How to Transform Your Living Room into a Dining Room for the Holidays

For designer John Eyring of Altalux Studio, the true test of a successful home design often comes when crowds of friends and family descend for celebratory gatherings. As evidence of his trained eye, Eyring conjured a gracious living room with a hidden talent, magically transforming into a large dining room with abundant seating. To help you create similarly transitional spaces in your own home, Eyring offers a few pieces of styling advice.

Photos by Lindsay Salazar Photography

Styling by Noelle Wright

• When designing your home, use flip-top, drop-leaf and gate leg tables behind sofas or against walls. Demilune (semi-circular) flip-top tables work well in hallways and small spaces. These designs are often more interesting than typical console tables, and they stand ready to serve as refined dining tables when needed.

• Use side chairs around the house—in entry halls, at a desk or beside a nightstand. Find chairs that are 18-20 inches wide and also have a seat height of 18-20” inches. This is slightly narrower and higher than many side chairs, but they will fit more comfortably around a table and people tend to prefer sitting slightly higher while dining.

• Use benches that are 40 to 48 inches-wide in the entry hall, mudroom, bedrooms or hallways. Upholster them in quality performance fabrics so they are attractive, comfortable and durable enough to do double duty at a dining table. Instead of a wooden piano bench, use a leather tufted, adjustable-height duet (double) bench at the piano. It’s another efficient way to add cozy seating for two and has built-in adjustability to dining height.

• Don’t worry about mismatched seating. If the pieces are high quality and their scale is right, they will work. Create as much symmetry or balance as possible around the table when you mix high and low backs and bulky and petite frames. Your tablescape can be a focal point that pulls the pieces together visually, so consider stems, branches and garlands that can flow across and down the table.

• Keep your guest list in mind and consider who would prefer sitting in chairs that are a bit higher or lower, or who would enjoy sharing the benches. Place cards are always a nice touch when entertaining, and they are especially helpful in seating guests comfortably around converted dining tables. 

Learn more about this transitional design in our original coverage here.