The first and most obvious piece of furniture that can do double duty is in your dining room table. By having a dining room table that can adjust in size, you are creating a regular dining room to enjoy with your family every day as well as having a table that will seat twelve when you have a dinner party. This way, your dining room will look spacious with a smaller table in it most of the time; but whenever you are entertaining family and friends, you can extend the table to accommodate everyone. You can also bring in extra folding chairs as needed, and this keeps your space open when you are not entertaining.

Low Shelving

Using some low shelving or a bookcase in the dining room can add a lot of function to the space. Aside from adding a design element to the room, shelves can be used to showcase fine china or a collection. They can be used to shelve your cookbook collection. They can also be used for storing linens and silverware. By adding a few decorative baskets to your shelves, you can neatly store whatever you please on the shelves and have them look attractive. A low set of shelves can also double as a sideboard or buffet, and when it is not being used to serve it makes a wonderful display surface.

Storage Bench

When you are looking for furniture that can perform two functions, keep storage options in mind. A storage bench is one of the most useful pieces of furniture that you can add to your space. It has a low enough profile so you can tuck it against the wall for extra seating, or you may have it at your table. You can also place a storage bench in a bay window to get seating and storage all rolled up in one.Storage benches are great for storing linens, large platters or even holiday decorations, because they keep the items handy yet out of the way.

Small Chest

If you have an old chest of drawers, you may want to consider using it in the dining room as a sideboard or a hutch. You can use all of the drawers for storage, and again this is a great place to store table linen and silverware. You can also use the top of the dresser as a buffet when you are serving dinner. While you could choose to hang a classic monogram wall grille above the chest as a focal point, it will not give you any additional storage. You can hang several floating shelves above it to display your favorite serving platters or and add a beautiful focal point to your room. Or choose a grapes wall decor wine rack and add storage for your favorite wines while making a stylish statement.