Small Home Gazette, Spring 2018

Creative Solutions: Convenient, Casual Dining

Before the addition of the dishwasher to the kitchen, Susan and Richard ate on the countertop, perched on bar stools. Now they have both an eat-in kitchen and a dishwasher.

Many bungalows are blessed with a breakfast nook, just off the kitchen, which makes a perfect spot for casual dining. The kitchen is close at hand if you want seconds or a little extra salt and pepper. But what if your bungalow lacks a cozy, convenient noshing nook and the kitchen is too small to add a freestanding table and chairs?

In these nook-less homes, meals either happen at the formal dining room table or somewhere even more distant from the kitchen. Carrying the dinnerware and food back and forth to the dining room got a little tiresome for Susan and Richard’s everyday life in their St. Paul bungalow. So they looked for an inexpensive solution that was far less complex than knocking a hole in the back of the kitchen and adding a breakfast nook.

This handy dining surface provides just enough room for two, and its location near the center of the kitchen keeps everything needed close at hand.

They dreamed up a retractable table that is built into a kitchen cabinet frame. The table surface pulls out on sturdy drawer glides. The surface has a back to prevent items from falling into the interior of the cabinet. The counter just above the table serves as a handy sideboard for serving dishes of food. And the sink, stove and refrigerator are close at hand. Folding chairs work well because one tucks into the open space in the cabinet while the other folds up in a nearby niche.

“We still use our dining room for special occasions or when friends are over,” Susan says. “But this little table is a great spot when it is just the two of us. We came up with the concept and our handyman carpenter made it happen.”

Other Examples?

If you know of other creative solutions to make bungalows more livable, send them to us at mail@bungalowclub.net. Whether they save space; provide modern convenience with an historically-appropriate appearance; or simply make the best of a difficult situation, we would love to share them in the Small Home Gazette.