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Dining rooms, and the dining room sets in them, often go unused, but not unnoticed. A dining room is often an unchanging tableau, allowing a family to present the essence of itself to the world in an exquisitely stylized manner. Dining room sets are essential to this portrait of a family, and they are sometimes so special that they are passed down from generation to generation. Given that a dining room speaks so much about a family – its size, its appetites, its openness and warmth, decorating the room with the right set is important. Here are a few tips to help you express yourself through your dining room set.
Before shopping for a dining room set, think about how and how often you use your dining room and measure the space to make sure there is enough room to accommodate the dining room set and its uses. Will you ever eat in the room? Will you entertain? Do you collect antique dining wares that you’d like to display? It is important to be aware of all these things before delving into the world of dining room sets. Dining room sets come with lots of pieces. There are, of course, the table and chairs. Dining room sets can also come with china cabinets, buffets, baker’s racks, bars and mirrors. You will probably want, if you have the space and money, more than the just the dining table and chairs. A mirror is a lovely piece in most dining room sets as it can reflect mood lighting and give the appearance of abundance, but most people get little use out of them. Most people usually get great use out of buffets and baker’s racks. Bear in mind, however, that dining room sets with more pieces are thought of as more formal. If you prefer a casual or more modern dining room set, go with the table and chairs and maybe only a buffet or bar. If you have hardwood floors, make sure the dining room sets you’re looking at don’t clash with the floor stain. Also, pick up an area rug that can accommodate the table and all chairs when pushed away from the table to protect your flooring. If the other pieces in the dining room set don’t come with felt footers, make sure to get some. This, again, protects flooring, but it also protects the set. Once you’ve surveyed all the dining room sets out there and brought home the perfect one, be sure to arrange it properly. How you arrange your dining room says as much about you as what you put in it. If there is a chandelier in the room, the table must always be centered under it. However, arranging the table at a diagonal adds drama to your dining room. Sometimes centering the table in this way leaves little room for the rest of the set, so be careful. If you have a chandelier that is in the dead center of the dining room, move it. Dining room sets with many pieces can become awfully cramped when everything is arranged from the center out. If you couldn’t afford one of the dining room sets that has lots of pieces, play with the arrangement of the chairs to make it appear as if your set has more pieces. Put some chairs under a window or in a corner by a plant stand. This would actually be a good time to invest in a matching mirror as it will make the room appear more spacious and more furnished. Another tip for making a sparse dining room sets seem more full is to always set the table, at least for two, and include a center piece. Not only will this help fill out the set, but it will also make the room more inviting to guests, appearing as though you were just getting ready to serve them a meal. Choosing from among myriad dining room sets to find the one that’s just right for your family can be a long process. However, dining room sets are also sources of great pride when guests enter your home and gather round your cherry bar; when they gaze appreciatively at crystal stemware in your china cabinet; and most especially when you are able to the nourish family and friends dining round your table with a great meal. |
Dining Room Sets