Freelancing and remote work isn’t new, but the pandemic brought it to the forefront. Now that professionals have gotten used to working from home, most of them don’t want to return to the office. Still, in-person and virtual meetings are a part of the job for professionals in many industries.
While meetings for home-based workers were never a requirement in years gone by, the nature of the pandemic has changed this trend to encompass virtual meetings. Some people also prefer to meet in person when possible, especially now that the worst of the danger seems to have passed. In either case, most people don’t have a separate meeting room in their home that is presentable for clients.
The most logical place to create a meeting space in your open concept home is in the kitchen dining room combo. Choosing the right kitchen dining tables for your meeting and dining needs can make your space pull double duty without appearing unprofessional to meeting attendees.
Challenges of making a meeting space in your open concept home
An open concept home refers to those homes that have one great room to be used as the living room, dining room, and kitchen. These are great for making a home seem open and welcoming, but it also makes it difficult to cordon off different spaces within the same area. You will also be showing your meeting attendees the better part of your home.
Your first challenge is to create a clean, welcoming, and professional, if casual, environment for the meeting. You might want to hire a house cleaning service to come in and make sure that everything is ship-shape, decluttered, and clean. Have them clean the main bathroom as well, as someone is sure to need it.
Your second challenge is to create a space that engenders teamwork, negotiations, and compromise in the midst of a standard home’s living room furniture. You can’t do much about the casual setting, but you can make everyone more focused on the matter at hand with some creative décor. Decorative dressing screens or room dividers can help reduce distractions. You should also try to schedule meetings when there will be no one else using the great room.
The best types of kitchen dining tables for meetings
If you really want your clients or colleagues to be impressed, buy kitchen dining tables that are of beautiful polished wood. These are the best dining tables on the market that are very similar in appearance and design to executive conference tables. If you want to save money by buying a kitchen table of less expensive material, go with a solid black finish.
You should also consider dining tables that are extendable with accompanying leaves. These are the most versatile type of table to choose, because you can make it bigger for family meals and smaller for meetings, or vice versa, as your needs dictate.
Rectangular dining tables are the best for meetings, but you may also want to consider a round table. There is a reason that King Arthur’s table was round – it puts everyone on the same level and in the frame of mind to find the best solution for all. Especially when you are trying to limit distractions, round tables help everyone focus on each other.
