The dining room.
The dining room finally feels like a real room, like it belongs in this house and has a specific purpose and function. I like that our kitchen is a separate, distinct room (contrary to the current trend of opening kitchens up to the dining room or “great room”), and that our dining room lies between it and the living room. One of the nicest thing about living in a railroad-style row house is that none of rooms get “lost”—you have to walk through one room to get to the next, so it’s impossible to wind up with one of those formal, unused dining rooms. Nothing in our house could be considered formal!
I love having enough space to have an enormous dining table. It’s such a luxury to be able to spread out on a big surface like this, whether it’s to eat or using the computer or wrap presents or read magazines or whatever. This great table is the Norden from IKEA. It seats 10 people with the leaf in place, 6 people without. It’s made from thick, solid birch and is incredibly sturdy. We’ll have it forever.
More IKEA! These simple dressers are great. They’re innocuous enough to not compete with the big Eames storage unit (which is so specific in its style that it can be difficult to put anything too strong in the room with it), and they make for great storage. We have all of our CDs and DVDs in these drawers! They’re not heirloom pieces, but they are holding up quite well and definitely get the job done.
14 Comments so far
Leave a reply
Ciao Anna :)
your dining room is huge and gorgeous… you should see the size of an avarage dining room over here.. not so big. I love the way you have color arranged the books..
Dining rooms!!!! Your Ikea table is fantastic! Simple, but huge!!! And the ikea dressers are a great idea to use for cd and dvd storage. Hmmmm, might have to steal that idea from you. My husband and I are currently trying to find a decent storage solution and displaying cds is not really something I like to look at. Nice to have them tucked away, but easily accessible.
you’re so lucky to have a dining room. it might not seem formal, but it does provide a different environment than a kitchen, which i admit i’m a bit envious of. i love my kitchen, but sometimes eating there (especially with guests present) feels a bit like being in a diner.
i’m constantly amazing with your design sensibilities and how you are able to so effectively combine modern design with the feeling of a cozy nest. that and the place always looks so utterly CLEAN!
love your idea for cd and dvd storage. my billy system has been feeling a bit dorm room like lately. hard to find the right fit when you have a music buying addiction.
Nicole!! Are you back from Hong Kong? I’ve been LOVING your photos while you’ve been gone. I’m sure it was absolutely amazing!!
I found your site a few days ago and consider myself so fortunate to have it in my favorites. I line in IN now, but lived in NJ, frequenting your town and area as much as I could. Your design sense is great. I have just recently developed a love for graphic textiles…they are so plentiful and affordable here!
Can you tell me about your hanging light? It is beautiful. (LOVE your furniture..esp the unit next to the window–incredible!)
Hi Lola, thank you for the nice comments. :)
The pendant lamp is by Mibo, and the piece by the window is an ESU 420.
yes, just got back two days ago. keep your eyes posted to my journal for an in-depth travelogue soon. x!
Swoon-o-rama! What a luxury to have a dining room, and to have one so nice…
I finally understand what a “row house” is now too - I’m sure it has it’s challenges but I think it’s a terrific layout for a house.
Happy Thanksgiving! x
I enjoy these peeks inside your house so much! You have a great style, and your old house has a lot of style itself. Keep going like this! (how many rooms do you actually have?)
Nina, not including the two bathrooms, we have seven rooms (four bedrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room) and a large entry hallway with a small vestibule. It’s a lot of space for two people and a dog!!
Wow… That’s a lot of space! Great to decorate so much room.
i love your dining room! (and the rest of your home, for that matter!!) i have been looking at that same table at ikea, but yours looks shinier - do you just treat it with oil, or have you used something else?
Larissa, I think it’s the sunlight making the table look shinier than it actually is — the finish really looks just like the ones in the store. It’s finished with a semi-matte polyurethane, so it’s not necessary to oil it. The best thing is just to wipe it down with a damp sponge and dry it with a cloth (maybe use a little Murphy’s Oil Soap if you need to really clean it). Don’t use Fantastik or anything like that! I’ve had the table for about 4 years now, and the finish still looks great. I’m very happy with it! :)
thanks, anna!!