Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Dine in style!

Dining rooms are not as common as they once were, but if you have one they can be a fantastic resource when entertaining or organising that special family event. If you’re lucky enough to have a dining room make sure you make the most of it, don’t let it be a storage zone for the family, design it as a unique entertaining space. For traditional style entertaining here are some tips on how to decorate your dining room and also some ideas for dressing your table when hosting a party.

Dining rooms can really set the mood for an evening. Rich, deep colours are great for night time entertainment. The curtains are an ideal place to start, voluptuous curtains really set a luxurious tone for your dining room and can make a huge impact. Go for glossy textures such as silks or velvets. They look fantastic in candlelight due to their ability to reflect light.

The focal point for the room will be the table. The bigger the better, it depends on the size of your room. As long as people can squeeze in and out of their seats your table is not too big. Table styles range from traditional to very modern, go with what you like best and use it as a starting point for your design ideas. The layout of a dining room is usually the easiest in your house. The table takes centre space surrounded by the chairs. Any other furniture is optional. A great way to add colour to your room is by upholstering your chairs in a fabric; it brings more soft furnishings into the room giving a cosy and warm feel.

It’s not uncommon to find wooden floors or other hard floors in dining rooms. If you have a hard flooring surface, a rug in the centre of the room will accentuate your table. If you do choose to use a rug, make sure that when the chairs are pulled back by your guests that all four legs remain on the rug. Also, make sure it’s a rug that won’t show up every speck of food that is dropped on it.

Above your dining table a beautiful chandelier or other lighting can again highlight your table. If you’re not a fan of chandeliers or they don’t suit your room due to a low ceiling, you can also go for a table centre piece or some candles. Flickering candlelight creates a great atmosphere and mood for dining rooms. Floral arrangements can also work well as centre pieces. However, if you place a floral arrangement in the center of the table, make sure it is not so tall that it requires guests to go around the flowers in order to see and converse with each other. That said, it could be handy for positioning guests that don’t get on well with each other!

Chandelier available from Hicken Lighting Dublin

When setting a table choose tablecloths, place mats and napkins that match your furnishings. Go for similar colours or design. If the tablecloth has flowers then use a solid colour on the place mats and use a solid colour from the tablecloth for your napkins. Alternatively, if you use a white tablecloth then bring in a little bit of colour on your place mat and napkins. There are quirky napkin holders available now that can add a bit of design flair to your place settings. You can pick up fun place card holders in the shapes of shoes and animals, or whatever theme you decide for your evening. Using place cards can take away from any awkwardness at dinner parties when guests are uncertain of where to sit down.

Set the table elegantly and according to dining etiquette.  Make sure your plates, silverware and glasses shine. Your silverware placement will be in the order of the course served. Remember start from the outside in. Salad forks on the left and soup spoons on the right are the farthest from the plate, since those are usually the first courses. The dessert fork will be closest to the plate as dessert is the last course served. Just above the knife you should position the water glasses. A little tip is to fill all the water glasses just before everyone sits down. Then leave out a jug full of water on the table so guests can refill as needed. Finally lay a set of butter dishes and salt and pepper shakers for every four people.

If you have a dining room, make sure you allow yourself some some interior design fun by finding an excuse to throw a party at least once a year!