How to Anchor a Floating Dining Room

Open floor plans -- whether they're completely open loft spaces or homes without walls separating the public areas -- maximize natural light and facilitate family togetherness. When you don't have designated rooms for living and dining, you have to to divide the larger space into zones and float the furniture. Upholstered sofa and chair backs provide natural barriers that define seating areas, and they're frequently arranged around coffee tables. The dining areas are trickier. If you don't anchor a floating dining room visually, the space tends to look incomplete. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Lay an area rug on the floor to define the dining room space, and then center the dining table on top of it. Visually, the rug separates the dining area from the rest of the room. Choose a rug large enough for all four legs of each dining chair to rest on the rug, even when diners are seated at the table.

2

Hang a chandelier over the center of the dining table, which makes the table look like it's intended for that space. Install it so the lowest part of the chandelier hangs between 30 and 36 inches above the table's top. The widest part of the chandelier should measure approximately one-half the dining table's width, no matter what the table length.

3

Place a console table or horizontally inclined, cube-style room divider at one end of the floating dining room to serve as serving or display space, in place of a traditional server or buffet. If you need storage space, place a regular buffet or server at one end of the dining area, but hide its unfinished back with a bank of tall plants or a screen. If you opt for a screen, choose one with an openwork design, such as lattice, or a half-height style to keep it from completely blocking off the space.