While many homes have a formal dining room, many of them only get used a few times a year. It seems an awful waste of space. Designer Vern Yip discusses how you can get more out of the room for the other days of the year. By having enclosed storage rather than open shelving or glass-doored cabinets, you can store non-dining room items when the formal dinner does come around. Then when no formal dinner is in the near future, store the china, silver, and glassware away until the next party. A great way to use this space on a daily basis, is by making it a home office or conference room. Many people have laptops now, so moving it from one room to the next is a breeze. Also, you already have a desk, your dining table, and chairs. Just make sure your chairs are comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time. You might even be able to use the space as a game or craft room, depending on your hobbies. By making a few fixes, the formal dining room can be a constructive area rather than a place only for special occasions like Thanksgiving where you have plates and napking set out collecting dust.

Blog inspired by article written by Cheryl Lu-Lein Tan featured in The Wall Street Journal and can be seen here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704104104575622774004118304.html?mod=WSJ_RealEstate_LeftTopNews