My dining room redesigned as a multi-function space

My finished redesigned dining room. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

​For too many years, my family has been living paycheck to paycheck. My husband and I were busy raising children and dealing with mundane day-to-day “stuff”. The years flew by and we “collected” furniture that was cheap, hand-me-down, and functional. Nothing was precious because we had three growing boys—and I’m the only female in a house full of males. (Seriously—even the cats are male!) I always meant to “pretty the place up”, but it just never happened, either due to time constraints or because the money just was not there for extra niceties. Recently, however, our situation has changed somewhat. Our three boys are grown (our youngest is in high school) and we are a smidgen better off financially. ​

As the years have gone by I kind of got used to just using whatever space was available while working at my little home based business (Di’s Studio Designs). I’m not one of those lucky people who have a designated office space in my home…You may know what I’m talking about—one of those places where you can set up a proper work space and close the door for quiet and privacy? I was so deprived I almost had to grab a dictionary and look up the definition of “home office”. That’s how bad my situation was! I still don’t have a room to escape to and close the door…but I do have enough interior design knowledge to design a space where I can work!

And so I found myself in a situation that required a serious thought process about multi-functional spaces and creative storage. My dining room has now become my “office”, but it also needs to be a place for me to showcase my finished pieces, a place for me to store art materials and decor, a mini art studio for my youngest son, storage for my son’s art supplies, AND a proper dining room. Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? This project definitely challenged me and forced me to really think about function, furniture, and space planning. So here’s my journey, step by step—into hell! (No, I’m kidding. It was actually really fun!)

Measure the room and create at least a basic floor plan…

Okay, so first things first…I had to get some basic measurements of my dining room. So I measured the length and width of the space and the doorway openings. This info gave me what I needed to create a basic hand drawn sketch of my space, which I translated into a simple floor plan in SketchUp (just to be fancy!), but really any type of sketch will do. The idea is to assess how much space there is for things like tables and chairs and cabinets, allowing for traffic flow and clearance as well. In my case, it also helped me “visualize” how to create a sense of balance in my dining room.
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Measure existing furniture that will stay…

After bit of thought, I decided that three existing pieces were valuable to me and needed to stay in the space, so I took measurements of these pieces (which I plugged into my floor plan). Understanding their true dimensions helped me assess where (or whether) to move each piece. In the end, two out of three moved to different locations in the room. Even though the dining room table and chairs were not staying (good riddance!), I still needed to know their dimensions so I could buy a table in a similar size.
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My previous dining room table. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My old bakers rack and a whole lot of mess that needs storage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My storage cabinets that need to be refinished. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Assess the state of existing furniture that will stay…

In one of the pictures above you can see a very large metal cabinet (hard to miss) that I really, really needed to keep, because it contains storage real estate I just can’t afford to lose. I have decided that it will be moved to the opposite side of the room and painted a cream color to help it “disappear” into the background. (I’m planning on doing a chalk paint DIY sometime soon. Stay tuned!)

Another piece of furniture I can’t afford to lose is the larger wood cabinet (now covered in fabric) that houses much of my decor and some finished pieces. This piece has potential, and hubby and I will try to refurbish it and add footings and a top. I love creating vignettes on this cabinet as well (see below), so this piece is staying! 

The third piece of furniture that is staying is the small cabinet with the floral panels. This belongs to my son, and it is part of the storage he needs for his art supplies. I thought it would be nice to kill two birds with one stone—showcase his artwork and provide something decorative in an otherwise dingy corner of my dining room. So this small cabinet and the artwork above it are both functional and decorative!
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Shop around for the right style and fit for the room…

Okay so before I go any further…a HUGE shout out to Consign & Design in Broomall, PA!  

I love thrift shopping and consignment stores. I’m always on the lookout for interesting things that have character that don’t break the bank. And I have bought a few things from this particular consignment shop before. I have to say, every time I go in there I come out with something beautiful AND affordable! Seriously, I’m not being paid to say this…they have great stuff!

So for this particular excursion, I bought three new items for my dining room—a table and chairs set, a china cabinet (for displaying my finished pieces), and a chest of drawers (which had the drawer space I needed for storing “office” stuff). I made sure each one fit the measurements I needed for the space, but I also looked for a style that helped me create a “flow” from my living room, since the space is open plan. I love the darker wood (sorry Farmhouse lovers!), but dark wood furniture can be visually “heavy”. In this case, however, the lighter line and form, the sleekness of the chairs and table legs makes this set not as heavy while still providing me with that traditional style I had in mind.
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My new chest of drawers before decorating stage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My new dining room table and chairs before decorating. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My new china cabinet. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

And—finally—dress it up!

This part of the design process did take a little longer than anticipated, but I got there in the end. I scoured thrift shops and other stores nearby until I got pieces I thought had character and fit in with the overall style in the dining room. This room now sings with a delightful mixture of my own finished pieces (from my home decor business, Di’s Studio Designs), some existing decor, a couple of DIY project pieces, a few consignment buys, and a couple of decor items from local shops. I was in vignette heaven! 
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My new china cabinet filled with items from Di's Studio Designs store. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

A little vignette atop my metal cabinet. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My new lamps and decor with my DIY lighted branch box. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My new lamp and mirror. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

So what do you think? For less than $1000, I now have a beautifully stylized dining room where people can eat (when we are able to have people over again!), a beautiful and organized space for me to work out of as an office (yay!), a place to display my DSD creations, various places for storage, and a small art studio for my son. That’s a lot to pack into one space, but I did it!!

My son's storage cabinet and newly framed artwork. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My son's new mini art studio. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Another view of my son's new mini art studio space. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Seriously, I rarely design anything just for myself, so this project was immensely satisfying. It was an amazing trip to go through the entire design process with myself as my own client. And what I love best about this entire process is that the finished space is a space I actually “designed”, and not just threw together. I’m over the moon! Every need I had has been checked off! What a difference in this space and the way I FEEL in it! I love working here, my son loves his mini art studio, and we all enjoy eating in this space…What more could you ask for?!
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I will probably be doing another blog post that specifically talks about individual pieces of decor and where they were purchased. Much of what you see is a conglomeration of DIY projects, lucky finds, and thrift store items, all pulled together to create a stylish traditional ambiance. You really can pull together a great look on a limited budget! 

A view of my new storage cabinets. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Please feel free to leave any thoughts or comments below! And please share to friends…Let’s get a conversation started and grow this community! 

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And—as always—have a great day!
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​This article contains external links for demonstration purposes only, and I am not being financially compensated for specific products or brands.


Related blog posts you may want to read:
How to replace a clock mechanism
How to frame small canvas art
How to rewire thrift buy lamps
Creating a kitchen coffee bar
Comparing DIY upholstery cleaning methods
DIY refurbishment of a dining room cabinet