Dining Rooms for the Big Occasion
After a decade of open plan living which incorporated all aspects of home living in one big box, the dining room had been all but forgotten. Being able to cook and eat without missing any of our favourite T.V. shows was proving too much of an allure. Recent trends in interior design show that the separate dining is once again becoming popular. This is partly through the recent explosion in retro inspired furniture. Sideboards, lunch trolleys and floating shelving have all been part of a mid 20th century resurgence.
It is easy to understand the dining room revival, with more and more people doing their socialising from home, a separate room just for that very purpose increases the sense of occasion. On a practical level, having a dining room means you can have a much bigger table and should you make a bit of a mess, you don’t have to sit in it watching television the next day.
The most crucial part of a successful dining room is not actually the table or the cutlery, it is the lighting. Lighting is the key element in creating atmosphere (the people you invite also makes a big difference but I’m afraid that is a topic for another forum entirely). Your lighting should offer you options in terms of mood. A ceiling light set directly above the table is a must; if it is anywhere else your room will lose its focus. The light should be on an extendable cord to allow you to switch from formal to intimate. With the lighting level dropped the room will feel snugger, putting your guests at ease.
No matter what your taste, a solid wood table is always your best option. Wood being a natural material, it is instantly comforting and thereby creates a warmer atmosphere. Whether you have a country barn or minimal city pad, all you need to alter is the style and finish of the table.
Adding a sideboard and some shelving on which to store your favourite glasses is not only practical but indicates the rooms use. Filling your sideboard with cutlery and dishes will eliminate the danger of dropping plates as you make the trip from the kitchen. You should also put a C.D. player in there so the room stays clutter free and therefore more relaxing. Having a few of your favourite C.D.s close to hand also means you can get the party going much quicker.
As a dining room is generally used only sparingly you can afford to be a little more adventurous here than you might be in the living room. It is a room for the big occasion so do not fear in creating some Victorian splendour through period wallpaper and a chandelier for example. The Victorians understood the importance of staging a dinner party in the correct way so this would be an apt era from which to take influence.
Although you want your dinning room to have an ambient air, it is best to stick to harder materials such as tiles or wood in terms flooring. With the drinks in full flow, a spill is inevitable so a thick cream carpet, however luxurious, is probably best avoided. Wooden and tiled floors can make a room feel slightly hard, s to avoid a tinny sound to the sound and replace the comfort lost through getting rid of the carpet, a nice richly coloured rug should be placed beneath the table. A rug will add comfort to the space whilst also placing greater importance on the main area.
Terry Henman
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/dining-rooms-for-the-big-occasion-698689.html
March 17th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Do you think Dining Rooms are really necessary or just a waste of space?
Do you have a dining room and do you think it’s worth having or do you wish that room were devoted to something else? It seems like for those special occasions it would be okay to set up a table with leafs and put it in the den, ideally in front of the fireplace. A lot of trouble but on Thanksgiving most people end up putting up extra tables anyway. That would be better than having a room you hardly ever use? What’s your take on it?
March 18th, 2010 at 2:17 am
waste of space, u wanna know how big my Kitchen is with out a kitchen??? HUGE
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:19 am
they look pretty, but waste of space overall
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:21 am
hahah.
waste of space.
i can eat anywhere.
its more fun to eat in inappropriate places.
we dont use it much anyway.
its more like another room to bum around in.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:23 am
We have a "dining room" but we re-purposed it as a game room/bar. We are in our late 20s/early 30s, in the military, far from home. We have no reason for a formal dining room. So we set it up to host poker nights.
On Thanksgiving we put up card tables in the living room. We all just want to watch the game anyway.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:25 am
It depends on how your house is designed. My kitchen has just enough room to cook. No room for a table, so I guess everyone could use TV trays in the living room if we didn’t have a dining room.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:27 am
In my family, we eat in the dining room every night. Its nice. We have also used the table for games, etc.Its a good social space that doesn’t revolve around a TV.
While we have a large kitchen, we do something unusual with that space. We have a couch. A nice wicker one. We talk and visit while cooking together, taking turn. Some people sit, some stir, we snuggle the dogs, etc. It’s a good way to make dinner together.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:29 am
Most dining rooms in modern designs now have an open plan kitchen and dining area. It makes much more use of the space and becomes a social area rather than a room used just for eating or for special occasions.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:31 am
I think its good. I don’t have a table in the kitchen so I eat at my dining all the time anyways. But it might be necessary if you’re having your boss or some friends over for dinner.. yeah..
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:33 am
It’s necessary! I have a house >.< and the kitchen is at the back so i think its cool to have a dining room ya know. The fridge is weird if you put it in the kitchen. xD and its really necessary if nothing is important to change. It makes the house big and cool xD well if you have a guest? where will u make the guest eat? U must make it in a dining room ^-^ xD hope i help ya ^-^
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^-^
March 18th, 2010 at 2:35 am
It depends on the other space in your house, if your dining room is taking too much space and you don’t use it commonly then it isn’t necessary, although dining rooms are necessary you never know when an important person might be coming home for dinner and you could use that space
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:37 am
It’s only a useless space if you don’t use it. yeah, I’m captain obvious I know. But really dining rooms I think are a waste of space, if you have a place to do everything else. It becomes wasted space when its only used 3 or four times a year and you could use it for an office or game room/ craft room or whatever that would be used more often.
I agree with being able to set up extra tables. Or in one house we had a 4ft x 8ft piece of plywood that sat on my table fine for those special holidays. Only thing is, no one can lean on it when they go to stand up or it will tip. So we just put 2×4’s on the ends, then covered it with a long table cloth. You are able to get 10 people around it.
Then my hubby would remove the legs and store the sheet of plywood in the garage for the next time.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:39 am
They aren’t a waste of space. But people don’t use them like they used to. You could make a small sitting room that you could still use the chairs for the table. Roxanne
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:41 am
I don’t have a dining room and wouldn’t use it much for dining if I did, but I sure wish there was more room in my kitchen for a bigger table. Whether a dining room is of any use to you depends on how you live.
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March 18th, 2010 at 2:43 am
Yeah……. it is a lot of wasted space. In days of yesteryear dining rooms where necessary.
Family, food, and conversation, was the number one past time, compared to today when Wii, Xbox, and PS games, and football on a flatscreen is the preferred family come togethers. With our fast paced, microwave society, there isn’t time for sit down meals, formal or informal.
I have a dining room, and I agree with you. I have always wanted to use it for something else. I had considered making my dining room a family room, because it is right next to the kitchen, and a family room gets more use. I have yet to use my dining room for any occasion, although my family wants me to have Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year. I have never used my good china, silverware, glasses, and gold rimmed wine glasses. My family is so large, that most times the food is set up on tables, and it’s on the order of a buffet style.
If you are not a traditionalist, you can be creative and create the type of room environment that you like. Being different, or sometimes going against the grain adds for uniqueness and charm to the house.
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