Impress your dinner guests

Beth Cochrane Beth Cochrane
Rocas D, vmavi vmavi Modern dining room
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What's more impressive than a fabulously chic dining room? Not much in a home, that's for sure. An elegantly dressed dining room is a mark of sophistication and style that not many other rooms in the house can achieve. It's one of the nicest feelings a homeowner can have; to usher people into a majestically adorned dining room, serving up delectable food and entertaining one's guests for hours. But where to start?

Dining rooms can be easy to design if you go about it in the right way. Start with the key feature: the dining table. It's the statement piece and the room that's most likely to draw attention from your guests. A beautiful dining room table and matching chair set could well be the key to your awe-inspiring dining room.

Beautiful dining table

Rocas D, vmavi vmavi Modern dining room

So if dining tables are so important, how to go about choosing one? Here we have a perfect example of a great dining table, and why is it such a great choice? Answer: it fits with the atmosphere and design of the room. It's modern and neutral toned, just like the room it's situated in. A contemporary table has to be in a contemporary room, otherwise the ambience of the space simply becomes impossible to create. Here, the painted off-white of the timber table harmonises beautifully with the similar shaded wooden floorboards, blending together to create a calming, yet impressive, environment. And the designer has chosen chairs to match the table—another essential design feature in the dining room. It's an absolute faux pas to pair your dining table with a mismatching chair set, so still with the elegance of this room and choose carefully. 

Don't forget the décor

Now here's an eclectic room that, although not everyone would choose to have in their own home, would certainly be admired by anyone that walks into the space. Truly unique and original, there are so many features of this room's décor to be admired. A favourite is definitely the circle of candles towering above the diners' heads. The candles, all of varying heights, form a ring of fire that would impress even the most stoic of diners. Another interesting feature of this room is the choice of flooring beneath the table. Instead of sticking with the more traditional designs, to match with the classical wood dining table and chairs, but also the old world painting on the back wall, the designer has chosen a black and white tiled floor. It gives this room an extra dimension of individuality; a credit to the ingenuity and originality of a wonderful designer. 

Functional furniture

Of course the dining table is the focal point of the dining room, but sometimes the addition of functional furniture can add a real aspect of novelty to the space. So if you have enough free space in your dining room, don't hesitate to consider adding in extra furniture, as long as it's practical, aesthetically pleasing or, preferably, both. Here the designer has opted for both aesthetics and practicality, with a lovely, dark wood sideboard which not only houses the all important wine glasses, but also matches the stunning dining room table. Both fashioned from a glossy, dark wood, they work together to create a marvellously elegant dining area. And with the help of this gorgeous side board, extra wine glasses are only a mere stretch away.

Lighting is key

Lighting contributes so much to the dining experience: ambience, atmosphere, romance and all the etcs. Good lighting can really make or break the impression of a dining room. In this example, the designer has opted to flood the room with natural light, creating a bright and breezy atmosphere, one which relaxes your guests and puts them right at home. Natural lighting is always a great way to light a dining room, as it creates the impression of the beloved al fresco dining that we so love (mainly when on holiday—it's a little chilly in the UK!) The pendant lighting exemplified here is also a great addition to most dining rooms. Pendant lighting has been in fashion for a considerably long time now, and is a trend that appears to be here to stay. The lovely half globe fixtures tie in well with the room's general décor; always key to think about when choosing your lighting.

Turn up the heat

If you can have a fireplace in your dining room, then do it. There's nothing more comforting or traditionally stylish than dining by an open fire, whether it be log burning or gas. A fireplace adds to much character to a room, so it's simply a must if there is spare wall space. Here we see a contemporary fireplace, beautifully built into its surroundings so it blends in well, yet its flames can't help but catch the eye of the onlooker. 

Accessories

Accessories: the last port of call, the final touches, to impress your guests with. Bad accessories can completely damage an otherwise beautifully designed room, so don't flag at the last minute! Stay focused, stay on point, and accessorise well. Here we have some wonderful examples of good accessorising, from the impressively elegant draped curtains, to the well placed vases and baskets. These finishing touches give the room a real sense of character; tie it together with confidence and style. The curtains are definitely the highlight of this particular room, especially as the window takes up such a huge amount of wall space. So you may have chosen your theme, the colour of the walls, gone through the whole decorating process, and chosen your ideal furniture. You may be sick of the whole process, but do not flag on this final step of doing up your dining room and remember: accessorise. 

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