There’s certainly a place in the home and in home furnishings for pure aesthetics. But when it comes to dining furniture in particular, it's not just about style – it's also about smart design and functionality. Why? To start with, the dining table in your kitchen likely gets used every day. Meanwhile, even if it sees less use, the dining set in your dining room still exists to seat company and to store items even when not in daily use. Ultimately, dining furniture exists to be functional.
Well, what could be more functional than hidden self-contained expandable table leaves or a secret drawer to store your nice silverware and place settings? The dining room furniture below goes beyond the mere basics, with hidden features and clever storage options that make entertaining easier and more efficient. Whether you're looking for space-saving solutions or just love a good secret compartment, dining room furniture with hidden perks can be a game changer. Join us as we look at a few examples from our own showroom below!
Examples of Secret Functions & Hidden Storage in Dining Room Furniture
First, let’s talk table leaves. While some types of table leaves are a little more “undercover” than others, our favorites are the ones with self-storing leaves that your guests will never even notice. We love butterfly leaf tables and draw leaf tables (also called refectory tables) for exactly this reason. With both of these examples, the table leaf extends from and retracts into a hidden space within the table itself. This adds more character to your dining space, makes room for more guests, and saves space as you don’t have to find somewhere else to store your table leaf.
[Editor’s Note: Don’t miss our guide to table leaves and expandable dining tables here.]
Another place you will find functional (and often hidden) storage is just beneath the dining table’s edge. An increasingly popular storage solution is to have slim drawers along the side or end of the tables. These drawers are great for storing place settings, seasonal table decor, silverware, or even a couple decks of cards for your next game night. Such drawers may be completely disguised as just part of the table, or they may have low-profile drawer pulls.
Considering a counter table or gathering table? If so, don’t forget to check for functional storage underneath, as many of these types of tables have storage nooks for everything from serving dishes, to utensils, to wine bottles and glasses.
Speaking of wine glasses and serving dishes, another top secret function you may find in dining furniture like china cabinets, bars or hutches, is cabinet lighting with a hidden switch. Usually found anywhere you would display your fanciest dishes or decor, the switches are often just small, totally hidden, touch-sensitive panels or buttons that operate similar to a touch lamp.
Lastly, we’ve got an honorable mention from our showroom. You know that table leaves can add to the length of your dining table, but did you know there are tables like this Madison County dining table that can convert from regular height to counter height? We love pieces like this that have special features that aren’t obvious upon first look.
Which of these did you like best? Will you be looking for furniture with these features on your next shopping trip?
Shop North Georgia’s Best Selection of Dining Furniture at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet
Ready to explore even more dining room furniture that does a little more than meets the eye? Our helpful dining room and decor experts can’t wait to show you around our collection of dining furniture with hidden features and smart storage solutions!
Come visit our Woodstock/Acworth, Dallas/Hiram, Rome, and Covington furniture stores to shop our massive selection of kitchen tables, dining tables, dining chairs, dining sets, bar stools, buffet tables, servers, sideboards, china cabinets and much more from dozens of reputable, established furniture manufacturers. See you soon!
