Dinner and a Good Book: 12 Double-Duty Dining Rooms

The dining room is a prime location for scholarly pursuits, as it often contains the largest table in a home. Dining tables are perfect for perusing oversized atlases and art books, and can easily host culinary and literary masterpieces alike. Here’s a collection of 11 bibliophile-worthy dining rooms that are (leather) bound to impress — along with one that lightheartedly nods to the reading life.

This farmhouse dining room in New York, designed by Kate Johns, includes bookshelves painted dark gray with an orange beadboard backing. The room has industrial lighting, a wood table with a steel base and molded plastic chairs.

Chairs: Eames molded plastic; pendants: Eugene, Visual Comfort Lighting Store


This Katie Lydon-designed dining room in a Manhattan penthouse features a chandelier composed of martini glasses, framed art hanging from the bookshelf and a flourish of drizzled paint topping the dark hardwood floors.


A wall of built-in bookshelves designed by McKinney York Architects graces this contemporary dining room in Austin, Texas. A library ladder on wheels allows the homeowners to easily reach books on the top shelves. The room’s sculptural chandelier was created by local artists.

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Bookshelves painted antique green line two walls of this rustic dining room created by Platt Architecture. The bookshelves are topped with a series of bronze library lights.

Library lights: Boston, Circa Lighting; dining chairs: Aero Studios


The black floors, pendant lights and bookshelves in this Northern California dining room designed by Ann Lowengart make a bold, modern statement.

Dining table: HD Buttercup; chairs: Lucite, Ann Lowengart Interiors; pendants: Beat, Tom Dixon


This traditional dining room in Charleston, South Carolina, was designed by Bill Huey + Associates. Olive green bookshelves line the walls and are chock-full of books and intrigue — note the hidden door.


Large windows and a custom skylight created by Cider Press Woodworks make for a bright farmhouse dining room. The antique dining table and chairs are family heirlooms, and the chandelier was a custom creation.


This eclectic New York City dining room, designed by Christopher Burns, has a chandelier dripping in glass beads, chairs covered in faux cowhide and a high-gloss wood dining table.

Chairs: Zeus, Artistic Frame; rug: custom, Patterson Flynn Martin

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The custom bookshelves in this hip Austin, Texas, dining room designed by Furman + Keil Architects create a wall separating the space from the kitchen. The bookshelves include an alcove for a dining bench, along with storage and an integrated wine rack.

Bookshelf paint: Porpoise, Sherwin-Williams; chandelier: Circular 5, Niche Modern; dining table: Atlantico; chairs: Wegner Wishbone


This transitional dining room in Philadelphia was designed by Rasmussen / Su Architects. It has an open dining area with bookshelves and a library rail and ladder.

Library ladder: Alaco Ladder


A wall of casement windows and French doors draws light into this Sydney dining room, designed by Sam Crawford Architects. The space plays many roles as a reading, game and music room.

Chairs: CH33, Carl Hansen & Son


If you prefer reading your books on a laptop or tablet and don’t need bookshelves, you can follow designer Lisa Borgnes Giramonti’s lead and still achieve the library look by adding whimsical wallpaper, as she did in this Los Angeles dining room.

Wood dining chair: Eames molded plywood; metal bench: Horse Shoe; wallpaper: Books, Deborah Bowness

More:
24 Amazing Walls of Books
8 Ways to Rethink the Dining Room

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