Dining Room Furniture Arrangement Guide for a Unique Dining Room

Your unique dining room decor should allow you to relax and interact while dining. After all, dining is an art and should be enjoyed with ease. Thus, a good arrangement of dining room furniture helps create the ambience.

The shape and size of the room generally dictate the shape and size of the dining room furniture, especially dining tables. Rectangle rooms that are not too long look best with square or rectangle tables, although these should not have the same proportions as the room; square rooms look best with tables that are circular, oval or square. Long room can only support long tables, which should not be too wide, as conversations will be stilted. Circular dining room tables are best if they seat eight to twelve people. The curvature allows people to talk to those one place beyond their neighbors.

Dining room tables should be central or almost central to a room – symmetry is always attractive – and the accompanying dining room chairs must have either no arms or arms that fit beneath the table top. There must be space for people to walk behind the chairs when they are pulled out. Dining room chairs must be able to fit underneath the table to at least half way.

In the diagram below left, an old building interior is brought into the 21st century wth an all-white color scheme, allowing the grandeur of the architecture to shine through. Glorious arched windows let light flood into the dining room, creating a stunning setting for diners. The old timber table with gracefully turned legs contrasts well with the contemporary dining chairs.

Flexibility is the name of the game with the casual dining area (top right). Chairs can be easily configured and the extra-long dining table on caster wheels allow last-minute changes to the room’s fit out.

Pedestal tables work best for dining, as table with legs always require a degree of negotiation, unless the table is square or circular and has legs very clearly visible at its edge. The design and materials used dictate the structural support required; long rectangular or banqueting tables today have the advantage of new structural technology over those of yesteryear.

Sideboards are useful, not only to contain cutlery and napkins, but also as another platform on which to place things. Granite-topped sideboards are beautiful, smart and functional.

Tips on How to Create a Unique Dining Room

In a spacious home-office decor, it is also possible to site 2 dining areas; one near the kitchen for family get-togethers and another in a separate room or area (e.g. rooftop garden) for friends and business associates. This way, life can be divided clearly into work and family.

For a more creative spin on dining, the dining room table can become a design statement.

One way is to cover the table with builder’s dustsheets. Fibrous, chalky white, disposable and tough, these table cloths are outlined with place settings when you sketch a knife, fork, and spoon in black ink before laying the table. This spontaneous gesture helps create a sense of welcome and a unique dining room.

Alternatively, take a cue from the example below where the owners assembled their collection of vintage chairs which double as dining room chairs, adding a relaxed and quirky atmosphere to the space.

A how to guide: Create a Unique Dining Room Using Lighting and Color Palettes

Good lighting is also invaluable, whether ambient lighting, chandeliers or candles are used; be sure to try it out at various times of day. The room can become very theatrical once dusk falls, and practical dining room lighting tips serves to enhance the dining ambience to create a unique dining room.

Subtle color palettes are most conducive to good appetite, although grander gestures can also work. Bear in mind that purples and blues retain their depth by candlelight, whereas reds disappear in dim lighting.

You may also want to take a look at:

Planning the dining room space

Dining room flooring guide

Dining room wall decor ideas

Dining room lighting tips

Dining room fabric guide

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