Dining in Style

When you put together your design plan for a new apartment home, it’s often easy to figure out your bedroom, living room, and kitchen. They have clear focal points, like a bed, couch, or appliances. Dining rooms can be a little trickier depending on where they are in your floor plan. Some apartment homes don’t even have a designated dining area, which will take some creativity. At Williamsburg North, our Keystone north apartments in Indianapolis feature 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom floor plans and townhomes that all have a dining area. In any situation, you do have options and ways to make your dining area the perfect place to sit down for a meal. 

Place the Table

Your dining table may not end up being the focal point of your dining area, but it will certainly be an important part of your dining experience. That means you’ll want to be smart about where and how you place the table. If you have limited space, you’ll want to consider a table that’s easier to navigate around, like a small circle instead of a traditional rectangle. Using round shapes will keep your walkways and seating much more open. Whether you use a round shape or angular shape, your table should be anchored by something. You may want to consider placing it under an obvious light fixture, near a large stretch of wall, under a window, on a rug, or simply in the center of whatever area you choose. Try to avoid pushing it too close to anything so no one ever feels like they have to wriggle into their seat. 

Use Architectural Features

This tip may have you confused, but it’s really simple. You want to use natural focal points in your floor plan to your advantage. This could be something as obvious as a window or wall or something more interesting, like a cutout, fireplace, arch, or something similar. A lot of apartment homes are lighter on architectural features, so you may have to get creative. If you choose a wall to center on, then that makes the next step easy: you need a large art piece to create the focus of the area. If you choose a window, then you’ll want to consider how you frame the window with curtains or drapes to draw the eye. 

Keep It Comfortable

There can be a temptation to make your dining area very formal and stiff. There’s no “rule” that says you have to have all wooden, high-backed chairs with candlesticks or flowers as a centerpiece. Rather than focus on following the old formula, make your dining area your own. Choose chairs that look appropriate but are comfortable. You can even have fun doing a mix-and-match approach. Try two stuffed chairs at the head of the table and the rest traditional wooden chairs. You can even incorporate a bench on one side and two chairs on the other. When you pick a centerpiece, it can be classic, like a floral feature, but don’t be afraid to change it up with a feature of one of your favorite collections or a tray of snacks you like to have out for guests to graze on. Other fun elements to add to your table include placemats, coasters, and cloth napkins with napkin holders. Some of these things can be left out on a daily basis or added just for special occasions. 

Play with Color and Light

If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to highlight your dining area, there are some simple tricks to draw attention to it. The quickest way is through a clear and dramatic pop of color. This should be from something larger, like a bold piece of art or a large centerpiece. If this is the approach you pick, then make sure the other colors you use are more subtle so it doesn’t turn into a visual jumble. Another way to trick the eye into focusing on a particular area is with light. This doesn’t mean you have to be close to a window or even have a window in the area. Instead, you can use a strategically placed mirror to bounce light from either a window or a light fixture. A word of caution: place the mirror high enough that your diners aren’t staring at themselves while they eat. Put it a touch higher to focus on bouncing the light and other colors. 

Williamsburg North makes it easy to create the dining area of your dreams with our extensive selection of floor plans. When you come home to our apartments in north Indianapolis, you can expect comfort and community. Schedule a tour to learn more about our many top amenities: (317)-648-5854.