6 dining area ideas to recreate at home

You bought it with wholesome family dinners and beautiful crockery in mind. But for the past two years, your dining table has begun looking more like an office. With files lying around and cables in a tangled mess, it's not easy to eat in peace. But let's be honest, you were already quickly gulping down everyday meals in the kitchen long before teleworking arrived. Don't fret! We've delved into inspiration and our clients' projects to come up with 6 ideas for creating a dining area that will make you want to sit down to eat again...

Set against an island

Small spaces, big creativity! Designer Lisa Gachet has redesigned her 59m2 cocoon from top to bottom to optimise every last inch. The central island serves many functions: separating the kitchen from the living room, offering precious storage space... and last but not least, it serves as a backrest for this unexpected dining area. Lisa has simply added a bench made by a carpenter, a table and vintage chairs to create a friendly and unique dining area. Clever!

Project created using our smooth fronts in Blue 04 - Ciel voilé matte lacquer, Grey 03 - Asphalte plinth, matte black Mini-Rond handles, EasyPlan countertop, Normandy Ceramics splashback - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

KITCHEN BENCH IN Blue 04 - CIEL VOILE & BLACK

Framed by an arch

Between our inspiration and reality, there are often limitations... especially for us tenants. Amandine has faced the facts: gone is the open kitchen of her dreams, in her rental flat it's completely closed off from the living room and work is out of the question. No problem! The co-founder of Plum Living chose to install a dining area in the heart of her kitchen instead. Ideal for everyday use, this layout created from Metod cabinet frames is arranged as both a bench and arch, allowing for plenty of storage space. Add cane fronts for a little character and voila!

Project created using our painted oak and cane fronts in Blue 04 - Ciel voilé, Mini-Rond brass handles - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Graphic & chic

When she first pushed opened the door to her Bordeaux shop, Virginie Akrich's kitchen was not exactly optimised. Fast forward several months: the kitchen has a new home, and this cramped space has become a new and improved dining area. Virginie created a custom-made bench topped with cabinets installed wall to wall, before painting the whole thing in the same colour to reinforce the "box" effect. An original layout, that we are already planning to recreate with Metod cabinets!

Inspiration project (not created by Plum Living), by Virginie Akrich - Mes Petites Paillettes

DINING ROOM BENCH IN GREEN 02 - SOMBRE FOREST & OAK

A bench as easy as pie

All you need is a table, two chairs and three Metod cabinets to create this bench... The dining area created by interior designer Alexandra Offe combines both simplicity and efficiency. It's all in the details. The chair cushions are a perfect pair for our smooth fronts in Green 02 - Sombre forest matte lacquer chosen for the bench. The arch ties in with the lower cabinets, giving a poetic dimension to the room, while the touches of natural wood add a little contrast.

Project by Alexandra Offre using our smooth fronts in Green 02 - Sombre forest matte lacquer

XXL version

Who said dining areas have to be compact? Interior designer Camille Hermand took advantage of extra space in this house at the gates of Paris to create an extra-large version of the bench-dining layout. Dressed in green, the bench extends along the base and compliments the surrounding decor. The high ceiling allows for a row of overhead cabinets and a floating shelf. All that's left to do is get decorating!

Bench for kitchenette

How to fit a fridge, sink, storage and dining area into a handful of square metres...? It's possible! We tested this out at Plum Living Studio by installing a bench seat as an extension of the kitchenette. Simply composed of three 60x40cm Metod wall-mounted cabinets, it acts as both a seat and a cupboard. Dressed to match the kitchen in our Green 02 - Sombre forest, it adds volume while optimising space.

Project created using our smooth Green 02 - Sombre forest fronts in painted oak and matte lacquer, Mini-Rond brass handles, Knoll table, Hârto pendant lamp - (c) Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

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