Turning Claire Rauh's narrow dining room into a spacious and inviting place for dinner parties was a challenge for Beverly Glover-Wood of Bethesda, Md., design firm Glover-Wood Interiors. The main obstacle, she says, was that the room was narrow, which left it feeling closed in.

To maximize the area, Glover-Wood suggests Rauh turn it into a bar and serving area "with a cozy seating arrangement." The dining room opens up into the living room, and that's where Glover-Wood says Rauh can have additional space for dining.

To make the dining room appear larger, meanwhile, Glover-Wood suggests mirroring the wall behind the existing shelves. "It adds sparkle and the illusion of more space," she says. She also recommends replacing the lower shelves with a four-door cabinet; bringing it out as far as possible to the edge of the window frame. "This may have to be built and not purchased," says Glover-Wood, "but it would provide storage for unsightly pans and other cookware."

Next, Glover-Wood suggests placing a countertop made of marble or a similar material on top of the cabinet, making it suitable as a bar and serving area.

For seating, Glover-Wood proposes a banquette
-- an upholstered bench -- using a corner chair and several armless chairs as shown in her sketch. For fabric, she suggests pulling in colors from the living room to help the areas flow together. If more seating is needed, two chairs can be placed at either corner of the wall at the end of the room.

To compliment the chairs, Glover-Wood suggests a round-edged table with modern flair. While the specific chairs she recommends may be expensive, Glover-Wood says similar lower-cost pieces can be found online.

Finally, she recommends leaving the shuttered window bare. "Covering it up would make the room appear more cluttered," says Glover-Wood. To create a more inviting lighting arrangement, she suggests getting rid of the chandelier and having an electrician install recessed lights -- with a dimmer to allow for a romantic mood -- in the ceiling.

audio from the designer

Beverly Glover-Wood explains her biggest challenges in designing this space.

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