Joanna Gaines is the interior design queen, so it's no surprise that she has a clever solution for maximizing space in a combined kitchen and dining room.

Build your own capsule kitchen depending on the tools you use.

In reality, though, the slim, elevated slab of granite that was raised above my countertop and visually divided my dining room and kitchen ended up being an awkward waste of space. I found this out ...

This space gives you the chance to add flexibility back into your floor plan without knocking down a single wall.