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10 Ways to Spruce Up Your Dining Space
Make a meal of dinner time (or breakfast, or lunch...) with these smart, sociable dining areas worth staying in for
Winter is a great time of year for entertaining at home and enjoying hearty home cooking with friends and family. But often in modern homes the dining table is pushed up in the corner, and pulled out only for special occasions. Creating a usable and stylish space for dining that’s warm, intimate and inviting is simple, no matter whether your interior is contemporary and open-plan or more traditional in style. So breathe new life into your dining space with some practical ideas and stylish solutions, and create a space you’ll love not just for now, but all year round.
Get personal
Embrace colour, pattern and playful décor to create a dining area that’s full of personality. Make sure it’s practical, too, with various seating types and arrangements that will suit small or large numbers of guests.
This long couch stretching from wall to wall allows for plenty of guests, as well as being a space to relax after dinner. Choosing an oval dining table is a masterstroke, as it makes accessing the bench that much easier.
Embrace colour, pattern and playful décor to create a dining area that’s full of personality. Make sure it’s practical, too, with various seating types and arrangements that will suit small or large numbers of guests.
This long couch stretching from wall to wall allows for plenty of guests, as well as being a space to relax after dinner. Choosing an oval dining table is a masterstroke, as it makes accessing the bench that much easier.
Fall for a 1950s style
1950s-style drop-leaf tables are a great retro design for utilitarian kitchens, and make compact but cosy dining options. Simply put the leaves up when needed and fold back down afterwards.
They also double up as an additional kitchen surface for baking and food preparation, which allows for more wall space to be used for appliances and storage units. If your space is small, add plenty of punch with bold primary colours.
Get more midcentury inspiration
1950s-style drop-leaf tables are a great retro design for utilitarian kitchens, and make compact but cosy dining options. Simply put the leaves up when needed and fold back down afterwards.
They also double up as an additional kitchen surface for baking and food preparation, which allows for more wall space to be used for appliances and storage units. If your space is small, add plenty of punch with bold primary colours.
Get more midcentury inspiration
Build in bench seating
A banquette is a great space-saving way of creating room for large numbers of guests. If you’re factoring one into a dining space, consider commissioning a carpenter to build storage under the seats, too.
The designer of this dining area has cleverly made the chairs and bench look at home together by choosing a colour scheme of pale grey wrapped in dark grey.
Explore other ways to add bench seating to your home
A banquette is a great space-saving way of creating room for large numbers of guests. If you’re factoring one into a dining space, consider commissioning a carpenter to build storage under the seats, too.
The designer of this dining area has cleverly made the chairs and bench look at home together by choosing a colour scheme of pale grey wrapped in dark grey.
Explore other ways to add bench seating to your home
Celebrate your side return
If you’ve extended your kitchen to incorporate an otherwise redundant side return, then put this space to good use and place the dining table and chairs there. It will make your kitchen into a sociable space as well as a working one, so you can chat to your guests as you cook.
If you’ve extended your kitchen to incorporate an otherwise redundant side return, then put this space to good use and place the dining table and chairs there. It will make your kitchen into a sociable space as well as a working one, so you can chat to your guests as you cook.
Complement your living room
If your dining area is part of the living space, consider investing in a designer table and chairs that will make a visual style statement when they’re not in use. Materials such as marble and high-gloss laminates are perfect for creating a modern luxe feel in a contemporary interior, as this smart white set-up demonstrates.
If your dining area is part of the living space, consider investing in a designer table and chairs that will make a visual style statement when they’re not in use. Materials such as marble and high-gloss laminates are perfect for creating a modern luxe feel in a contemporary interior, as this smart white set-up demonstrates.
Embrace rustic living
If your home is a traditional cottage, embrace its natural assets, such as rooms with low ceilings. If you don’t have an original fireplace, then a wood-burning stove is an ideal substitute and is lovely and snug for winter dining.
A rustic refectory table teamed with a long bench is space-smart and will allow you to seat more people than a table and chairs set-up. Even if you don’t have a country kitchen, this look is highly adaptable.
If your home is a traditional cottage, embrace its natural assets, such as rooms with low ceilings. If you don’t have an original fireplace, then a wood-burning stove is an ideal substitute and is lovely and snug for winter dining.
A rustic refectory table teamed with a long bench is space-smart and will allow you to seat more people than a table and chairs set-up. Even if you don’t have a country kitchen, this look is highly adaptable.
Bring the outside in – or the inside out
A glass extension is the perfect spot for dining with friends. In the winter, all that glazing will allow a connection with the garden, even on chilly days, while in the summer the doors can be flung open.
Consider lightweight tables and chairs that can easily be lifted outside on warmer days for alfresco dining. If this is part of an interior and exterior redesign, don’t forget to factor in a lighting scheme for the garden to create a dramatic visual backdrop for winter dining.
A glass extension is the perfect spot for dining with friends. In the winter, all that glazing will allow a connection with the garden, even on chilly days, while in the summer the doors can be flung open.
Consider lightweight tables and chairs that can easily be lifted outside on warmer days for alfresco dining. If this is part of an interior and exterior redesign, don’t forget to factor in a lighting scheme for the garden to create a dramatic visual backdrop for winter dining.
Dine à deux in style
Even in small spaces, a tiny table for two is all it takes to make a sweet area for mealtimes. Make a bold statement with bright colours and contemporary shapes and position it well so it makes the most of a sunny spot or a view over the garden or patio.
Even in small spaces, a tiny table for two is all it takes to make a sweet area for mealtimes. Make a bold statement with bright colours and contemporary shapes and position it well so it makes the most of a sunny spot or a view over the garden or patio.
Be flexible
An extendable table is the perfect piece of furniture for accommodating both large and small gatherings. Look out for stackable chairs that can be piled on top of each other and neatly tucked into a cupboard when not needed.
TELL US…
In front of the TV, in the kitchen, in a dedicated dining room – where do you dine? Share your mealtime favourites in the Comments below.
An extendable table is the perfect piece of furniture for accommodating both large and small gatherings. Look out for stackable chairs that can be piled on top of each other and neatly tucked into a cupboard when not needed.
TELL US…
In front of the TV, in the kitchen, in a dedicated dining room – where do you dine? Share your mealtime favourites in the Comments below.
Modern rustic style works well in dining rooms, as the natural warmth of wood imbues a sense of honesty and simple charm, creating a homely feel. Even in minimalist schemes, a cosy atmosphere is simple to achieve by emulating traditional log cabin and cottage interiors.
Try mixing different styles of classic wooden chairs, all in similar natural hues, and consider low-level lighting over a dining table for additional intimacy.