsing their gorgeous selection. I knew I wanted a long wood dining room table for this space. While we loved our marble dining table that we had here before, we’ll have so much stone in the kitchen and we needed a different texture for the dining area. I decided on this wood table that is 71″ long! So, I’m confident that we should be able to comfortably seat six to eight people at this table. It’s made from walnut and has curved edges, which will be nice with Rory – no pokey edges!

Photo via Castlery

As for the chairs, I ordered four of these upholstered chairs in the “Fumo Gray” color (Castlery sends free fabric swatches if you need them!). The walnut legs will match the table and the upholstered seat should complement the faux leather bench nicely.

Everything arrived over a month ago and it’s all just sitting in our garage in boxes waiting to be added to the finished space. I can’t wait to see it all in there!

The Lighting & Accessories

I ended up selling the woven light fixture that we had over our old dining room table to the sweetest couple. I loved the fixture, but it just wasn’t the right fit for the design of our space. Instead, I ordered this brass chandelier from Rejuvenation to go over the dining room table. It’s going to add a lot of glam and excitement to the space and it coordinates with these pendants that will hang over the kitchen island.

I’m still debating a rug for underneath the dining room table. I feel like it won’t feel complete without one, but I also want to make sure I get one that can hide spills and everyday use. I want to see the table in there first before I officially decide. The bench will need some pillows and that will be a fun spot to add a little pattern and color. I’m obsessed with the new Amber Lewis collection at Anthropologie, so maybe I’ll choose some new accessories from her line!

We’re inching closer to the finish line, so this dining room nook that I’ve been envisioning for months will soon be a reality. I cannot wait…

Casey

Catch Up On Our Kitchen Renovation

• Kitchen Before Photos
• Hiring a Designer
• Our New Kitchen Layout
• Design Plan & Mood Board
• Single vs Double Bowl Sink
• Ordering Our Kitchen Cabinets
• Tasks To Do Before a Kitchen Renovation
• Our Old Kitchen Is Out
• Creating Our Electrical Plan
• Our Kitchen Cabinets Are In!
• Kitchen Hardware Guide
• Dining Nook Design Plan
• Choosing Quartz Countertops
• Painting the Kitchen
• Our Dining Room Nook
• Finding a Kitchen Runner
• Our New Lighting
• Our Wood Butcher Block
• The Kitchen Renovation Timeline
• The Big Kitchen Reveal
• What I Learned from Our Kitchen Renovation
• Kitchen Before & After Video
• Our Kitchen Appliances
• Renovation Budget & Cost