Creating Stylish Dining Rooms
Your dining room is an important part of your home, and although it is rarely used for every day meals now, it still remains a special place for intimate dinners and social gatherings. The dining room is a sociable room, used for eating, chatting and being with friends and family, and it is one of the few areas of the home where you can really go to town with your wildest decorating ideas.
Imagination is the key to a well-designed dining room and choosing a theme around which you can base your furniture and decorating ideas is a great way of doing this.
So which theme do you choose? Be bold, be brave and go for something that perhaps reflects your personality or brings back happy memories, maybe reminding you of a good holiday or another country.
Dining Room Furniture
In terms of dining room furniture, the basic pieces you need are a good quality dining table, dining room chairs and a sideboard.
The dining room table is the focal point of any room; it has to be functional, comfortable and sociable. It's the place that holds the food, dinnerware and décor. Solid wood dining tables are robust, simple in design, elegant and unique. Square and round dining tables are extremely popular as there are no traditional overhangs and it eliminates the ‘head of the table area'. Opt for an extending table if you like to entertain but want to save space when it's not in use.
Your dining chairs should be comfortable and durable. Rattan woven chairs and banana chairs are very popular because unlike solid wood, the natural fibres are slightly flexible, which allows some movement when you sit down.
Both the seat and the back are wrapped in the fibres, which make the chairs more comfortable than wooden chairs, and they make the ideal seat for long dinner parties. The colours of the natural fibres are not consistently the same, which means that each chair has an individual character. The texture is very different than smooth wood and these chairs bring an exotic feel to your home.
Whether you choose chairs according to a specific theme or not the most important consideration is that they should be comfortable enough for hours of socializing.
You will also need to consider storage space - perhaps adding a lovely large display cupboard near to the dining room table enables you to store your china and glass in the dining room. This will ensure you have everything close to hand and you won't have to run and fetch things.
When choosing a floor finish, you should first think about the main function of the room. The dining room flooring may not be subjected to heavy foot traffic but it is at risk of becoming rather dirty. Hard wood or tiled floor surfaces will be much easier to clean and mop up any food or wine spills.
Dressing Your Dining Table
Dressing your dining table is almost as important as the food you are serving. What you put on your table can make all the difference in the look and feel it conveys.
Themed tables always look very stylish and are easy to put together. The theme can be based around the occasion or on a simple colour scheme such as red and gold, white and silver, Victorian opulence or minimalist chic.
Adding a little romance to your room is simple when you add a few basic elements. Colour, light and texture, can be used in subtle hints throughout the space, to create a more intimate and passionate atmosphere. Turn off the overhead lights and use candles instead and lamps to create soft, mood lighting. Soft long stemmed flowers also make an attractive centrepiece and add a hint of romance.
Dining room furniture - click here to view
Top Ways to Dress Up Your Dinner Table
• One candle is nice but a cluster is even better! Or for more elegant gatherings a beautiful candelabra will add style to your table. If your table is long enough, add a candelabrum to each end for a stylish, chic look.
• Display your flowers in a distinctive vase.
• Display a bowl of decorative balls- the balls provide a three dimensional pattern and texture to compliment your decor.
• Fairy lights in a bowl or wrapped around your centre piece are a great alternative to candles. Decorative lights don't have to be saved for Christmas, they can add fun and sparkle throughout the year.
• Funky placemats and coasters always look great.
• Table runners create a fabulous look on your dining table and can be matched or contrasted with the colours in your dining room.
• Pay lots of attention to lighting. Lamps, chandeliers that dim, and candles can easily help set the mood around your dining table.
• For an eclectic dining room, mix and match your chairs at the table. Using chairs with similar shapes and materials can seamlessly bring together a coordinated look.
• Your table centrepiece is an important element. Create a custom centrepiece with flowers, candles or other decorative pieces, designed to tie in with your theme.
Contemporary home lighting - click here to shop
