The Battle of Optimizing Home Square Footage: Dining Room?

In the battle of optimizing a home's square footage, just where should the dining room stand? Along with a guest bedroom, a dining room can be some of the most unused real estate in a home. If you include the costs of furnishing the room with a table and chairs, perhaps a china cabinet or buffet and it's a pretty expensive package. In the 25 years of my marriage, every house we have owned has had a dining room. And in those 25 years, we have only used a dining room maybe a half dozen times. My perspective is clear. Our dining rooms have been a waste of space, another cleaning hassle and another space to buy furniture for that doesn't get used. I don't want a dining room in my next house.

That being said, I don't want our only dining space to reek "kitchen". I want it to me a cross between kitchen dining and dining room dining. I haven't seen a ton of homes to pull this off. The ones that do tend to have an open concept and have definitely upgraded the space to acknowledge that it will be used for company as well as family.

In the art of rightsizing, a lot of empty nesters are looking for the quintessential floor plan that gives them space, but not too much space. When you leave the 2 story home for a condo or patio home, you don't want to get claustrophobic. You don't want to feel like you no longer have room to move around in.

Taylor Morrison Carrara 62 floorplan

I found two floor plans on the web that featured 2 bedrooms (one being the master) and a den and have compared them primarily from the dining room element. The first plan has a breakfast area, a large island with bar seating and a dining room. When you look at how much space in this home is dedicated to eating, one would assume that the people who live here spend most of their time eating. I also have to say that my one of my pet peeves with builders is the foyer/dining room combo. It means that this space has to have a large investment in furniture and always has to be clean. You can't use it for other activities as it leaves you with the feeling that it has to stay clean. I strongly feel in the art of rightsizing, the first plan does not allow you to optimize the functionality of your home.

Toll Brothers Montana floor plan

The second floor plan also provides an island for bar/counter seating, but does not have both a breakfast area and a dining room. It's dining room is set off of the kitchen and is not included in the foyer. It also has a nice view to the outdoors. The dining room in both these floor plans can be formal and provide a dining room atmosphere. And the island can always be a space for breakfast or casual dining. I find the square footage of the second floor plan to be optimized better. For me this is rightsizing your living space. When you right size your space, you do not want repetitive spaces or spaces that aren't used regularly.

Everyone has different needs, different tastes and different activities. There are people who may disagree with me and say that they need two separate dining spaces. I just know that we don't and most of the couples, friends and families we know don't want the traditional dining room. For the past 20 years, I have read on and off how the traditional dining room is no longer wanted or needed and yet it is still very much a part of new construction. I am voting that it is not the most functional option. When we "right size", we will be looking for a floor plan that excludes the traditional dining room.

Below I have included some photos of dining spaces in homes where there isn't a separate traditional dining room. These spaces show how beautiful and functional one dining space can be. (OK - I am absolutely in love with the first picture!) I am showing different styles and different "sizes" of dining spaces. The important point in right sizing is that you optimize your home's square footage. The important point in creating a home, is that you make your space a reflection of what you love so that you are happy in your home.

This is a traditionally decorated space and shows how refined the dining space can be and still be part of a more open concept.

A lot of open concept homes show the dining space between the living space and the kitchen. This shows a transitional way to decorate the space.

This home does not have a dining room but the room adjacent to the kitchen acts as both kitchen dining and dining room.

The dining space in this home is connected to the kitchen and is both elegant and functional.

From England is a home on Cave Road in Brough.
This home features a beautiful combined kitchen and dining room that is as elegant as it is comfortable.
Original source no longer available :(  

Garden Transplant: Lavender

Helvetia Lavender Farm: Lavender plants during harvest...

I am trying very hard to make my backyard a low maintenance zone. One of the plants I chose was Lavender as it a drought tolerant plant. I thought I would love lavender falling along a dry creek bed in my back yard, but my vision and my reality were not in sync. One plant that started out in a sunny location ended up in shade and has never really shown any growth or beauty. A major disappointment. The other two plants appeared to have loved their sunny location but became long and leggy and don't fit the confines of the space.

So I'm left with a couple of options. I can pull the plants up and throw them away which is a painful option for a person who loves gardening. Or I can find a place that would be a better fit, which is not necessarily an easy option either. Our garden landscape has a lot of trees and they in turn produce a lot of shade. (I'm not complaining about our trees. I love them. I'm huge into planting it forward with trees. It's just not that easy finding a nice sunny spot.)  

Vintage Garden Marker

I'm not an expert in lavender (or gardening) and I try to find those individuals on the web who are. When searching how to solve my lavender problems I came up with the site everything-lavender.com. Well, from the name it would imply they know more than me! Love how the web is such a huge library of resources!

They actually have a webpage specifically for transferring and planting lavender. In fact the first sentence on the webpage is "Maybe you planted your Lavender in the shade or the plant has become too large for where it is planted." It sounds like they are talking directly to me.

Here are the key tips to know when transferring lavender:

1. It's important to move lavender during the growing season, so when transplanting in the spring ensure you have waited past the point of any frost and at least a week after the last frost. If planting at the end of the growing season, plan so that there should be at least 4 weeks before the first frost of the season.
2. For the new space, be sure the space gets plenty of sunshine and has enough room for a mature lavender plant. (I failed on these two critical items the last time.) Keep in mind the future growth of neighboring plants and trees. As the trees grow, their perimeter in which they give shade could impact how much sun your Lavender plant will receive in future years. If you don't have the space for a mature Lavender plant, consider catnip which can provide the same look in a more compact size (see photos below).
3. Be sure the soil is ready for planting. The soil should have good drainage and should be alkaline based. Amend if needed. Amending with compost will help with drainage and amending with lime can help with maintaining the necessary alkaline level in the soil. If you have oak trees nearby, remember that Oak trees increase the acidity of the surrounding soil and liming could be important to plants which prefer a more alkaline soil.
4. When digging up the lavender plant, gather as much of the root ball as you can.
5. Dig a whole twice as big as the root ball. Water well.

For more information on transplanting, check out:

• http://everything-lavender.com/moving-lavender-plants.html
• http://www.gardenguides.com/111786-replant-lavender-plants.html

and for more information on choosing a location check out

• http://everything-lavender.com/planting-lavender.html

and for more information on catnip vs lavender check out

• http://homeguides.sfgate.com/catmint-vs-lavender-47329.html
• http://plantselect.org/2008/01/little-trudy-catnip-long-awaited-compact-catnip/

The following photos should help give you inspiration for adding lavender in your garden:

A beautiful Lavender lined brick path.....Dyckman, Main Entrance - Spring 2011 by Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, via Flickr

A weaver (Elvie Miller) blogs about her Lavender...lovely plant...

Lavender banked Provence styled Santa Barbara garden path of Jermain Chastain.

Love the color combination created in this side garden with lavender & yellow tones accenting boxwoods.

Soften the edges of a patio or hardscape with lavender and other plants. (From BHG)

Little Trudy compact catnip

I Adore Brick Floors

Whether brick pavers are adorning walls or floors, I love the textures, colors and patterns they bring into a room creating a warm and inviting space. I  would love to have a brick wall or a brick floor incorporated into my house. A brick floor in the mudroom or a brick focal wall in the basement would be awesome. Maybe someday? From the internet I have collected many inspirational photos of homes that incorporate brick floors and here are some of my favorites:

Let me start out with my all time favorite foyer. There is so much to love in this space. I love the neutral themed color of the wall with all the white molding detail. The arch of the front door matches the arch of the doorway leading to another room, living room perhaps. The turquoise velvet settee is to die for and turquoise is my favorite color. What a great way to bring a pop of color to this foyer! And then there are the floors. The rough European look of the brick in an herringbone pattern brings an old world charm to this traditional entrance-way. The light coming through the windows helps to create a bright and beautiful space. I so wish it were mine... (Have I gushed too much?)

As featured in Atlanta Homes, this traditional home sports a beautiful brick floor. This home located near the Chattahoochee River and has a casual elegance that is warm and welcoming.

Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, LLP designed this beautiful home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio which featured brick floors in a connecting hallway. This makes for a lovely transition.

Another stunning brick floor featured in Atlanta Homes. What is it about the South? They know how to showcase a drop dead floor. In this home, Designer Amy Morris brings the outdoors inside in the back entry hall with brick flooring, botanical prints, iron lanterns and weathered Catalan chests.

The interior of this home features a beautiful transition of wood and brick flooring. Love the weathered look and the herringbone pattern of this floor. Photo taken by Belgian photographer , Tim Van De Velde

A beautiful traditional mudroom is accented with a brick floor. From Homebunch.

Although originally charmed by the maps used as wallpaper in this mudroom, I also adore the brick floors.

A remodeled den by Seagrass Interiors include a gorgeous brick floor. This would also be a great library or office.

The brick floor is the right offset for this room that has a blend of old world elegance and southern style sun room with the furniture, the chandelier, and the weathered shutters. A perfect eclectic blend.

This library covers one very large gable wall of an attic loft in Sweden. The very white walls and furnishings reflect traditional Swedish design and the roughly-hewn brick floor looks quite ancient, but awesome.

I love this office of Brooke's on Velvet & Linen.

http://blog2.postcardfromparis.com/bid/282035/Before-After-Interior-Design-at-The-Cliffs-at-Walnut-Cove

This brick floor adds just the right texture and color to a creame kitchen. Love the basket as well!

Custom home designer, Ron Hill of Euroworld Designs created a beautiful wine cellar with brick floors, age wood beams and a chandelier for sparkle.

This phenomenal wine cellar has both a brick ceiling and brick flooring done in different patterns. The cellar is accented with reclaimed stone counters and antique wood. Featured in  Segreto Secrets blog.

Growing Wisteria in Pots

Recently I found a compilation of pictures  on Indulgy which showed growing Wisteria in Pots. The picture is a compilation of photos of wisteria being grown in a pot originally compiled by Colin Purrington. Although the picture is no longer available on his site (originally via photography.colinpurrington.com) I have linked it to his website that features the last picture of the wisteria being watered.

This webpage on Coppercafe is for accumulating resources and photos of wisteria being grown in pots. Please note there are differences between growing a Bonsai version of wisteria and growing a potted wisteria.

colin purrington photography

The picture was originally sourced at fotoflora.com, but I could no longer find it there.

Japenese Wisteria photo from the Internet Bonsai Club

A Chinese Wisteria frm the Internet Bonsai Club forum discussions.

Wisteria seninsis (standard Chinese Wisteria)

Found on Flickr, Elfrieda found this Chinese Wisteria at the Montreal Botanical Garden in 2005.

Wisteria (Standard) Chinese Wisteria from Van Meuwen

Van Meuwen has the following helpful hints for growing wisteria:

1. Their wisteria has been trained as a standard so that it can be enjoyed in a small garden or pot.
2. Wisteria is harmful if eaten.
3. Grow wisteria plants in a sunny or semi shaded site in any moist, well drained soil.
4. Wisteria buds can be damaged by hard spring frosts so choose a sheltered position.
5. When growing wisteria in large containers, soil based compost should be used such as John Innes No. 3.
6. Provide the twining stems with an appropriate framework to support growth.

Sources:
1. The Internet Bonsai Club has a forum discussing growing Bonsai Wisteria which would be helpful to those who would like additional information.

2.  ehow.com has an article written on how to grow wisteria in pots at:  http://www.ehow.com/how_8091558_grow-wisteria-pot.html

3.Home base offers the Wisteria seninsis.   http://homebase.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/topiary/wisteria/wisteria-sinensis-/itemno.PL30001433/

4. Van Meuwen website at: http://www.vanmeuwen.com/flowers/flower-plants/climbing-plants/wisteria-standard/69038VM

R&R in your Back Yard with Movie Night

It's great to travel, but sometimes its nice to stay home and have a fun movie night at home. Theater rooms are great, but if its a beautiful night and the stars are out, what better way to have movie night but in your own back yard. Invite friends, neighbors, and family and relax and enjoy.

I love the way Pottery Barn has put together their version of movie night with a huge queen size sheet as the screen and awesome futons as chairs. Add pillows, soft lighting in the trees (or stars in the sky), and big bowls of popcorn and you're ready to begin a wonderful evening.

Pottery Barn's Version of A Backyard Movie Night. See their Create a Backyard Movie Screen DIY.

I also came across Katie and Incredibly Strange Movie Nights in Niagara. They find areas to set up a screen and invite a group to watch. Have everyone bring their most comfortable deck chair and make it BYOC - Bring Your Own Chair.

Recipe for success: 1. Set up a screen on large chain link fence.  2. Add dog. 3. Wait until dark and enjoy.

A backyard movie night is also a great way to share family photos and home movies. Invite family and friends to see your wedding movie or maybe old family movies from when you were kids. We have some footage of our family from the 50's and 60's that is awesome to watch and would really make a great movie night. So make it more nostalgic and show home videos.

Festoca calls this Roller Box in the Backyard.

Although most people are only looking for a quick and less expensive option to create an outdoor movie night, there are some more affluent options I thought I would show:

Colorworks studio created an awesome outdoor entertainment area.

A projector inside designed for both day and night viewing shoots the picture onto the back of a 9-foot-wide glass screen. Small speakers are strategically placed to distribute the sound evenly to the seating areas only, so that any neighbors beyond the large lot aren't disturbed.

Campion Platt Interiors has designed a beautiful poolside movie experience at a 1926 Palm Beach home.

DIY Movie Screen

Aside from the fun and romance of watching a movie outside, some people would like to build their own and yet keep the cost down. I found a couple of websites that provide options on building movie screens and provided them below:

From WIRED: A 5′ x 9′ screen constructed of blackout cloth stretched over a 1.5″ PVC frame. Blackout cloth was a great solution, offering nearly-perfect color and texture for viewing movies.

From Hum-Dum: Stretch a tarp or duckcloth between 2 x 4s that have been anchored into the ground.

In search of the... Quintessential Barstool

At first I was excited about replacing the counter stools from my last home with "awesome" new ones for our current home. And now over a decade later, I still have the old counter stools. I spent a lot of time looking both on-line and in brick and mortar stores, but never found what I wanted within my budget. (Or maybe that was within my husband's budget?) Either way, I never found something that was enough of an improvement over what I had for the amount of money required to spent on them.

Since we had very functional counter stools, we never had the "I need to buy something" pressure. So when the quintessential counter stools never materialized, I just kept using the old stools. I still would love to find something, but now I am even more particular.  I'm not wanting so much to make our home a showplace, but to find pieces that I love. I'm totally against trying for the "showroom" home. This is where I live and spend my time. I made a decision a few years ago that everything in this house would be something I loved and that I would want to take to the next house. Of course, for me the next house is a retirement villa of some sort. (Note to self: do a feature on retirement housing options, or lack there of.)

Back to bar and counter stools...

I don't want a designer telling me what the current color trend is or what the current style trend is. I know what colors I love and want to be surrounded by. I don't care if they are popular or not. And in the same way, I know if I like a particular style of chair. Again, I don't care if its currently deemed "chic".  Some people discover their style early in life and for others their style evolves over time. My style is evolving and I find that I generally like clean lines with a nod to tradition.

Certain islands are conducive to the backless stool that slips right under the counter and is out of sight while out of use.  This is what my sister-in-law has and for her home it works great. She has a huge island and six counter stools. If she didn't do the out of sight look, her kitchen would be overpowered by chairs, six around the island and six around the table.

I actually want a back, something you can lean into if you relax at the island. I've been looking at hundreds of pictures, trying to determine what I feel is the quintessential look for me and my kitchen. A lot of stools with backs are really overpowering for most islands. In fact, some stools only work for the heavy "bar" look.

Although the back can be fabric, the seat itself must be leather. Since the old stools are wood, I am done with a wood seat. I'm too old not to be comfortable. And since we have teenagers still and then nieces and nephews, I'm still worried about clean-up. So I say no to fabric seats.

Below are some examples of islands and chairs that I have found throughout the internet. Although not quite what I am looking, they may be just what you what. Everyone's definition of "quintessential" is different.

I like how these stools tuck nicely under the island and out of the way. The rush seat would be more comfortable than a solid wood, but I can't help cringe when I think of a family with kids who drop food. (From Home Bunch.)

This style of chair has a nice comfortable back, however, all fabric and again I wonder about care and maintenance. I like how the back isn't too high and doesn't overpower the island. (From Home Bunch)

I love how this kitchen has both traditional and contemporary elements. These contemporary counter stools are low profile, have a modern edge and make a nice accessory to a black and white kitchen. Source: Homester

I love this contemporary kitchen on Russian Hill in San Francisco. It's not for me, for for someone who does contemporary...I also like the contrast of these rustic stools with the clean lines of the island. Source: John Maniscalco Architecture

Although I find the drum pendant lighting less than desirable, I love the Plexi-Craft stools on wheels with the copper cushion. The cushion looks comfortable, the wheels are practical and the lucite keeps the counter stools from overpowering the island. Source: its jello blog

Same Lucite chairs as above, but from a different perspective. Source: Design Manifest Blog. 

Although from The Lodge at Doonber Golf Club in Ireland, commerical settings can provide awesome ideas. I love the plaid and leather bar stools at the clubhouse. Gorgeous legs!!  Source: Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, Inc. 

These bar stools are also used in a clubhouse and by the same design firm. With the solid color they achieve a totally different look. They are definitely one of my favorite looks!

Sources:
http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/2012/04/in-search-ofthe-perfect-barstool.html

http://www.homebunch.com/inspiring-homes-interiors/

http://www.designmanifest.com/inspiration/lucite-bar-stools/

http://itsjello.com/add-lucite-to-all-room/

http://www.m-architecture.com/work/russian_hill/index.html

http://homester.com.ua/design/apartments/kuhnja-v-cherno-belom-cvete/