How To Choose The Right Dining Set For You

Whether you’ve just renovated your house, purchased a new home, or simply looking for a fresh look, how to decorate your dining room with proper furniture selection is an important consideration. It is the place where you invite your friends and loved ones to share a lovely dinner and where you enjoy the company of your guests in comfort and style. It is one of most used rooms in the house where your guests spend a lot of their time and a place that should reflect your own style & personality.

Here are some tips that I hope will help make your decision easier:

Dining Table Size:

The very first step to take is to assess how much space you have in your dining room to determine the right size table. You want your dining set to take up the middle of the room with equal space on each side so the set looks symmetrical from all angles. Measure your room from wall to wall (assuming you are beginning with an empty room) to get an accurate idea of how much space you have to work with. Then, keep in mind a few pointers:

  • Each person needs roughly 3 FT of space to pull out the chair and get up and sit down comfortably
  • Each person uses about 2 FT to enjoy their dinner without brushing elbows with the person next to them
  • Make sure that you factor in extra space on 1 or 2 sides of the room for a sideboard and/or china cabinet
  • At one point or another, you will always have unexpected guests…so plan ahead by getting a slightly bigger table that you might normally get (1-2 FT larger), along with perhaps 2 extra chairs that can always be put to the side as accent pieces when not in use

Practicality

You have to ask yourself what do you want or dining room to be. Do you want it to a purely formal setting only to be used when guests arrive or something that your family enjoys everyday? Do you anticipate large gatherings often? By answering these questions you will able to narrow down the right table for you. For instance, if you have anticipate having large gatherings often then perhaps you need a table that will have 1 or 2 leaves always in use. If you intend on having your kids do their homework on the table or what have you then perhaps a distressed finish is right for you as any scratches or blemishes will look as if they are supposed to be there. Also, a satin finish as oppose to a higher gloss sheen is more suited for a table that gets a lot of use as scratches and dust are not as visible. Consequently, a satin sheen table requires much less maintenance than a high gloss sheen.

Style

The style of your dining table should be a reflection of your personality and tastes. From sheen to colour choice to wood type, a dining table can be custom-finished to meet your specific requests. If you have a very formal style in your dining room then perhaps a high gloss finish is for you combined with a table that has beautifully figured wood, such as flamed mahogany. Various combinations of banding with exotic woods like satinwood or rosewood also are traditionally quite formal.

In contrast, if your decor suggests a more subtle-looking table that doesn’t need to be an instant ‘wow’ factor, then you may be leaning towards a grain of wood that is less busy, such as plain mahogany or cherry along with a less fussy banding combination.

Of course, the most important thing to consider when purchasing a table is to make sure YOU love it!

For more information about antique furniture and how to properly style your home, contact the experts at Carrocel furniture store today!

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