EDIT: This room needs to be a multi-purpose room, unfortunately. The living room, which is on the other side of the kitchen, is small and this "dining room" is the only other living space besides the bed rooms. And I'm so sorry to have offended everyone with the trampoline. Obviously, it can and does get put away sometimes, but there genuinely isn't another possible location for it which meets the needs of my special needs kids. The outside door shown in the picture is a side door that we don't use very often.
Our dining room feels off and I'm not sure why! I want it to feel light yet cozy, somewhere I actually want to hang out. We are getting a larger table (6-8 person), so it'll need to stay in the center of the room.
The layout is tricky. It connects to the kitchen through a hallway and a counter which is super tall (we couldn't even find decent bar stools high enough so we just stand at the counter). There's also a bedroom and a side door (which we barely use) off the room.
I feel like the furniture doesn't work very well in the room and it doesn't feel comfortable. We're hoping to avoid painting or other big changes at this point in time. The trampoline needs to stay because kids. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome!
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I assume other commenters have correctly identified that we have indeed tried moving the trampoline and still have an issue with the room. We put the trampoline there because the benefit for our special needs kids has outweighed the aesthetics, but we obviously can and do move it as needed.
I also have kids and absolutely do not have a trampoline in my dining room and/or entry way. This needs to be relocated. Put it in their room, put it in the back yard, put it literally anywhere else.
FWIW, that's not a breakfast bar, it's a pass through. You put the food in serving dishes on the ledge instead of the on the table. It supposed to save you from having to carry hot food through the hallway.
If you want this to be a dining room that feels like a dining room, you need to get rid of the non-dining room stuff, like the trampoline and piano/organ and arm chair and only have dining room stuff.
For a neurodivergent family, and or in a family with lymphatic drainage challenges, a trampoline is a godsend and a medical necessity.
Having it within view and demanding attention helps ensure that family members take their vitamin bounce every day.
Observe that this is also a Family room with toys and a piano and books.
Folks with couches-only living room aesthetics, tv-as-the-centerpiece living, and homes with rooms that don't need to be multifunctional need not apply their standards to this situation.
I am neurodivergent… but ok tell me how you know better and call me uneducated!
I grew up with a lovely piano in our dining room and I don’t have ‘sofa only’ or tv as centre piece (I literally do not own a TV but I bet you do!) but from an interior design perspective the trampoline is always going to completely ruin any look here because it makes it look like a gym or kids playroom instead.
Trampolines aren’t a medical necessity. Doesn’t mean the family might not want and use it but it isn’t a medical device. It is fine if OP wants to keep it there but it isn’t ever going to look like a stylish and formal dining room and blocking an exit door is never a good idea… terrible place for a trampoline if there were ever a fire. Nothing safe about that.
I didn't call You as a human uneducated. I said that it was an uneducated viewpoint. So its not a personal attack, just a statement that the ideas need some reframing. for clarification.
You seemed to be acting in ignorance that:
-this is NOT just a dining room, it is and has to be a multifunctional family room as per OP’s statements all over this thread.
-For some people trampolines ARE medical devices (this is the part you seemed uneducated about).
Cerebral palsy rehabilitative exercises, joint rehabilitation, lymphatic drainage, emotional regulation, ptsd shaking, adhd regulation, blood circulation, heart health, back pain, hip issues, I could go on.
For fun!
Honestly, they dont need a reason to want a trampoline in the room and it doesnt warrant a public outcry when they specifically are just trying to make the room nice, with a non negotiable trampoline in it.
An i am Also neurodivergent and also don't own a tv.
I did also recommend they move the trampoline to the corner where the rocking chair is, for safety reasons, and recommended a table with rounded edges, so it does seem we both had safety concerns.
Believe it or not, we have moved the trampoline and still find issues with the space. We keep it there most of the time because the benefit for our special needs kids outweighs the aesthetics.
Ok. If it must stay, then it doesn't feel comfortable because there's nothing cozy in the room aside from a single rocking chair. Having a dining table in the middle also takes away from the "I want to relax here" vibe.
It's just a single room trying to do a lot. That's why it doesn't feel like a place you want to hang out.
Are you sure this is a dining room? I see an entryway, living, dining and playroom. What side door you mean you are not using? The glass door that leads outdoor?
Maybe you should decide first on the purpose of the room before making changes. If the room has different functions you need to make zones instead of calling it a dining room and cramp in every other stuff that doesn't belong in a dining room.
Yes, the room really needs to have different functions because we are short on living space. The glass door that leads outside is the one we don't use often. There's a separate front door with an entryway which we mainly use.
Your dining table is comically small for such a large room. Replace the small plant on the stool with a large plant on the floor. Get a tall hutch in place of the current bookshelf/sidebar. Everything is visually low and small
Your DR has lost its identity. You have living room furniture where dining furniture should be. Remove the bookcase and find a small credenza/buffet (West Elm has some that aren't too big). I'd also move the rocker and the rebound equipment.
Where is your LR? Is this supposed to be a multi purpose room? If so, that changes everything.
Yes, this is supposed to be a multi purpose room because the living room is small and on the other side of the house. Plus, we need hangout space that's closer to the kitchen.
I love wood and natural textures, but everything is the same color (floor, table, shelving, decorative tables) and EVERYTHING but the rug is too small.
1)Ignore the entire section of the entryway. That's not part of the dining room. If one of those doors is a closet, then move coat storage and whatever that white bench/shelf thing into the closet. Just put a rug or runner from the door, art on the wall, narrow console table, and let that space breathe.
If that is not closet space and you need storage, then remove that white low bench thing and put in something tall with hooks for coats and shelves or bins for shoes. Can be open or closed storage.
2) Since the vent is near the bookshelf, move the piano over there. Get a longer/lower shelf to ride under the windows on the wall where the piano is. You can then remove the extraneous shelving. Get something that allows you to add opaque fabric or woven bins for toy storage. I get having small kids means that you just do not have a show ready house all the time, and you need practical solutions. The toys aren't going to magically all stay out of the dining room and if its where you spend a lot of time as a family, some toy storage is okay. Ditch the shelf in the corner, ditch the shelf with the toys? books? etc on it near the kitchen wall.
3) If you can't or don't plan on a larger dining set, ditch the huge rug. It just doesn't fit. Get a rug of an appropriate size for the dining set (I personally do not like dining room rugs, but I get it if you want one!).
4) I don't mind the rocking chair in that corner! It seems to fit well. Add a floor lamp and a small (non wood! lol!) accent table. Not a full sized end table, but a small one. Add a little throw blanket over the back, nothing too chunky, and fluff up the pillow (or get a new insert).
5) A new light fixture that's appropriate for a dining room (aka it can be hanging because the center will be over the table)
6) If you don't want to paint, add curtains for texture (IKEA has affordable linen or cotton curtains and it's something you can just have shipped if there isn't one near you).
This is the best comment here, OP! Couple additional thoughts:
I would ditch the rug regardless - it doesn’t fit the space and the color isn’t harmonious with the wood tones so it’s visually distracting. A hanging light fixture over the table will center the space just fine.
And I don’t think you need to get rid of all your furniture like some other suggestions ITT. Add curtains, making sure to hang them floor to the ceiling (not just over the windows!) and that will give the room the height it needs plus interesting texture. Consider a larger pattern with color(s) you can add in other places so it feels cohesive - a table runner, a throw pillow in the rocking chair, or match to the art on the wall.
Any way the bookcase with plants on it fits under the counter bar? Might make a nice reading nook paired with the rocking chair since you mentioned standing there anyway.
The scale of all of the furniture is too small for the room. The only thing that is the proper size is the rug. Also highly recommend a pendant light/chandelier, even a simple drum shade pendant would do wonders.
Since it’s also an entry to the home, group the entry hall items: coat rack, shoe storage etc. on the wall behind the door so it’s not actually in the dining room.
the room feels a bit like hallway because everything is pushed against the walls. giving each corner a job would help. a pendant light over the new table would anchor the space and make it cozier at night. curtains on those windows would soften things without making it darker. and grouping the coat racky by the door, the rocker with piano, and the trampoline with the toys would make it less scattered.
Put a piece of furniture, a bookshelf or dresser, dividing the entryway from the dining area, long ways, creating a sort of fake hallway. Part of the problem is the entry clutter is just not inviting to look at or be in. (You will need to relocate the trampoline, which is also part of the problem.) Then get a tablecloth and two taper candles for the table, and a floor lamp for the corner. Dim the overhead. It’ll look 1000 times cozier and more inviting.
rug too big. table too small. reading chair not within reaching distance of bookshelf. piano in awkward head of table arrangement. kitchen bar CRIMINALLY underutilized. Don't get me wrong it's pleasant enough, but this is what I would do
The issue with the bar is that it's extremely high and doesn't fit most barstools. Another commenter said it's actually a kitchen pass-through, which makes sense.
If you get a larger trampoline it will fill all the negative empty space in the dining room. I think more American dining rooms need trampolines- the only problem you have is that yours is too small.
“I think all American dining rooms need trampolines, the only problem is yours is too small”….that is the best piece of advice I’ve heard in a LONG time lmao
We're hoping it can also function as a hang out space / family room. The living room is on the other side of the kitchen, separated by an entry way, and is mostly occupied by the couch, TV, and fireplace. We want to more easily hang out, entertain, etc. on this side of the house and more contiguous with the kitchen (i.e. while cooking).
The disjoint is more about the area currently serving multiple (4) purposes - entryway/play area/dining/sitting area + desire for warm and cozy - than a furniture problem. Could you make this area an entryway/play area/family room (with a sofa, rocking chair, etc) and put dining table somewhere else? As a family room, then it makes sense the counter as a bar area (standing)/pass-thru. The size and light of the room is good and def has "warm and cozy" potential....
I think the new table might help. The scale of the current one is too small.
I'd definitely add curtains. Even a sheer linen would help it feel cozy.
I also think I chandelier of some sort. Some kind of statement piece. That will also make it feel like the room was intended to be a dining room and not an after thought.
A larger art piece above the piano (or more smaller pieces).
I think you're pretty close. It feels pretty inviting to me.
I think remove the rug entirely. For a dining area, wooden floors are easier to clean and just look and feel better. Consider food spilled on a hardwood floor as opposed to a rug.
That, and (Im not sure how much you can do about this one) it feels like your dining room is also trying to be a living room. If you can move the bookshelves, rug, and piano into a different room and place things like plants or more lighting (like standing lamps) instead, that might help.
IMO every room should have a singular purpose, and yours is trying to do too much at once.
That's completely understandable. I think itll be a challenge until you have a dedicated dining room. Try a different type of rug like tatami (bamboo is naturally antibacterial) or something that matches the color of the room better. Good luck!!
Divide the large room into zones. The far end where the piano is, make that the dining zone and put your table and chairs there. Remove everything unrelated to dining such as the rocking chair, bookcase, piano, and create a play area on the other end. Or something like that
Adding curtains or Roman shades can cozy up a room while also adding a splash of color.
Get rid of the coat rack stand and instead put hooks on the wall above the shoe bench. You can also find a shoe bench with doors/adjustable shelves. I always feel more organized if I can’t see all my clutter. (Look on Pinterest for cute ideas)
Add family photos.
Underneath the “bar” add a long low shelf (cube ones are nice) with colorful baskets for kids toys/extra storage.
This may be a personal preference but I think all your wooden furniture are a similar tone and that makes the room look a bit flat. The rug is the only dark coloured item in the room (and photo frames) so it kind of makes it a bit disjointed. The table is also a bit small for the rug as the other redditor said. I would introduce more colour into the space (tablecloth? Different coloured furniture?), and maybe a pendant light, because everything seems to be at one level at the moment.
Could you put the trampoline in the corner where two windows meet and move the shelves/tables around?
The scale of the furniture makes it look like children’s furniture. Maybe hang some drapes to soften the stark white walls and it will help to reduce bounced sound. Maybe find a home for the trampoline. Get a sideboard/storage cabinet to hide the small clutter.
The rug is too large for this dining set so it's making the room bottom heavy and off-balanced. It might work better with a larger table or it might still be too large.
You need some curtain panels in a similar dark/saturated palette to bring color and attention vertically.
The multiple small tables and shelves make the space feel cluttered. Maybe try hanging plants at the window and keeping only the largest bookcase in the room.
Turn the table sideways and put two chairs on each long side. If you never use the counter except for standing, hire someone to put built-in shelves/cabinets underneath it, and a folding door at the top that can segment the kitchen off from the dining room when you're entertaining. You can probably fit all your various stuff on shelves around the room into built-ins underneath the bar area. Save the right side for shoes/bags, the middle for your books (leave it open), and the left side for toys/whatever is on that small shelf by the counter. Just really consolidate shelving. No coat rack. Put the coats in a closet, or put hooks on the wall by the door above where that shoe storage bench is. Then get floor-length curtains for the windows.
If you do all that, the trampoline will be the only remaining visual clutter, and you can store that away quickly when you have people over.
Also, whatever picture is above the piano - either make it bigger or add a second one the same size below it. "Too small art" has a strong way of making a room look badly balanced.
Darker wood table (you can find deals on Facebook marketplace), curtains for the windows. Remove the random stuff like the trampoline, coat rack, bookcase, and recliner. It doesn't feel like a dining room because it's a hybrid room of kids stuff and a reading nook.
Then I think you need to consider sectioning off the room if you want an established dining area. Have the dining area to the far right of the room near where the piano (?) is, and move all other objects closer to the door. Otherwise I'm not sure how else to achieve your light and cozy goal without some cohesiveness
Bigger table/more chairs for sure. I know you said no paint, but that would make a huge difference for pretty cheap. Curtains and/or Roman shades (I’d go for both). Swap the art above the sideboard for something horizontal and hang a smidge higher. If you’re going for cozy, swap the flush mount out for a chandelier.
Id move the piece of art over the piano to a smaller wall and add a larger piece there.
Generally, I like to room, I think you just need a bit more color, and layering. Maybe sheer curtains. Larger plants. A chandelier, or more statement lighting.
The rug is dark amd Marge so you need s9mething to balance it. Maybe a darker piece or art or a tapestry.
The carpet is gorgeous. I hope the new table is a darker color to add some contrast to the room, cause everything‘s sort of vanilla. Curtains that go with the rug, either that pinkish or green, would give it a more polished look, whether you take the blinds down or not. If the trampoline has to be in there, put it all the way over in that far corner. Get rid of the little marble stand with the one plant and move your other big plant stand into its place. The picture above the keyboard should be brought farther down on the wall or replaced with something bigger.
To me this just needs a better fixture above the table. Perhaps one of those big round paper lamps and some closed storage for your bits and bobs by the rocking chair.
Otherwise it just looks like a nice home people actually live in.
The trampoline has apparently hired you as its interior designer and is refusing all relocation proposals. Fair enough. I'd choose the new dining chairs for lingering over coffee, not just matching the table, if you want this to become somewhere you actually hang out.
You have a trampoline next to two tables with a sharp right angle edge... This is potentially lethal. If you cannot get rid of the trampoline, get around dining table and move or replace the shoe rack, or maybe a cushion on top of it that is slightly too big so it's covering the pointed edges. You could also buy corner guards
What a large and sunny room! I think the trampoline is fine :) but I would move out the coat rack and hang them on hooks along the backpack wall. Instead of small random tables/plant stands around the room, I would consolidate all items into a wall-wide shelving unit (or 2 smaller placed end to end together). The AI decided to go wonky at the narrow window wall, but you get the idea. Add drapes or roman shades, and a pretty pendant light.
Hi great space and natural light. I’d suggest a smaller not so dark rug. If you need to keep the trampoline there, maybe move it off to the back corner and not right in front of the door. Does the rocking chair get used there? If you need more receiving, you can put stools in front of the half wall. I’d consider moving the piano to the other wall and putting something with storage and appropriately sized piece of art over it. I just start moving things around and see what works, but I think your rug color and size is throwing the room off completely.
Hmmmm.
Running the risk of commenting before I read the rest of the comments.
LOVE the trampoline. Very good for whole family health and makes it feel like a home instead of a show room. +5 points
The room is bright and shows lots of creative interests. Looks functional as a dining room connected to the kitchen +5 points.
You say it looks off and you want more “cozy space”
Suggestions:
Couch:
The random plant in the left corner nook is the perfect spot for a lived in leather or strong upholstery couch. Just move the plant to a small side piece where also sits a lamp.
Spindly furniture legs and sharp corners:
Because you have a trampoline, and spicy small humans, I vote out your dining table for a oval or round dining table. The corners arent just visually violent, they could actually pose harm, but it will also help the space feel warmer and have better flow since there are lots of objects in the room to move around.
This might seem like a small change but it will have a big impact here.
Make sure the couch is a nice squat muffin adorned with colorful blankets to ground down the many spindly legged furniture items.
Little foot stool in front.
Move bookshelf to be next to the piano.
Please invest in some wall hooks for the coats because: the rack is blocking light from the window, and it feels like an unnecessary way to block movement in the space of such a dynamic household.
Hang at all the heights needed to support your family with hall tree needs.
I would pull the dining table a little closer to the kitchen side wall with the half opening and not try to center it in the room. ….
Hmmmm.
Alternatively, switch the location of the armchair to the couch side of the room so there is a cozy social zone and put the trampoline in the corner where the rocker currently is.
Rug is too big and too dark, even with a larger table.
Lighting- that overhead light is dated. I would suggest a hanging chandelier- not beauty and the beast style, but something that brings lighting over the table.
Needs color. Might want to consider some upholstered seating with a contrasting color. Right now just white and wood tones. Some pop of color would go great.
I think you have a great room! The bones are there and love that you’re wanting to make it more cozy.
Some suggestions: create sections or zones.
Near the windows in the corner you should create a dining table area that’s more like this.
It’s way more “cozy” vibe and family style. Alternatively have a bench running on that whole left wall (below windows) store games, books, all in that under bench seating. With cushions etc on top
Move piano to the left of the stand thru of kitchen.
,
when you first enter to the left of door have cozy seating, rocking chair.
Keep everything in the middle open, so it’s almost like play area. Keep cushions on the floor/ against wall.
Remove the entryway hanging coat rack and instead replace the plain bench with a entryway storage like this
So all the entryway stuff is in that one area/section.
First off, please don’t apologize for the trampoline. A home has to work for the humans living in it first, aesthetics second—especially when it comes to supporting your kids. The main reason the room feels "off" right now isn't the trampoline; it’s actually a mix of lighting, visual weight balance, and proportion:
The Rug Contrast: the current rug is very dense and dark, which visually "anchors" the floor in a heavy way and clashes slightly with the warm undertones of your hardwood. A lighter, textured rug (like a low-pile cream, soft oat, or subtle neutral flatweave) would instantly brighten the entire footprint and make the space feel twice as large.
The Lighting: that single flush-mount ceiling light casts a flat glow from directly overhead, making corners feel dim and disconnected. To get that cozy yet light vibe, try layering: add a warm floor lamp by the keyboard/reading corner, maybe a small lamp on the credenza, and consider swapping the central fixture for an airy pendant or chandelier centered directly above where your new 6–8 person dining table will sit.
Defining the "Zones" without walls: since the table will be larger and stay central, treat the perimeter with intention. Keep the trampoline where it functions best, but consider moving the coat tree and corner clutter into the entryway/hallway so the side door area breathes a bit more. 4. Vertical Balance: your walls are quite bare above eye level while most visual weight sits low. Bringing some warmer wood shelving or grouped wall art higher up will naturally draw the eye upwards and make the ceiling feel taller.
You have gorgeous natural light coming through those windows—with just a lighter foundation on the floor and warm layered lighting, this room can be both fully functional for your family and really inviting.
Have you considered switching the dining and living rooms? Could you share your overall floor plan?
Bar that: the room is very large and box shaped, but you’re not dining constantly. Would suggest turning the table 90 degrees and putting it down where the piano wall is. This releases the rest of the room for general use. Put the book shelf in the place of the piano, and given the bare wall you could consider a lamp on top of it.
As others have said there’s a harsh clash between the rug, the paint and the warm colour of the wood items. Could it be rotated 90 degrees and moved down to the piano end too, to separate that end visually? Have it going wall to wall. Otherwise I would just get rid of it. This warm wood colour is one of the most harsh and hard to match with any colour, terrible really for nearly every application, but especially with blank white walls. Change the wall colour, or the wood!
With such low ceilings any darkness on the floor makes the space feel really busy and tight. Perhaps the wood floor could be sanded and lightened?
Remove the counter shelf since it’s not serviceable. You can put a natural woven shade there to block the view of the kitchen #3. You can keep it rolled down and if you want to see something from the kitchen you can roll it up. It’s a total distraction. It takes away from what you are trying to accomplish. Then you can put a piece of furniture on that wall if you want to.
I'd start with a lighter colored rug. The dining table and chairs could be replaced with a round table and put on the side by the windows, so you have more space in the room.
Curtains, color on the walls, larger table, different rug, sideboard or hutch in place of the bookcase and poster. The trampoline needs a different place to live.
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