Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to get together with friends and family and reflect on how grateful you are to have them in your life. It’s difficult to do that if you have a small home or a tiny dining room. Fortunately, there are ways you can maximize space make your dining area bigger with these quick and easy tricks so you can share your Thanksgiving dinner with everyone.

Less is More

Eloquent wooden dining room table for a kitchen
Wood table Fab Living

If your dining room can just barely accommodate everyone on your guest list, move all non-essential furniture out of the dining room. If you have a buffet table or a bar cart in your dining room, move them to another room, but be sure to utilize them during your party. For small dining rooms and big family gatherings, only keep the table and chairs in the dining room. This goes without saying, but you should put away and clean any mess or clutter as well. Clutter will make your entire home feel cramped and smaller than it really is. Put away your unused appliances and hide that stack of magazines. If you have children or fur-kids coming over, keep breakable knick knacks behind a closed door.

Use a Different Room

Dining room tables, not just for kitchens or dining rooms
Living room dining Fresh Palace

Instead of using your small dining room, why not use a bigger room? Rearrange your furniture for the night to accommodate all of your guests. If you have a big living room, use that as your one-night-only dining room. Use the living room furniture to create a cozy conversation nook in the dining room and move the dining table and chairs into the living room to create a big dining room. If your dining room table seems tiny compared to your living room, you can easily use a piece of plywood and cover it with a festive tablecloth.

Switch Up the Seating

Mix up the dining room chairs for adequate seating
Dining table chairs Something Vintage

Whether you want a formal or informal Thanksgiving dinner, skip the fold-up chairs. Instead, invest in double-duty furniture. Vintage ottomans can hold seat pillows and act as extra seating for when company is over. Benches are a great way to create more seating, especially around the Thanksgiving table. Don’t worry about matching your chairs. Mismatched seating is stylish and chic.

Take It Outside

Outdoor dining seating in your own backyard
Exterior dining Best of Interiors

If you have a tiny dining room (and a small house) but have a large backyard, take the party outside. While warmer climates will have an easier time dining outdoors towards the end of fall, colder climates can experience the magic of gathering outside under the stars as well. Outdoor heating such as patio heaters, a firepit, or even candles can create a warm and cozy atmosphere for your holiday dinner. You can even put some warm blankets in a basket for your guests.

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