Dining Room – More Than A Place to Dine

dinning room

Dining Rooms have been around for years. Whether the area is a banquet room in a palace or a small room next to the kitchen, dining rooms are places for meals that have to be welcoming, convivial, and comfortable. In recent years the popularity of the dining room has declined as most take away meals are consumed while standing in the kitchen with food on the countertops or plates perched on laps while watching movies in the living room. But in 2020 dining rooms seem to be making a major comeback. It’s about that time we design our dining rooms to be places where we converge, to entertain friends, to dine, and for families to spend that quality time together.

 

Dining Room Basics

As standard, most dining rooms are expected to have a central table and chairs. Dining tables have been known to be made of wood but in recent years some people have preferred modern looks and hence go for glass-topped tables with metal or some form of wooden material legs. Dining chairs can be wooden, metal, or made of other materials. Dining chairs do not necessarily have to match, so you as the owner (as others prefer) can combine chairs of different styles and sizes on your dining room table. You can even opt to use benches instead of chairs to accommodate even more people.
Dining table with 6 chairs
Dining table with 6 chairs

Depending on your tastes, you can make your dining table and chair to fit with your home decor color schemes in order for all the rooms to flow together. To accomplish this you can add cushions and slipcovers on your chairs and put a tablecloth on your table.

Dining tables come in different sizes from a table for four to over twenty people.

Storage

If you still have space in your dining room, you can use it to add that extra storage in the form of free-standing or wall-mounted cabinets. You can use these cabinets to store your treasured dishes that are not used often. The doors of these cabinets are normally made of a wooden frame with clear glass displaying what’s inside the cabinet to those in the room. If this extra storage (China) cabinet is large enough and has drawers, they can be used to store tablecloths, table mats, napkins, spoons, and other silverware. Additional storage (buffet) cabinets can also be added to the dining room giving you extra storage room, but also serve the purpose of placing dishes on top of it allowing people to serve themselves from it relieving some space on the dining table.
Storage
Extra storage (China) cabinet.

Decor

One of the easiest rooms/places to decorate in a house is the dining room. A few simple touches can transform your dining room into a warm place for those dinner gatherings and delicious meals at your home. Listed below are some of the things to consider when thinking of giving your dining room that unique warmth.

  • Place seasonal flowers or a centerpiece at the center of the dining table.
  • If you have a buffet table, place twin table lamps on it.
  • Place a tablecloth or table runner on the table.
  • Add some wall art on the wall
  • Display China in China cabinet
  • Lights
  • Rug

Decor
Dining room china.

Make sure the decorations you choose for your dining express your personality, with a theme that is consistent throughout the house.

Rugs

You can also add a rug to your dining room. When choosing a dining room rug the rule of thumb is to allow at least 3 feet from the edge of the dining table to the edge of your rug. By doing this you are sure that diners are always on the rug while seated on their chairs around the dining table. Make sure to choose a thin rug, as thick rugs have a tendency of hiding things that fall from the table and do usually make cleaning difficult.

Lights

Depending on your personal tastes you can opt for modern lights and chandeliers to create your centerpiece or go for wall sconces to add intimacy and that sophisticated touch. Make sure you choose a fixture that provides enough light to your dining and complements the dining decor as well.

Some of the popular lighting fixtures you can choose are:

  • Wall Sconces – these are lights that are directly mounted on the wall to provide accent and general lighting. Installing these wall sconces on each of your dining walls ensures optimum light coverage in the dining area. When used alone or with candles, wall sconces do create an intimate dining environment.
  • Flush Mounted – these are fixtures that are usually housed on transparent housing and are mounted touching the ceiling surface allowing light to be emitted through the transparent material. These fixtures are ideal for dining environments with limited space and come in many appealing shapes and designs to suit different tastes.
  • Pendants – this is a lighting option that ideally adapts practically to any dining room. Pendants come in plenty of varieties and are usually easy to install. Pendants usually hang from the ceiling from chains, wires, or ropes and are usually suspended 30 to 35 inches above the dining table.
  • Chandeliers – these come in many forms that work well in any space from traditional to modern dining rooms.

Pendant Wall
Pendant and Wall.

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