A Kitchen Dining Nook - Not Just For Breakfast

Over the course of two recent summers I had the enormous job of furnishing and outfitting an entire residence from top to bottom for its new European owners who purchased the traditional shingle style house as their seasonal holiday home. Located in a remote coastal setting on the South Shore of Nova Scotia the 7 bedroom main house and guest quarters are situated overlooking the water surrounded by many acres of woodland. The project didn’t involve any renovation or remodelling design work on my part, not even paint colours (!) my task of furnishing and outfitting the home mandated working with the existing spaces as is, and completing it all as quickly as possible so it could be used without prolonged delay. This post takes a peak at the finished Kitchen Dining Nook.

The dining nook in the expansive eat-in kitchen is situated in front of a bay of windows and glass doors with elevated views over the sloping property to the coastal water ways. To the right of this dining area is a classic white kitchen with black counters configured around a centre island and with a peninsula that separates the kitchen from dining area. The kitchen area features terracotta tile flooring, an alcove with a wood stove and an adjoining laundry and pantry with separate entrance from a rear parking area.

Although my scope of work didn’t include designing the kitchen or any of the interior build, I did recommend painting out the very glossy and very orange knotty pine ceiling which instantly made the space significantly brighter and lighter looking.

Once the ceiling was painted out we added a classic ring chandelier in an oil rubbed bronze and simple shaded arm sconces on the existing wall junction boxes. The chandelier lends a bit of nautical vibe without getting themey and the dark metal is a nod to the rugged rural surroundings.

The main criteria for the dining space was for it to serve as an informal dining room (is there any other kind of dining in a vacation home!) to sit at least 10 people for occasional large family visits but also be cozy enough for two on a daily basis. I immediately set out in search of an extra large round pedestal table table which would fill the space proportionately, create wonderful flow going in out to the deck, and transition from 2 to 10 comfortably. Several inspiration spaces that we referenced had wicker or rattan chairs which really evoked a relaxed cottage setting so I set out to find a lounge’y style version that were sized for dining height.

The large diameter table top and roomy arm chairs allow the homeowners to sit lounge style, side by side for any meal of the day while enjoying the scenic views (and to spread out their various international newspaper print subscriptions). For large family meals the circular arrangement of arm chairs is ideal to gather around and linger for hours if you like, with plenty of space to add in 4 or 5 side chairs when needed. I had custom back pillows made for the chairs in a cheery blue and white ekat style print which I also used for a roman shade over the kitchen sink window.

Although there was an entire wall of windows/doors, the nook area had a rather large wall area to deal with. This would normally be a perfect spot for a hutch or sideboard but because there was a long peninsula behind the table and the kitchen has ample storage there was no need for more storage. Not to mention the house also has large separate dining and living rooms with a sideboard, bookcases with loads of storage space. With a small budget for wall art I decide to pick-up on a blue and white theme and create a collage of plates to occupy the wall space - a super inexpensive but impactful decor element. What inspired this was a few small blue & white plates that the homeowner had picked up on their touring around the South Shore. So over the course of the project I began picking up vintage blue & whites whenever I could. The collage is installed in a way that easily allows for more plates to be added at any time and i think that’s such a fun and interesting way to grow a collection over time and display your found treasures for everyone to see.

In addition to furnishing the space I was also tasked with outfitting the kitchen and dining area with all the essentials including; small appliances, cookware, serve ware, dishes, cutlery, glassware, trays,,, absolutely everything you would need to turn-key, and be ready prepare meals for a house full of guests. Early on in my sourcing I came across a charming set of Johnson and Johnson’s “Devon’s Cottage” dishware at Home Sense and immediately snapped it up. Not only was I drawn to the classic palette but I particularly loved that this collection is comprised of a mix-match pattern and it had proper tea cups and saucers (on my client’s must have list!).

I’m thrilled to say I wasn’t the only one who was crazy about this dish pattern, the homeowner’s who are of dutch heritage and have a primary residence in Amsterdam, were delightfully surprised with my find as they explained to me one of their daughters has this same set which they had always admired. Its a small world as they say!

In the next post I’ll share all the details on the table top pieces I selected and how I set the table for a family brunch!