THE MOST VERSTATILE ROOM IN THE HOUSE

By Amy Montgomery

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

Over the years, formal dining rooms were becoming outdated because they were so infrequently used. However, because of the pandemic what is traditionally called the formal dining room is getting another look in a multi-functional way. Most homes have a space that is designated as the formal dining room, whether you love the pomp and circumstance, formal isn’t quite the word being used today. A multi-functional space that can be dressed up or down as needed is a great way to put rarely used space to good use.

When we decided to renovate our former home in Nashville, we had this odd space that was not quite a room but more than a space in between the living room, dining room, and the keeping room off the kitchen. In its previous life it had been a sun porch and at some point was even enclosed. We removed all traces of the outside of the house, brick, exterior doors, and of all things still inside the house, an exterior window. I feel many things in a home should have a secondary purpose, so we decided to give this room a dual use and create a library and dining room in one space.

As the project began, the contractor AND my husband gave me googlyeyed odd looks when I said I wanted the bookshelves to extend around and over all four doorways that opened into this room. Because we had many books, including an extensive collection of cookbooks, this space would allow all my books to be in one place. To fill in the narrowest shelves over the doorways, we purchased some vintage Reader’s Digest bound books to close the gaps. Well, it worked beautifully creating a functional library with colorful bookshelves including a long narrow table with chairs in the middle to finish the library.

Most of the time, the narrow library table is set with stacks of coffee table books, bowls of collected items, decorative goodies, and occasionally a few fresh flowers. At any given time, someone will be sitting at one end of the table with a laptop or the errands for the day will be lined up at one end ready for tasking and completion. This long table in the library room adds the versatility to give it a secondary purpose as an essential space to entertain at home — a dining room.

In our previous home in Nashville, the library table worked well for dinner party overflow seating as it was right off the dining room and had a full view of the dining room. During the holidays it served as the buffet table for the spread of Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve food for the entire family. Additionally, when we had one or two couples over for dinner, the library table made the perfect intimate space for dinner.

The library truly can be one of the most versatile rooms in a house. By combining two different and unique spaces, the library — dining room combination is a great way to achieve dual functionality while also adding charm and style to any house. Who knows, sometimes you might even read a book there!

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

AMY MONTGOMERY has 25 years of design experience and owns Amy Montgomery Home located in Columbia, Tennessee. She is a lifestylist focused on home, food, and flowers and delights in working one-on-one with customers. Visit amymontgomeryhome.com for additional information and follow on social media at @amymontgomeryhome.