dining room Archives - Page 11 of 39

Learn about interior lighting from Scandinavian design

Open plan living/dining room with wrap around floor to ceiling window

Scandinavian design can teach us a lot when we are looking at how to brighten our homes. It’s an integral part of home design in the Nordic countries where the days are short and the nights are long throughout the winter months.

Go natural

Scandinavian interior design and natural materials go hand in hand. This is why reclaimed wood furniture is the perfect way to furnish your room if you’re seeking Scandinavian furniture. Choose furniture with a light and natural finish – the natural colour of the wood and its homely feel will bring plenty of warmth into your room. Think pale wood or white dining table for your dining space, put it in a bright spot in your dining area to give plenty of natural daylight when you sit at it. Above, you can see how the Chelwood Medium Reclaimed Wood Dining Table almost blends into the white walls.

Light and bright

Scandi design is all about white walls, minimal, clutter-free and windows that allow plenty of natural light in. Get your lighting right – you don’t want glaring white lights on all day and all night – warm, cosy lighting and layered lighting is what you want to achieve. Ideally, you should have the option to have bright lights when needed and dimmer lighting for cosy nights in front of the wood burner. An accent colour is also a great way to add a bit of brightness and warmth to a space, a bold coloured velvet armchair can bring a real pop of colour to the room.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Bookcase

Clean lines

During the winter months, the Scandinavians spend a lot of time inside – this is why uncluttered and functional spaces are preferred…rather than feeling hemmed in with too many things lying around. Furniture should not be fussy, instead, clean lines and strikingly elegant design is what is called for. Open shelving or a ladder bookcase would work well in a Scandi design – the openness does not break up the space the same way as a closed-in wood bookcase would – but of course, it’s not to be cluttered!

Eco-friendly

Scandinavian furniture was born out of a need to use the materials that were readily available with an emphasis on nothing goes to waste, this is where the eco-friendly and sustainable element originates from. This mindset still exists today in home building and interior decor. Where possible go for bamboo or jute lampshades, reclaimed wood furniture, such as a rustic coffee table, or a wooden floor with rugs made from natural fibres. Bring some nature into the room in the shape of houseplants, which will also help to brighten the room during winter months.

An outside room

To really embrace the Nordic culture in your home design you should have an outdoor seating area that you can continue to use during the colder months. Warm-up weatherproof seating with faux fur throws, cushions and some blankets to wrap around you. A wood fire pit will turn a cold and dark outside space into a warm spot with a flickering natural flame to watch as well as illuminating the space….it will be a place you will want to spend as much time as possible.

Great ways to brighten up a dark dining room

Dark dining room with black dining room table

If you don’t have a lot of natural daylight streaming into your dining room here are a few of our top tips to help brighten it up.

Bright kitchen diner with wooden dining table, chairs and dark rug

Crisp white walls

White reflects light – so the number one tip is to keep walls and the ceiling nice and white, crisp and clean. Light bounces around a white room and scatters light around the space. Build on the white theme by adding white curtains or blinds, white mirror frames or white framed artwork. This includes wiping down walls to keep them as white and bright as possible.

Pale wood dining table with matching spindle chairs in bright dining room with dark blue doors

Photo featuring: Branford Round Extending Dining Table – Oak

Pale wood and white furniture

Of course, a great way to introduce light into a room is by furnishing with light coloured or white furniture. A Scandinavian minimalist theme is perfect, the whole concept of Scandi style is to make the most of natural light and to use every means possible to bring yet more light into the room. The Scandi interior embraces sustainability so reclaimed wood furniture is hugely popular. Crafted from high quality light oak, we think the Scandi influenced round Wycombe oak extending table is a perfect choice. A round dining table set also works particularly well in a small space as it has no corners so it will make your space look bigger. The Chelwood Medium Reclaimed Wood Dining Table is another excellent option, with this trestle table you have the option of a wooden bench as opposed to individual chairs. As a bench has no back, again it will make the room appear brighter with less in it.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Medium Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Layering lighting

If your dining space is in a kitchen you can place one or two glass table lamps on the top of a kitchen sideboard, hang fairy lights in dark areas or stand a floor lamp in a dark corner. Wall lights also work well as the light is concentrated on the walls -more eye level than a ceiling light, these work particularly well if they shine light down as well as up.

Photo featuring: Vance Neutral Lamp

Use a light floor rug

If you have a dark floor and want to bring more brightness into the room you can add a light coloured rug. With grey still a popular colour in interior style right now you will easily be able to find a light grey rug that suits most interior decor styles. It’s a neutral colour and will help break up and brighten dark flooring.

Add a bit of black and accent colours

A great way to make the white really pop is to add a couple of dark items to the room – we suggest adding a black pendant light – this works to make the white look whiter! A black pendant light works wonders over a reclaimed wood dining table as it distributes the light more evenly around the room. Bright and bold accent chairs will also help brighten the room – adding a burst of vibrant colour against the white will bring in another eye-catching contrast against the white.

Modern wing back chair in bright red in empty room with white walls and black hanging pendant lights

How to add glamour to your dining room

Reclaimed wood dining table with dark wood and gold legs with blue velvet dining chairs

Dining room with round dining table and pink velvet dining chairs and reclaimed wood sideboard

First and foremost let’s look at dining tables – this is the focal point in your dining room and what you will spend the most time in this room sitting around. If you don’t have space, or the real need, for a big 6 seater dining table then consider a round one like the glamorous industrial Luxe Kensington.

Back buttoned grey velvet armchairs with black wooden legs

Photo featuring: Bladon Grey Velvet Dining Chairs

If you love your dining table or don’t have the budget to change this right now then you can switch up a notch when it comes to chairs – velvet is a regal fabric and will quickly glam up any dining room. Fabric chairs with button backs and stud detailing will also do the trick – If you can’t afford to replace all chairs you can also switch a couple of chairs for an upholstered bench – they really are the thing in dining room style right now – add some glamourous cushions that coordinate with other elements of the room to tie it into your scheme.

Industrial reclaimed wood drinks cabinet

Photo featuring: Kingsbridge Industrial Reclaimed Oak Drinks Cabinet

A cocktail cabinet in the dining room just screams “seasoned entertainer”! Practice your cocktail making skills on your dinner guests in style with the Kingsbridge Industrial Reclaimed Oak Drinks Cabinet, plenty of room for all your drinks, glasses and anything else you might need, all tidily tucked away when not in use. This is a piece of reclaimed wood furniture with an industrial element, the luxurious wood patterning gives it its glamourous vibe.

Dark wood sideboard with gold handle and frame

For a similar dark wood sideboard see our Pimlico Elm Large Sideboard

Wooden sideboards are a great addition to any dining room – a place to hide away clutter with the added bonus to add an elegant display on the top of if. Gold or silver candlesticks, a sparkly framed mirror, a house plant in a decorative plant pot and glass table lamps so you have more subtle lighting when you’ve finished dining. Of course for lighting over the dining table you can add a chandelier or a pendant light, this will add the feeling of height to the room as well as look fab.

Large white sideboard with two table lamps

See a similar white sideboard see our Worcester Reclaimed Wood Large Sideboard

Whatever type of flooring you have in your dining room, you can always add a rug under the dining table and chairs – it just anchors your dining set in the room. You can use this opportunity to reinforce your chosen colour scheme.

Introducing our new glamorous Standford Collection

Knightsbridge Reclaimed Oak Dining Table and velvet chairs

We have gotten ourselves a little bit excited about our new Standford collection of reclaimed wood furniture and couldn’t wait to share it with you!

This range is for the environmentally conscious who really don’t want to skimp on style and luxury it’s crafted from prime reclaimed wood with its natural markings and undulations proudly on display. The industrial element is introduced by the shiny silver metal legs and frame. This range of rustic furniture includes everything you would need to luxuriously furnish your living room, dining room and hallway – so let’s have a look in a little bit more detail!

Photo featuring: Standford Large Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

For the dining room

The focal point of a dining room is, of course, the dining table – the Standford brings together a rustic dining table, a good helping of glamour and a brings in a dash of industrial. This statement dining table looks gorgeous when you add plush velvet dining chairs or a velvet dining bench. This collection includes three different size wooden sideboards giving you complete flexibility to choose how much storage you need and also how this range will fit into your dining room. If you only have a little space then the console table will give you an extra surface to put serving dishes and drinks on.

Photo featuring: Standford Large Reclaimed Wood Industrial Sideboard

For the living room

Of course, an industrial sideboard is a great option for a living room too – plenty of hidden storage space for family games, DVD’s books, console games etc. With a solid wood coffee table in the collection, an oak side table and the choice of either a small TV stand or a large TV stand your living room furniture could be coordinatingly complete.

Photo featuring: Standford Reclaimed Wood Small TV Unit

We think the clean industrial lines make this an ideal furniture for the modern home as this collection will also add a real warm rustic element to contrast. The incredible character of the prime solid oak used to craft these pieces is sure to be a conversation piece in your home and will definitely encourage compliments. In the image below you can just see how this collection will bring the beauty of nature into your home.

Most importantly you will have a clear conscience knowing that your furniture has been skillfully produced from reclaimed wood that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

For the hallway

A narrow reclaimed wood console table is perfect for the hallway – hang a mirror over it for a last once over before you head out the door and a decorative dish keeps keys in so you aren’t hunting around for them when you’re trying to get out the house.

Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Console Table

How to enjoy a family bonfire night party

Young children in dark holding sparklers

An alternative bonfire night is on the cards for most of us this November. There will be very few large organised events so we have come up with some suggestions on how to create a safe bonfire night to remember at home with your family.

Two steel fire pits in a field with small wooden stool

Photo featuring: Barrington Steel Fire Pit

Obviously, one of the main elements to get the ball rolling is a bonfire but having a great big bonfire in your garden may not be a very practical option, so we love the idea of a wood fire pit! This is a great addition to your outdoor garden furniture that will bring you many warm and cosy evenings under the stars, long after bonfire night has been and gone.

There are so many gorgeous types of fire pit available now and they’re perfect for small or large outdoor sitting and entertaining areas. A metal fire pit will make your garden become an area where you can spend many more hours – they provide light into the night and make your garden a cosy and warm place to be during the colder months and of course, they are just gorgeous to just simply sit and watch….on extra chilly nights you can wrap up in a blanket and sip a hot cocoa!

Photo featuring: Lyneham Round Fire Pit

Back to Bonfire night….!

During the day get your garden furniture ready in situ with your fire bowl, load it up with a couple of fire starters, kindling and wood ready for lighting later.

To get organised in the kitchen – we suggest getting a hearty chilli con carne in the slow cooker for dinner – it’s a bit of a bonfire night classic, full of flavour and soul-warming spices. We love this firework cupcake and we’re pretty sure the kids will love them too!

Bonfire night theme cupcake with sparkler in the top

When the kids come home from school you can do bonfire finger paintings – get some large sheets of thick paper along with yellow, orange and red liquid paints – get those little fingers into the paint and swoosh the paint from the bottom to the top of the page to look like flames – paint some logs on the bottom and sprinkle over some glitter for a bit of sparkle!

Close up of marshmallows being roasted on sticks over a bonfire

You can set the dining table with a bonfire night theme. We love how the colours of bonfire night, warm red, orange and yellow work with the natural tones of reclaimed wood furniture, use a vase of fresh-cut autumnal flowers as your centrepiece, use red napkins and some candles to create a cosy atmosphere. Or if it is a milder night, you could take your evening meal outside and sit in the cosy light and warmth of the fire, followed by toasting marshmallows over the flames. You can still get some garden fireworks, a few Catherine wheels and some sparklers for the kids. Probably the best and safest way to spend the 5th of November this year. Enjoy!

How to work out the best size for your dining table

Large reclaimed wood dining with white dining chairs and white plates

Whether you are planning a dining room extension, buying a new reclaimed wood dining table or moving into a new home you should work out what space you have to play with before you start planning the build or even look at dining room furniture. Bear in mind the shape of the room to help you choose the basic shape of the table – if your dining room is more of a square shape then you can use a square or round dining table. A round wood dining table will allow you to put things in the corner of the room like a dining room sideboard or plant pot. Of course, if the room is rectangular then a rectangular or oval table is perfect.

Wood dining table with white metal pendant lights and green plants

4 – 6 seater

The most popular dining room tables seat six – which comprises of two down each side and one at each end. The average size for a 6 seater table is generally somewhere between 75 x 150cm and 100cm x 1800cm. The amount of people you manage to comfortably seat around it does also depend on what type of dining chair you will be using with the table. A chair with arms will need a bit more room than a chair with no arms and if you opt for a dining bench then you will need less space and be able to fit more people along the side of the table.

To work out how much space you will actually need for the table and to pull the chairs in and out you should allow an absolute minimum of 70 cm around the table however 100cm+ is much better. Do remember to take into account any other furniture you want to put in your dining space. Ideally, your dining room will be somewhere in the region 3.5m x 4.5m to accommodate a four to six diner table, allow for seating and a sideboard.

Industrial dining table with wooden bench and reclaimed wood chairs

Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Table & Reclaimed Wood Bench

6-8 seater

A six to eight seater dining table is generally somewhere around 90 x 180cm to 100 x 240cm so your room should be around the 4m x 4.5m size. A dining room does not have to have empty space, in fact, you don’t want your table to look a bit lost in the middle or be unable to create a more intimate atmosphere during dinner parties. If you really don’t want to get a bigger table in a large dining room then you can consider an extending dining table, some have leaves you can add just when you have guests while others will have a handy mechanism with a space to store the extensions within the table.

Large wood dining table with wooden chairs in bright dining room with wooden hanging pendant lights

8-12 seater

If you have a large household or just love to entertain and need a larger table then your table should be a minimum 140x300cm, however, your dining room will have to be in the region of 5m x 5.5m to fit this in. If your living space is open plan you may be able to get away with a little less space for the dining table. The Dorset Large Reclaimed Wood Extendable Trestle Table is perfect for the larger dining space. This rustic dining table will blend in perfectly with reclaimed wood furniture you already have in your kitchen or dining room. The large table can extend to 2.9 metres long, perfect for family nights and large dinner parties. The average width of a leather dining chairs is around 45 cm (without arms) so you could comfortably get 6 down each side, add a dining bench and you can squeeze even more around the table!

Photo featuring: Dorset Large Reclaimed Wood Extendable Trestle Table

Our favourite vegan chairs for your dining space

Red heart shaped sticker World Vegan Day words stuck on cork board

It’s world vegan day this weekend on November 1st so we thought we would look at animal-friendly and sustainable furniture that will help you take veganism beyond just the dining tabletop to around the dining table.

Small with pink bow around its neck walking in grass

The number of people switching to a vegan diet in the UK is rapidly increasing. Many are introduced to a plant-based diet during Veganuary, some go back to their normal diets, maybe with some tweaks – while many carry on, and permanently switch to a vegan diet. Just recently a large UK supermarket announced they will be dedicating a couple of aisles in some stores to only vegan food products which suggest that plant-based products are definitely gaining more widespread popularity.

Maybe you just like the look of a leather chair, or you have a household with young children and fabric dining chairs are just not practical, this is where easy wipe-clean faux leather dining chairs will come in. Every colour and style is now available on the market as well as a range of different quality materials being used with some looking and feeling more realistic than others. Below are three of our favourites!

Brown faux leather dining chairs with black steel legs and industrial dining table

Photo featuring: Cleo Faux Leather Dining Chairs in Tan

Chloe faux leather dining chair and bench

This is a hugely popular design available as a single chair and also as a bench and in grey or tan. You can try a mix of both colours around a reclaimed wood dining table to achieve a very current look. Consider these gorgeous high-quality vegan leather dining chairs if you are matching with an industrial dining table or with other reclaimed wood furniture. We are becoming more environmentally aware so this is the perfect combination thanks to the sustainable roots of reclaimed wood and vegan furniture.

Grey faux leather dining bench with grey cushion

Photo featuring: Cleo Grey PU Leather Industrial Dining Bench

Turner grey faux leather dining chair

The Turner PU leather chair is beautifully moulded to offer maximum comfort for long dinners! This chair is also available in tan or grey but with a gorgeous distressed leather finish, it’s perfectly suited to sit around a rustic dining table.

Photo featuring: Turner Faux Leather Dining Chair in Grey

Lansdowne faux leather bar stool

To create a small dining or breakfast area in the kitchen, a reclaimed wood bar table with bar stools is a great investment – a place where you can sit and enjoy a snack, a coffee in the morning or a spot to sit while you are preparing food. Pair the rustic solid wood industrial bar table with a set of faux leather bar stools and achieve a modern and environmentally friendly casual seating area.

Photo featuring: Lansdowne Faux Leather Industrial Bar Stools

Quick tips to create a fun indoor Halloween party

Halloween decorations including wreath with small pumpkins and pine cones with Happy Halloween wood sign

Halloween is going to be quite a bit different this year, so we thought we would look at how your household could enjoy an alternative Halloween and how to make the most of spending it at home. We’ve put together a few suggestions on how to give a rustic dining table a quick Halloween makeover, a few activities to do and easy to set up games you can play with the kids.

Halloween table decorations on wooden table with orange plates and large plastic spider

Creative kids

If you have little ones they can still get dressed up, but maybe they could let their creativity run wild by getting them to design and make their own costume (with a little help of course) and have a go at painting their own faces.

For autumn / Halloween themed decorations you can make leaf garlands, they’re free, quick and easy….. and the kids will love to help make them. Being natural and earthy, they look fab with rustic furniture – hang some over a round wall mirror and drape fake cobwebs over chair backs, a wooden bench or the dining room or kitchen sideboard.

Platter of Halloween themed foods, including spider cupcakes and pumpkin biscuits

Spooky snacks

Prepare a Halloween themed dinner – A platter of ghouly appetizers followed by spaghetti pasta (worms) and red tomato sauce (blood) with hot dog fingers. For dessert, something as simple as cupcakes (you could use green food colouring for the sponge mix) with a cobweb piped icing and some bat or spider decorations on top would look great on the Halloween rustic table. You can also make some coloured biscuits and add spooky eyes before serving!

Bowl of green, purple and blue Halloween biscuits with wide eye decorations

Table decorations

A reclaimed wood dining table, with its gorgeous natural characteristics, lends itself perfectly to a Halloween theme! For quick and simple table decorations add some fake cobwebs and spiders or bats. If you have rustic or reclaimed wooden sideboards in your room you can dress them also – add some large candles to achieve a spooky atmosphere along with a Halloween wreath, carved pumpkins, gourds, twigs and autumn leaves.

Wooden table decorated in Halloween theme with small pumpkins on plates and in middle of the table

Halloween fun and games

Just because you can’t go out and do the normal trick or treating doesn’t mean you can’t play some classic Halloween games in your own home or in the garden. Of course, there is the traditional pumpkin carving, pin the spider on the cobweb or the tail on the black cat, alternatives to the donkey! Bobbing for doughnuts – although this may be one for the garden! String up some doughnuts and with hands behind their backs, the kids see how fast they can eat them. Just like an Easter egg hunt – do the same for Halloween themed treats – you can hide treats around the house, under your reclaimed wood bed or in the garden – you might even want to turn the lights down low for a more spooky feel.

Dining room storage solutions you’ll want to show off

Dining room with large white glass dresser and sideboard and reclaimed wood dining table

Here we look at a few key items that offer practical and super stylish dining room storage.

Farmhouse dining table with grey fabric chairs and large white display cabinet

Drinks cabinet

If you love to entertain and like to move seamlessly from before dinner drinks to sit down dining, then a cocktail cabinet in your dining room would be perfect. No carrying bottles back and forth and all shakers and stirrers will be right at your fingertips. For a full-on glamorous feel, we love the Blackbone industrial oak drinks cabinets – available in a smaller size and a full-height version, for the glam element you can choose either silver or gold industrial legs. If Scandi simplicity and clean lines is more your thing then the Portobello drinks cabinet is our top pick for you, crafted from beautiful light oak with a classic chevron pattern featuring on the doors. This will look stunning with the minimalist oak dining table, also from the Nordic-inspired Portobello range.

Photo featuring: Portobello Oak Drinks Cabinet

Display cabinet

A glass door cabinet is a great alternative to standard wooden sideboards – we are talking about showing off here so this is a great way to display all your best bits for all to see. The industrial Standford glass and wood cabinet has a glass front and sides so you can put your all favourite pieces on display….and with a drawer too for a bit of hidden storage. The Standford reclaimed wood furniture range is proving to be as popular as ever with statement industrial furniture for every room in your home.

Photo featuring: Standford Reclaimed Wood Glass Cabinet

Welsh dresser

Sometimes we just want furniture to feel warm and homely, this is where a traditional style reclaimed wood dresser would come in. The Chelwood dresser is just screaming out to be placed in a farmhouse kitchen and will match beautifully with other reclaimed wood furniture you already have. Produced from full of character reclaimed wood, it mixes closed storage, for the everyday bits and bobs, with a glass-doored display cabinet on the top of the unit, and with plenty of drawers for cutlery.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Dresser

Sideboard and wine rack

For those who love wine, we suggest the gorgeous Worcester reclaimed wood wine rack with sideboard. With a generous 28 spaces for your wine collection and hidden storage on the other side of the unit, it will look stunning paired with the Worcester reclaimed wood dining table. The Worcester range is handcrafted from 100% reclaimed wood, each piece a stunning blend of white painted and natural finish wood.

Photo featuring: Worcester Reclaimed Wood Wine Rack Sideboard