Six Ways to Craft an Open Concept Formal Dining Room
How to Combine Traditional Touches and Modern Spaces
Two "must have" floor plan design features for many North Carolina home buyers are a formal dining room and open concept living space.
Get ideas for how to combine traditional features with modern layouts, in these open concept dining spaces.
See how wainscoting walls, stone columns, bold colors, and Butler's Pantries can help transform casual eating spaces into formal dining rooms.
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #1: Single Wall Formal Dining
In this version of The Peay, a trey ceiling, formal black chandelier, and white wainscote paneling form a traditional dining room with only one wall.
This dining room - filled with classic features - is completely open to the kitchen and great room.
All you need to add is a rectangular or octagonal dining table. (A round table could make this space feel less formal - and look more like a contemporary breakfast room.)
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #2: Vaulted Formal Dining
In this version of The Carwile, Stanton Homes added a home hub (mud room / laundry room combination) and downstairs home office, in lieu of a traditional formal dining room.
Then, we transformed the breakfast nook into a modern, open concept dining room with vaulted ceiling, extra large trim, and wainscoting columns.
A glass French door leads to outdoor living spaces. All you need to add is a white rectangular table and chairs with a splash of color (such as a pattern of purples and greens that blend with the white, grey, black, and pebble backdrop).
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #3: Butler's Pantry
This full wall butler's pantry transforms the breakfast space into a formal dining room, complete with craftsman style windows and a faux candel chandelier.
Glass front cabinets are perfect for displaying formal dishware such as china sets. Lower drawers offer easy-to-see storage. See a photo tour of this version of The Brogran, here.
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #4: Open Concept Dining
A two sided fireplace acts as the third wall in this open concept formal dining room.
A crystal chandelier lends a touch of elegance - to contrast with the grey wainscot walls and earthy fireplace stone.
Tour more of The Bryson, an Apex North Carolina custom home, here.
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #5: Blue Formal Dining Room
This navy blue formal dining room uses modern color motifs and modern archways to create a more open concept design.
White wainscoting runs around the room, and art cut-out openings add to the open feel.
See more angles of this open concept formal dining room, in a photo gallery of The Christina, here.
Traditional Formal Dining Room Idea #6: Angled Dining Room
This dining space features white wainscoting with picture frame trim, a deep trey ceiling, and gold and crystal chandelier with lamp shade lights.
Wide archways keep this dining space completely open to the grand room and hallway to the kitchen.
See more of this home, a version of The Remington, in this photo gallery.
More on Formal Dining Rooms...
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