Left of center

Left of Center

No, this isn’t a post about politics! Rather, it is about dining rooms. Specifically, about making a dining room more functional and intimate for entertaining and everyday use. I have been working with a couple on remodeling an older condo lately and the dining room presented a challenge and opportunity.

This condo, built in the 1920’s, has a really generously sized dining room not found in modern condos. This room also is the central pass through room from the front entry, living room, and study to the back areas, kitchen and bedrooms. This makes it a busy place indeed! This room measures out at 17’6” X 13’6”. The east 13’6” wall features a large window, the north long wall has a 6’ opening to the living room and the south long wall, a door to the hall and kitchen located towards the west corner. Thus, the main thoroughfare would be across the western end of the room while the east end of the room remains more isolated. My solution was the split the room into two zones – eating and gathering. I had the electrician move the light fixture from the center of the room 35” towards the east window. Now the dining table is off center and when the table is turned crossways, creates a great dining are out of the traffic pattern. And, now I have a large open space in the west end of the room to travel through and a spot for larger groups of guests to gather around a buffet.

Speaking of buffet, this client has visions of entertaining in her new home larger groups than she has been able to so I wanted to provide a place for her to set out a large spread other than the galley kitchen. Along the west wall I plan on two 32” to 36” tall cabinets set 4’ to 5’ apart, depending on the cabinet size. These will then be topped with a custom cut ½” thick slab of glass to create a 10’ to 12’ long buffet. I had this set up in my previous loft and it was a godsend at parties! Anchored by a tall lamp at each end this surface can accommodate a large number of platters and plates. I know I served a buffet for up to 40 off mine! The glass keeps this huge surface form being too heavy and obtrusive and makes for an easy to clean and care for area. I like to tuck a couple of ottoman on casters under the center space for extra pull out seating. These can be moved from room to room as needed. The two cabinets provide storage for all the necessary items for entertaining – linens, platters, candles, vases, ect.

I can’t wait for this couple to begin using their new entertaining space and see what a great party they can have!

Soup, sandwich, friends!

A few weeks ago I received a message from our dear friends, Peg & Lisa, requesting dinner together since they were going to be traveling and not seeing us for a little while. They are some of our closest friends and we always have a wonderful time with them, talking & laughing, so I immediately responded with a yes! As we were heading into the holiday season and were watching our budget I took the opportunity to invite them to our home for dinner instead of going out. We included our mutual friend Cynthia as well so it was a great group.

Entertaining at home is a fantastic chance to have a relaxed evening with friends without breaking the bank. It also allows you to really linger and enjoy each others company without feeling rushed to “give up the table”. Keeping your menu simple is the key. Focus on foods you feel confident making, don’t require lots of prep or serving time and you will see what fun this can be. For our evening with “the girls” I heeded Pegs request for grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. A couple of years ago I had them over and made a roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and it must have made quite an impression on Peg, she asks for it repeatedly! This time around, I made a roasted Thai curry zucchini soup that was very easy and amazingly delicious considering zucchini has very little flavor on its own. The grilled cheese had gruyere, mild cheddar, thin slices of tomato and a hearty sourdough bread. The key is to use an herbed butter to do the grilling. Adds tons of flavor!

The best part of the evening (apart from time with friends!) was I put on a delicious, easy dinner for 5 all for under $20. And we had hours to sit at the table, linger over dessert and really spend quality time together. I can’t think of a better evening!

The blogger hath returned!!

Yes, I am back! After a 10 month hiatus I am back to blogging some of my thoughts, ideas and experiences in design. But I am expanding the scope to include some more "lifestyle" items as well. Namely - FOOD! Now, I'm no Martha Stewart or Ina Garten but I do enjoy some time spent over the stove, in the kitchen and around my home doing things to create a more comfortable environment for myself and my better half, Doug. We don't live in a wonderful townhouse or on a idyllic country estate, just a cozy city apartment overlooking Tower Grove Park in St. Louis. But that doesn't stop me from doing what I can with what I have where I am! That's a paraphrased quote from Theodore Roosevelt.

2010 has been a year full of challenges, professionally and personally, but I arrive here in the waning hours of the year whole and in a good place. As this recession wears on and we continue to keep our belts a little tighter working on ways to make our homes joyful and comforting is even more important. I will share some of the ways I do that for myself and help others do it too. I also want to hear from you how you make your life a better place. Recipes, tips, fun stories - I want to hear them!

I'll be posting later about a very small dinner party we had a few weeks ago that will show you how to stay connected with friends, relax, and stay on budget. But now I have to go attend to my big pot of split pea soup I have going. Check back..........

Tom