Article: Bessette Feature: The Washington Post
Bessette Feature: The Washington Post
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The home trend that can help you get more mileage out of your dining room
A DIY dining library can create the perfect space for reading, crafting, work or dining with friends. Here’s how to get one.
By Jolie Kerr
Flex spaces, those multiuse areas that bend and grow to accommodate the disparate and changing needs of a household, took off during the pandemic. We had to get creative about how we used space when we were home 24/7, making room for work, school, hobbies, fitness and, well, everything else. But they’re still very much a part of how we live now.
One of the hottest iterations of this outside-the-box thinking about space is the dining library, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a hybrid of an elegant formal dining room and a cozy reading space.
“The table is central, but so are the shelves that surround it,” says Cait Barker, the creative director and co-founder of Bessette. “A dining library brings character, warmth and purpose to a room that’s often underused.”
Dining libraries contain multitudes
There are multiple ways to approach the dining library. The more classic approach, Barker says, is “book-forward and formal, usually with floor-to-ceiling shelves and a dedicated dining table. It’s designed primarily for reading, entertaining and quiet conversation.”
By contrast, she says, “the multiuse dining library is more flexible, blending books with everyday activities like crafting, homework or working from home; and the entertainer’s dining library prioritizes hosting, incorporating bar storage, serving surfaces or display shelving for glassware alongside books.”
How to create a dining library in your home
Adding a dining library to your home could be as simple — and relatively inexpensive — as rearranging some furniture or adding some DIY shelving. Or it can be a full-scale renovation led by contractors and designers.
“A budget-friendly version, using prefabricated shelving, plug-in sconces, paint and thoughtful styling, can be achieved for $1,000 to $3,000,” Barker says. “At the high end, a fully custom dining library with floor-to-ceiling built-ins, detailed millwork, wallpaper, paint and custom lighting can range from $20,000 to $50,000-plus.”
If a full reno isn’t in your budget, these tips can help you turn your existing dining room into a book-centered flex space.
Make it book-forward.
To design a room around books, mix them with ceramics, small pieces of art and objects to create depth.
“The goal is a collected look that feels personal rather than precious,” Barker says. “When in doubt, go vintage — timeworn pieces add instant character and keep shelves from feeling too polished or predictable.”
Choose your table wisely.
A large central table is a staple of both dining rooms and libraries.
“From formal rectangular to casual round, this is the room’s anchor,” Barker says. “Choose a table scale that leaves comfortable circulation around chairs.”
To get the scale right and avoid a too-big table that leaves the space feeling cramped, she says, “A trick I love is taping out the table’s size on the floor before buying to see how it actually looks and feels in the room. You want enough room to pull chairs in and out comfortably and still have easy flow around the table.”
Layer the lighting.
You want multiple sources of lighting, rather than just one fixture in the middle of the room.
“A stunning chandelier over the table sets mood,” Barker says, “then add sconces or picture lights to highlight shelves and sculptural objects.”
