Blue Team Dining Room
This week our teams faced two design challenges: create functional and stylish spaces in the dining room and the laundry room. As if that weren't enough, the teams also had to complete the back entrance/mudroom area of the home.
Both homes had dining rooms that were open to the kitchen, meaning that the design had to be integrated between the two spaces. With growing families, both teams needed to create dining spaces that would allow for plenty of different uses.
Both teams had included informal bar seating into the kitchen islands so the dining room space could be used for more formal dining. But at the same time, because the spaces are open concept, they aren't as stuffy and will likely be used more regularly than a true formal dining room.
The Yellow Team had some layout advantages in this challenge. The back entrance of the Yellow Team home allows for a bit of privacy from the rest of the space and has some room for storage. The team also added some extra storage with a bench.
The Yellow Team dining room integrates some of the elements and colours from the kitchen area and it is a great example of a design that flows well through the space.
The one caveat I have is more of a pet peeve than a true design comment. In my opinion, a formal dining room is no place for a TV. The point of the dining room is to sit down as a family or as a couple or with friends to share a meal. The wall mounted TV here really takes away from the design but also from the use of this space. Especially given that this TV can't be hidden away in a TV stand when company comes over, this is a definite minus from my point of view.
The Blue Team definitely had their work cut out for them to create an entrance, but I think they did the best they could.
This team decided to create some built-in cabinets that can also be used as a sideboard, using a space that would be otherwise quite awkward. The use of space here was great and the cabinet and sideboard space will be very functional. However, I would have chosen to use the same wood for the top of this piece rather than the countertop style finish they chose. The countertop contrasts quite dramatically with the dark wood and so it's eye catching which emphasizes that it is not the same as the counter on the island. Likely this choice was made to save some cost, but because of the colour contrast it draws too much attention to what could be seen as a mistake. Using wood would have made this built-in look like custom furniture.
The Blue Team chose a very dramatic metallic wallpaper and an oversized mirror to create some punch and give the dining room a touch of glamour. The mirror also spreads the natural light through the space and will look great with candlelight for a romantic dinner.
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