C.J. Braden • 5 Minute Read
Modern and Chic Small Space Dining Table Makeover
For a 2023 Update (I added curtains, faux fur bench covers and more!) scroll to the bottom of the post!
My husband asked me the other day if I will ever get to a point where I am happy with the way our home is. I thought about it for a moment and told him that I am extremely happy with the way our home is…SO FAR.
A house is only a home, in my opinion, if it FEELS like a home. I love to decorate. When I do, it makes a house feel more like a home to me. I love to make sense of strangely constructed spaces in homes. I love to make homes be more functional.
Our modern dining table set before the makeover
I informed my husband I will always be adding or subtracting to any home that we buy or build in our lifetime. It brings me joy to be able to utilize my creative talents to make a home feel comfortable, yet stylish.
Read to learn how I updated our small space dining table area in our Sanibel Island bungalow by adding dining benches and more. You’ll also learn how to buy discounted items like I did if you want to update your own home dining area in a budget friendly way.
Our Eskie, Johnny Cash, loved hiding in the corner behind the table
My husband and I love our modern dining table set. The only issue is that it is a bit on the bulky side. It worked well in our last home, a large and spacious 1800’s build. We had a formal dining room and the table and chairs fit in that space perfectly.
Removing the dining table chairs
In our current home, however, the table set could only fit in our open-concept kitchen and living room area in one specific corner. It didn’t quite fit perfectly, but we made it work, sliding the table in and out as we needed to use all the chairs. Though we have a eat-in kitchen area that has bar-like stools, we like having a dining table too for more formal meals and for game nights, of course!
I almost decided to sell the set and try something else until I thought about adding benches.
Adding a dining table bench
Adding benches to a dining table can be a great option if you are trying to fit your dining table into a corner or smaller space in your home. Or, it’s a great idea if you just want to update your current dining table.
Get a quick video tour of the space below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
We were going to construct some built-ins with storage, but due to time constraints, it wasn’t something that was going to happen for a while. So, I opted for benches because I wanted to make the space super functional NOW.
Our completed small space dining table bench makeover
It happened to be right before Labor Day when I had the idea for dining table benches. Buying furniture right around a major holiday is always a good idea because many items go on sale!
Each dining table bench is real wood
I did a Google search for “dining room benches” and ended up loving the first ones I saw in the search results. They were stylish, matched some of the other wood furniture on our first floor, they were the perfect size (height, width, and length) and were deeply discounted.
We put two dining table benches in the corner
I ordered two of the really cool farmhouse-y benches from Ashley furniture. I found a coupon code online, they offered free shipping and the benches were made out of real wood. My husband and I agreed we couldn’t make our own benches for less than what we were going to get these for.
I’ve seen the same bench on Amazon too. Always check prices on the same item on several websites to see who offers the best deal before buying. I paid around $160 per bench in August 2021.
Boho style pillows
During my online search, I saw almost the exact same benches on West Elm’s website. They were about triple the price. When our “discount” benches arrived, the quality was perfect. While West Elm and some higher end stores may seem like they are offering you better quality furniture (and that’s why they mark up the prices), sometimes that is not the case.
We now have seating for approximately 8 instead of 6
I had never purchased furniture from Ashley’s before, but my risk payed off. My husband easily put them together (they were just three solid pieces that needed to be screwed together), we added felt pads to the bottom of each bench to protect our floors (I always have them in all sizes on hand as we ordered a huge set from Amazon), and we put the into their new corner home space.
My husband, assembling the dining table benches
Add felt pads to the bottom of furniture to prevent scratches
We weren’t planning on adding a pendant light, but it naturally happened. We felt we created a restaurant-style area and it begged to have a new light. While the recessed lights work well in our kitchen area, they put off some pretty harsh light in this corner.
I added my DIY chalk painted cloche to the center of the table
We bought a recessed light converter kit on Amazon, dug out our really cool vintage “saucer” pendant light we had in our attic and put it up. We found the light at a thrift store over 15 years ago and held onto it. We had a feeling we’d have a need for it and we certainly did!
The finished corner dining table bench look
I already had the round jute rug from Target. I decided to add some pillows to the benches to make them look and feel even cozier. Two round mirrors fit the space perfectly. I added two to open up the space more. Mirrors always can make a small space look and feel bigger. I like Barnyard Designs mirrors. They have a great selection of decorative mirrors that are gorgeous and affordable.
Take many measurements when buying furniture
I went to T.J. Maxx (they have great prices on pillows!) and found some neutral pillows in various sizes to compliment the round velvet pillows I bought a while ago from World Market.
We now enjoy our small space dining table area all day
Overall, I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out. Between the new lighting, the pillows, and benches, it gave our dining area a new look that wasn’t super expensive. It also made the space feel more open and it’s also now highly functional.
Am I totally done with it? Nah….
I still have to paint the walls and I’m already designing some wall art to go around the mirrors. It’s not that I’m unhappy with how it currently looks, it’s that I’m always happy to use my creativity to add more if I feel it needs it.
9/21/21 Update: We added faux fur!
Make sure you order faux fur rugs that are flat and long
After dealing with my legs sticking to the benches on hot summer days, I decided to add some faux fur rugs to the benches.
Covering dining benches in faux fur help cushion the wood
After doing some pricing, I found some skinny six foot long rugs on Amazon. I ordered them in gray and I love the combination of gray shades in them!
Our dining room bench and table area
They add just a little padding and a nice cozy look.
Our faux fur decor matches our fluffy mini American Eskimo dogs
Now my legs don’t stick to the benches and they are even more stylish!
Carolyn and Tommy Braden
2023 Update: Post Hurricane Ian
Our mini American Eskimo dogs love this small dining nook
Post Hurricane Ian, we returned to our Sanibel Island house after a 4 month evacuation (we were so fortunate to still have a house standing after the giant, devastating storm…read about our experience by clicking here), I decided to add some more things to our small dining nook. The house had quite a bit of damage (siding gone, the roof leaked some, our pool turned into a muddy pond, and more), but mostly to the exterior, so this corner of the room was okay. It was important to me to make our interior feel even cozier when the exterior was quite scary.
Right before the storm, we painted the entire room a soft, creamy shade of white. The light purple/gray just wasn’t cozy enough. We neutralized the entire home with shades of white to make it feel bigger and more open. It opened up the feel of this corner tremendously. Painting doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it makes a huge difference to any space.
New paint is also very elastic, as we learned. Our guest room had giant bubble in the ceiling due to hurricane related roof damage, but it didn’t leak a drop into the room. It was quite a little miracle.
Our eskies, modeling the new dining room cafe curtains
I also had an idea pre-Hurricane to add macrame curtains to each of the three windows in our open kitchen/entryway/living room space on our first floor. I found the perfect macrame curtains on Amazon. They are a “cafe” length and perfect for our shorter windows. I already had the curtain rods, so it all came together nicely. Overall, I think the space is done but I may add a new pendant light.
April 2023:
Yep, we added a new modern pendant light….
Our sputnik modern light
We decided to hang onto the vintage pendant light and repurpose it at a later time. Our new modern gold and black sputnik light still has enough of a vintage look to pair with our mid-century modern table and diffuses the light in the space a little more, which was ideal for a house like ours with low ceilings.
This was a modern light update
Did you try this or something like this in your own home? Drop a comment in the comment section below this post telling everyone what you did. I love it when readers share!
C.J. Braden is a regular contributor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.