Arranging Your Dining Room Furniture
In many homes the dining room transforms into a social gathering room as the love of good cooked food brings friends and family together. Yet not every dining room and especially formal dining rooms convey that feeling of ease and comfort that adds so much conversation to the family meal. Having the right dining room furniture is only half the recipe for a great get-together space. The meal really comes together with the right furniture arrangement.
The right dining room furniture arrangement is one that flows well for all meals; big, small, fancy or casual. Although a large dining table will sit as many guests as the kitchen can feed, they don't always fit the room they will be eating in. There's nothing more stifling to a conversation then feeling cramped into a small space. When you consider the style of table you want for your dining area, getting one that expands is a great option. Use the smaller table for everyday meals and put in the table leafs when entertaining guests. Perfect for holidays when the amount of food often out numbers the mouths to eat it. Removable leaf sections for your table will give you the additional space whenever the meal calls for it. Just make sure you have a variety of table cloths to fit all of your table sizes.
One of the biggest issues in dining room furniture arrangements and especially in formal room arrangements is storage for various dining accessories. Those miscellaneous items like bread warmers, condiment servers and napkin rings can be a chore to find a home for without making a room look cluttered or junky. When you are planning out your room arrangement, plan to include another piece of furniture totally unassociated with eating and there are a couple of different approaches to this.
In any room of your home you can use a bench for storage and your dining room is no different. A storage bench can serve several functions even in a formal dining room. Tucked away in a corner or against a wall, you will have a comfortable place to sit as well as ample room for storage. Keep large serving pieces and dining accessories in the bench until they are needed for your larger gatherings. Placed under a window makes for a nice window seat and adds charm to your dining room as well and we know the cozier the room, the more eating goes on in there.
A chest of drawers that doubles as a buffet is another great option. The storage in the drawers is perfect for table linens and this is a great place to store your silverware, dining accessories and serving platters and yet they will be handy for when you need to use them. If you have the space, you can add a lovely hutch to your chest of drawers and showcase that heirloom china and still store the other dining accessories. If a hutch is too large and in charge for your space consider adding some floating shelves to your dining room décor. Also a great way to display those just for looks pieces.
Of course there is always the classic charm of a china cabinet. Corner china cabinets make room arrangement a breeze and they add a bit of class to the formal dining room set up. If you have a china cabinet or any similar piece of dining room furniture that is placed along a wall make sure that it fits in the room properly. You don't want it to cut off space behind the chairs making guests feeling trapped in their seat.
Your dining area should be a place for people to enjoy their meal and their company and the right furniture with the perfect room arrangement will make your space feel great for getting together, talking and sharing a meal. Take the time to coordinate your furniture to deliver the most welcoming and relaxing meal possible.
