Not every house needs a formal dining area. But what to put in its place? While refreshing a North Downtown home last year, Betsy Kraft made a bold suggestion.
“It is very important to me that a home feels authentic to the family. In this case, the homeowners are laid-back, unfussy people. They told me they love to have friends over for a casual cocktail and listen to music,” says the owner of Betsy Kraft Design. “So when I suggested having an intentional gathering space for that instead of a formal dining room, they jumped at the idea.”
To visually separate it from the adjacent living space, she went moody: A bold blue hue coats the trim around a fun bird-print wallpaper. Four Arhaus chairs turn toward each other for intimate conversation, while a cheeky crane statue from Chairish spies from the corner. Overhead, an Anthropologie light fixture brings in a midcentury detail.
“The other really cool thing about this space is how we integrated contemporary elements into the traditional bones of the home,” Kraft says. “The homeowners love a midcentury aesthetic but the house, built in the 1940s, has very traditional craftsman bones. It was fun to blend the two styles to make it feel true to the homeowners’ taste while respecting the home’s architecture.”
