Mom Reveals How She Turned Tiny Kitchen Corner Into a Chic Dining Area

A mom has shared how she created a dining area for her family to enjoy, despite only having a small space.

Posting the home decor project on TikTok where it has received over two million views, 29-year-old Bethany Hepple from Kent, U.K. has inspired homeowners with the creative solution.

In the video, Hepple shared how she created a custom bench seat to fit into the small gap in her kitchen before decorating and adding a table.

"We moved into the house in January 2021, but it was a new build that we knew we wanted to give a bit of character to," Hepple told Newsweek. "We had a table and chairs in there first but because the space was so small it got in the way."

More than just a family tradition, studies have revealed that eating together can have very real positive impact on family life and particularly in children. A 2006 study revealed that having conversations around the dinner table with family increased the vocabulary of children at a higher rate than reading.

Another study from 2004 found that teenagers that ate together regularly with family performed better at school, with family meals an even stronger predictor of good grades than extra time at school or finishing homework.

The National Institutes of Health also recently released a study that reported that girls who rarely ate dinner with family were more likely to have unhealthy relationships with food and diet.

For example, girls aged 9 to 14 who didn't eat regularly with family were more likely to binge eat, purge, and frequently go on crash diets than those who shared meals with others.

Spending some time thinking about the space and what she wanted, Hepple took to Pinterest for inspiration and quickly found examples of the bench seat.

"I fell in love with the idea," said Hepple who got to work with creating her dream dining space.

"My uncle is a carpenter, so he built the frame and me and my boyfriend added the paneling and painted it," she explained. "The wood and decorative panel cost around £180 ($221) and the paint was around £40 ($49)."

Adding cushions on the custom bench seats and a circular table, the new family dining space was completed.

"We absolutely love it," said Hepple. "We are obsessed with the table too. We have had some friends round over the weekend and enjoyed drinks and dinner around it."

Thrilled by the viral reaction to her innovative project, Hepple said she wanted to share her transformation to help inspire others: "I was very surprised at how many people love it as much as I do," she added.