Create the perfect dining room for hosting
If your home is the go-to spot for holiday meals, the right dining room setup can take family gatherings from stressful to smooth. Today we’re walking you through everything you need to create the perfect dining room for hosting this fall and all throughout the year.
Flexible Tables
Extension or not? When your dining table is only used for immediate family (or you’re never the one to host), a fixed-length table should fit your space. But when your home is the hub where friends and family gather, we always recommend looking for an extension table to make accommodating guests easier. One of our new favourites, the Northwood table comes with a butterfly leaf extension that lets you seat up to 8 guests with minimal effort.
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Get Comfortable
If your dining room chairs get lots of use, it’s important to consider comfort as much as style. Upholstered chairs like our Fabian collection usually offer the most padding for events when guests will be sitting for longer periods. Best of all, these mid-century chairs can double as extra seating when guests move into the living room. For comfortable chairs with a smaller footprint, look for ergonomically shaped chairs (like Atzlee and Arthor) your guests can lean into after an amazing meal.
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Dressed Up Floors
Do you need a rug in your dining room? We think there’s something to be said for adding a pop of colour or pattern below your table, plus a rug protects floors from being scratched by chairs. If you decide to add a rug to your dining room setup, make sure it’s big enough that chair legs won’t get caught on the edge as guests pull them in and out. That usually means a rug should extend about twenty-four inches from your dining table, with more space needed for larger dining chairs.
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Serve & Store
Dishes, flatware, serving trays and other dining accessories need a home when they’re not in use. Enter the sideboard. This classic piece of dining furniture is making a comeback in well-organized homes, and it’s definitely a piece worth investing in when you have a dedicated dining room and plan on hosting often. When guests arrive, turn your sideboard into a serving station for appetizers or a bar set up with wine, spirits and all the ingredients for a simple signature cocktail. Not only does this give you more room to work in the kitchen, but it creates a relaxed and inviting atmosphere where guests can pour as they please.
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Mood Lighting
Hang a pendant lamp above your dining table to set the mood and create a focal point. You should choose a pendant based on the size of your dining room and table. Smaller rooms and tables suit smaller pendants, while larger tables need larger lights with multiple bulbs. Pendant lights make a beautiful statement over a dining table, but they probably won’t work as your only source of light. In larger spaces, use a variety of fixtures to create layered light that doesn’t leave any dark spots in the room.
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Once you’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to fill in the extra touches to create a dining room that feels like an extension of your personality and the rest of your home. Dishes and glassware are an important part of your dining room decor, but you should also include accents like vases, candles and artwork to fill the space with colour and texture. For centrepieces on your dining table, choose lower pieces that don’t obstruct your guests’ view of each other, and place larger decor on a sideboard or cabinet.
