Combination living and dining rooms are perfectly suited for the way we live today where open plan spaces tend to dominate in both new builds and existing home renovations. Clever furniture placement and accessorizing can help create flow in a mixed-use space, creating well defined but flexible zones for living and dining. Aiming for an equal amount of seating for living and dining will ensure that the room feels balanced, though you can feel free to change the ratio if you use the room more for one function or the other. Choosing a harmonious color palette and furniture that works well together without matching ensures a cohesive, stylish, livable overall design.

01 Parisian Style

In this Paris living room/dining room combo designed by French interior design firm Atelier Steve, sleek built-in wall storage helps prevent clutter and free up space in the center of the room. A Danish mid-century modern dining table surrounded by antique French Napoléon III style chairs occupy one side of the room, while a contemporary coffee table and a built-in nook painted blue incorporates seating and wall lighting that takes up less square footage than a traditional sofa, making the 540-square-foot Paris apartment feel grand.

02 All-White Living Room and Dining Room Combo

In this chic streamlined all-white apartment living and dining room space designed by Seattle-based OreStudios, sticking with an all-white palette accented with soft touches of gray and warm wood tones keeps the dual-purpose space feeling light, airy and fresh. The dining room centered between the kitchen and the living room is centered to allow for maximum flow and the design is quiet enough to disappear, allowing the eye to be drawn to the view from the wall of windows.