Ask Joshua - Don't Block My View

Hello Joshua,

I have a bit of a really nice view of greenery that’s mostly visible just from the sliding doors off my small dining room. I want a proper dining room setup, but I want to keep as much of this view as possible from other rooms and not have the furniture block it. Can you give me any advice on how best to achieve this?

Thanks,

Chan, Los Angeles, CA

Scandinavian style dining room with a view. Image created using AI via Canva

Hi Chan,

Thanks for writing in with your situation. So, if you want the view out the glass to be the focus and your dining furniture to fade away, then you want to go with as sleek and minimal of silhouette as possible on your furniture picks. I would recommend a very slim line and simple table top with thin legs or supports. Unless you need an extra long table, select a size so that you only need legs on either end of the table and not an additional center support. You might think that one singular support in the center, instead of two, would be better; however with only the one, you’ll be more limited on size and will probably actually end up being more bulky and obstructive.

Next, chairs. You’re not going to get away with any throne-like armchairs at your table. You’ll want low-profile, no arms if possible, and an open-work body and back; this can be a loose mesh or a weave most commonly in metal, cane, rattan, or a rope. The picture above will illustrate both of these points about the table and chair perfectly. They allow light and your vision to pass through. Note that the picture used has a bunch of decor on top of the table. This is really for staging a picture. If the view is your goal, keep it super simple and low profile.

Finally, your light. This example above is using a light that, while singularly a little bulky, it’s still minimal in design so it doesn’t draw your eye to want to look at it and it’s in a super neutral white. There’s a lot of light fixtures that would work in this situation. Just follow the principle of not being flashy to draw your eyes to it.

I hope these ideas have been helpful for you Chan. You can also see another example of a minimal dining room layout that maximizes a view in another of one of my blog posts about a Beach House Dining Room.

Good Luck!

Joshua

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