dining room Archives - Page 25 of 39

Get ready for holiday season with a beautiful drinks cabinet

The festive season is on the doorstep and that means one thing – Christmas parties! We love a get together with family and friends but we love hosting them more. And that means sorting out the drinks cabinet ready for the planned parties and the ad hoc ‘one for the read’ parties that we are bound to have in the coming weeks.

Don’t have a drinks cabinet? Then this is why you really need to take a look at making this your must-have purchased this holiday season.

1 Great for entertaining

If you enjoy hosting parties as we do, then a fully stocked drinks cabinet will make your life so much easier when it comes to the planning and hosting of a festive get-together.

Not sure what to stock your mini-bar with? We have some great tips;

Start small… – and that means making sure you have the basics in place including a good range of mixers, as well as the main spirits and drinks people tend to ask for.
Simple is better than… – having all those drink bottles lined up and no idea how to mix the cocktails that people are asking for.
Don’t forget… – the dressy bits like the glace cherries and the slices of lemon, all of which can be placed in dishes and popped in your drinks display cabinet before the party starts.
Invest in… – a range of glasses that will be perfect for the cocktails you are about to serve as well as the G&Ts heading your guests way.

2 Fits right in

You may have visions of a drinks cabinet being a large piece of furniture without any real style or character.

Of course, if you are placing the drinks cabinet in the dining room, you will want to look great but not outshine the reclaimed wood dining table with leather dining chairs that take centre stage, and quite rightly too.

The Bahamas wooden drinks cabinet is a stunner in its own right but perfect for the traditional styled, farmhouse or even rustic-style dining room next to a rustic dining table. It may be called a ‘drinks cabinet’ but what we love about this is the fact that when the holiday season is over, you can turn it into a dining room sideboard.

3 Great in the living room

The drinks cabinet also makes the perfect addition to the living room – but if you have a stupendous hallway, it makes a great addition there too, the perfect transition point between the living room and kitchen (where all great parties happen!).

But again, if you are worried about it not being the style you want, you need to take a look at the versatility of some of our pieces.

This beautiful oak display drinks cabinet is, frankly, a sheer delight for the industrial or even the rustic living room.

Imagine this beautiful piece with chevron inlaid detailing, alongside your leather armchair and other reclaimed furniture in the living room? Adding detailing without imposing, it is one of the best examples of a drinks cabinet on the market today.

Is a drinks cabinet something you have considered for the upcoming holiday season?

Useful tips on how to choose the right dining chairs

Hoxton Oak Dining Table and Fabric Dining Chairs

These days there are so many dining chairs on the market that you’d be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the thought of shopping to find the perfect dining room chairs to match your new reclaimed wood dining table. But thankfully as with all home decor there is no right or wrong answer!

Here are a few of our favourite handy hints and tricks to find the perfect wooden dining chairs or fabric dining chairs to match your preferences.

Perhaps rather obvious, but the most important factor is whether it will fit in your home! In a small kitchen/diner, dramatic, oversized dining chairs may be overwhelming. In order to ensure whether your dining chairs will fit in your dining room, consider the widest dimensions of the item and checking it will comfortably fit in your space. You can use masking tape on newspaper to map out the area; this will give you a really good idea whether there is still plenty of space to walk around the furniture.

Don’t forget when it comes to buying the dining room furniture you also need to make sure there is plenty of space to be able to pull out dining chairs. 90 cm is the recommended allowance here.

But when it comes buying dining chairs, there is something else you need to consider too – whether they will fit under your fabulous farmhouse dining table! You have probably noticed, whether that be as a result of shopping for dining room furniture (or possibly uncomfortable dining experiences) that not all dining tables are made equal – some table tops sit much higher than others. The rule of thumb is to allow 30.5 cm between the seat of your chair and your tabletop.

If you recently bought a new farmhouse style table, have a quick look at it. Consider not only how you will be using the table, but also the table top thickness, whether there is a framing underneath the table top, and where the legs are positioned – for example, is there a table leg at each end which limits your options.

You might also want to think about how many people you can comfortably fit around your dining table. Make sure to measure your chairs at the widest point, and allow each guest 60 to 75 cm of space. Don’t forget to make room for the arms of your dining chair if you’ve opted for style with arms (roughly 15cm).

Beyond ensuring your dining chair actually fits in your dining room you also need to make sure the look fits.

If you prefer a rather minimalist style, perhaps suiting that glossy kitchen you’ve just had installed, keep the style of your dining chair fairly similar to the table – you may even be able to find dining chairs in the same range. Opt for wooden dining chairs in a similar colour to your dining table for a calming, coordinated look which is effortless chic and won’t date.

Leather dining chairs are another popular choice. Perfect for adding drama and a touch of glamour to your dining room, leather dining chairs work beautifully with any dining room table. Certainly if you’ve got a large dining room table, like an 8 seater reclaimed wood dining table, the understated style of leather dining chairs may work rather well.

Alternatively, a small dining room table is sat in the corner of the kitchen can be brought to life with a splash of colour.

Have you got any tips that you think we’ve missed?

Top Tips – How To Look After Beautiful Fabric Dining Chairs

Grey Luxe Daisy Upholstered Dining Chairs and Table

Your upholstered dining chairs are things of beauty. You chose them for their colour and for the texture and depth they add to the room. They perfectly complement your reclaimed wood dining table.

And you want them to stay looking pristine next to your reclaimed wood furniture. Over time, with constant use, your upholstered dining chairs can take on a ‘used’ look. But then come the stains and the marks.

Small they may be but they detract from the beauty of the fabric, even if it is just a little and you are the only person that notices them.

Want to know how to keep your velvet dining chairs looking glamorous? Or your upholstered dining chairs looking clean and pristine?

The fabric

It is important to understand that different fabric dining chairs need slightly different treatment.

Velvet dining chairs

Smooth and somewhat decadent to the touch, when you took possession of your velvet dining chairs, your heart probably sang a little bit when you saw your dining room furniture.

And now, you want to keep them looking fantastic – and doing that is easier than you think.

Spills – with the festive season on the doorstep, you may more than a few dinner parties and general get-togethers planned thus, when the inevitable spill happens, you need to spot clean with a water-free solvent. These are usually found in dry cleaners.

Top tip – buy a small amount of cleaner and test it on an unseen patch of the velvet to make sure it is safe to use. If it is, then put it in a handy place such as your sideboard with wine storage so you can grab it when you need to.

Soft bristled brush – a toothbrush with soft bristles is for brushing the nap of the fabric whilst you are gently cleaning it.

Ground in stains need the be treated by a dry clean specialist.

Linen dining chairs

Linen brings a modern edge to the dining room. A woven fabric, it is incredibly durable and easy to keep clean too;

Upholstery shampoo – invest in a good quality, branded upholstery shampoo (perform a spot test, as above, before widespread use) and use this to spot clean spills as they happen but don’t over-saturated the chair or fabric.
Dry cleaning – if needed, slipcovers and cushions can be dry cleaned in some cases but it will lift the colour slightly, leading to slightly different shades.

All upholstered dining chairs

Keeping your upholstered dining chairs in tip-top condition means they are in great shape repel drink and food spills;

Vacuum – but lightly. Use the upholstery tool on your vacuum and give your beautiful dining chairs an occasional vacuum to remove dirt and dust from the fabric. Concentrate on the joins but don’t be too vigorous as you could snag the fabric.
Have a move around – even when you don’t have direct sun pouring in the window, dining room furniture is affected by UV rays. Your upholstered dining chairs are in danger of being sun-bleached if they remain in sunlight for too long so every few weeks in the summer at least, rotate your chairs so no one chair becomes a different shade to the others.
Open the window – air-borne pollutants, like cooking smells, can become trapped in the fabric weave and so throwing open the dining room window and letting stale air out and fresh air in will help them stay smelling sweet just as they look fantastic too!

How to scandi style dining room with oak

Characterised by simple lines and an unfussy appeal, it is no wonder that so many of us turn to the Scandinavian style. And for the dining room, it is the perfect style that easily morphs from the informal to the formal.

Why the Scandi-style dining room works

Think purity, think non-fuss, clean and simple and you have the crux of the Scandi style. Styling it doesn’t have to be difficult either. Against a backdrop of crisp white walls, you can create a Scandi styled canvas to your dining room.

Or if white feels too blunt, opt for a very, very light grey or a warm white. Colour is added with furniture and accessories, with no colour should be too harsh or contrived.

So how do you create a Scandi styled dining room? Here are three great ideas.

Showcase wood

A key element throughout the Scandinavian style is wood and we have chosen to showcase oak, a slow-growing timber that is dense and strong. Like most of our collections, our oak tables are made from reclaimed wood and this is perfect for this style in the dining room.

The Skandi collection is an exquisite example of a Scandinavian furniture that suits this style and your budget.

It works well with inspired Scandinavian dining tables. Create a sense of symmetry with an inspired sideboard choice, minimising fussy accessories to just a few well-chosen pieces that add just enough detail.

Be versatile

The thing about the dining room is it needs to be uber-versatile. In other words, you can enjoy evenings and days of people hunkered around your dining room by at other times, enjoy smaller family meals or the occasional romantic meal for two…

Versatility is also part of the Scandinavian style appeal as this Skandi Extending Dining Table. Whether you’re looking for a 10 seater dining table and chairs or an 8 seater dining table and chairs, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

This piece comes with a contemporary, lighter feel than the oak dining table showcased above, perfect for the smaller dining room as well as a dining space where you need the table to expand and contract with the number of guests.

Accompanying furniture needs to be lighter too and so the Skandi Dining Bench is the ideal mate at the table to give the complete look. For the sideboard, maintain the sense of versatility with a two door/three drawer that can store the extra plates, bowls and cutlery for when you entertain guests.

Comfort, colour and pattern

The difference between minimalism and Scandinavian style is the addition of pattern and other comforting details we expect to find.

A round dining table suits the Scandi styled dining room simply because its shape is welcoming. When you have guests over for dinner, no one is left ‘stuck in the corner’ or an outcast on the edge of a rectangle.

In the dining room, the presence of a round dining table imposes but without taking over. Add a patterned rug underfoot choosing a colour and design that are ‘barely-there’ and you have the basis for a perfect non-abrasive styled dining room.

Add texture too, with the light oak and Oasis Dining Chairs, with the Standford Large Reclaimed Wood Industrial Sideboard adding a hint of the unexpected. The oak bookcase from the Mayfair range pulls it all together nicely.

How to style a round dining table

Wycombe Oak Round Dining Table and Chairs

It is a dilemma – do you opt for a round extendable dining table or a rectangular one? Do you need it to extend? What is it that attracts you to the round dining table?

For many, it is the feeling of inclusion that the round dining table exudes, the ability for all guests to see each other and converse with each other.

Styling it is not difficult either. We give you three options – the chic industrial round dining table, a traditional style with a rustic twist, or the always-elegant Scandinavian style.

The industrial look

This 130cm wide round table with its central, metal pedestal is a delight that sits well within the industrial look, the effortless fusion of wood meeting metal.

Adding a twist to the industrial dining table with upholstered grey dining chairs with an industrial sideboard from the Mitcham range to pull it all together. The metal legs of the sideboard bring the symmetry into the room by matching that of the dining table.

As with all dining rooms, frame the setting with a rug – we have chosen a dark shade in this case, opting for the smouldering depths of a nearly-black rug.

The traditional look with a rustic twist

The Bahamas Collection is a fairly recent addition to our range and we knew it wouldn’t disappoint. The beautiful wood with exquisite detailing gives the traditional look a beautiful rustic twist.

The round dining table in the collection certainly doesn’t disappoint. Leather or wooden dining chairs would certainly sit well with the dining table but for an unexpected twist, add black velvet dining chairs with stud detailing and the back lion head handles for something different.

The Bahamas drinks cabinet makes for a great addition to the dining room, a superb place for storing essentials and of course, the finishing touch with this copper-toned rug brings out the wood tones even more.

The Scandinavian look

As a style, this is one of our favourites and we know it is one of yours too. There is always something very elegant and unfussy about the Scandinavian style, and the Scandinavian dining table, and yet it never looks barren or cold.

The beauty and warmth of natural material, from wood to wool is allowed to shine in this setting. And that’s why we love it for the dining room.

This round extendable dining table is the perfect starting point for this style. You could match the wood of the wooden dining chairs to it or you could ring the changes with these fantastic cross-backed dining chairs. With a slight vintage edge to them, they stylish aplomb sits well in the Scandinavian dining room.

In this style, everything is carefully selected and the oversized wall clock is both a stylish and practical addition.

And finally, pulling it all together is this sublime, neutral shade rug with a hint of inlaid pattern.

The dining room is such an important space in the home that is deserved to be dressed and styled. How have you created a beautiful dining space?

Tips to make the most of Men Make Dinner Day

Recently we came across National Men Make Dinner Day, which occurs every year on the first Thursday of November – this year, that’s 1st November. Of course, we recognise that many men do cook on a regular basis and do enjoy serving up new dishes for friends and family.

However, if you are someone who isn’t usually be found in the kitchen, this is the perfect day to cook for the people you love. It could be the start of something beautiful (or, it could not!). But you won’t know either way without giving it a go.

It’s also great practice if you’re thinking about taking charge and cooking Christmas dinner this year!

Rules

For those thinking about getting involved, there are a few rules to get going.

Once you’ve agreed to participate in the day, you must pick a recipe unaided. This recipe should have a minimum of four ingredients and should use at least one cooking utensil beside from a fork. You must also shop for all the ingredients (bonus points if you check current supplies before you go!)

When it comes to cooking you meal, you should refrain from asking for help and should adopt the clean as you go along mentality – piles of unwashed dishes are a no go!

Setting the Table

Setting your farmhouse dinner party to prepare for serving the delicious meal you’ve been cooking is also part of the task. Pour a glass of wine from your drinks display cabinet to celebrate your work in the kitchen, grab soft drinks for the kids, then light candles and add seasonal flowers to create a fantastic Thursday night dinner which will really impress your family.

You can even root through your large sideboard to find napkins or place cards to create the feel of a luxury dinner party if you really want to go all out!

Finally, ensure to pull up enough upholstered dining chairs or opt for a dining bench and extendable dining table combo if you’ve decided to be really brave and cook for the extended family.

Ideas

When it comes to ideas for what you can cook, you’re in the best position to know what you and your family enjoy eating. But be realistic – after a long day at work, you and your family probably don’t want to wait around hours for dinner to be served.

Cooking something you’re relatively comfortable with is a good option, whether that be something like a simple pasta dish, or something a little bit fancier if you are more proficient.

Make sure you also choose something which won’t take too long to cook. There are plenty of recipes which suggest they take around 30 minutes to cook so even the most culinary challenged folk won’t take all evening to prepare dinner. An autumnal stew or hotpot is also nice and easy and tastes phenomenal.

Finally, make sure you read the recipe a couple of times before you start. Think about the timings of making the dish (and even write down the order you need to add things in your own words if it will avoid confusion).

Will you be taking part in National Men Make Dinner Day? We’d love to see your triumphs (or tries) if you do.

Sophisticated ideas for an elegant Halloween dinner party

Hallowe’en, our one chance of the year to ward off evil spirits, is not just for kids. It is the perfect excuse for adults to get together but instead of bobbing apples, why not enjoy a sophisticated evening?

Host a dinner party

It may be a sophisticated evening with your diners enjoying delicious food and surrounded by style, but that doesn’t mean you can’t allude to the season nor to Hallowe’en.

This elegant table decoration is a stylish nod to the season. Squashes and pumpkins are harvested at this time of year, and not just grown for trick or treaters to carry from one front door to another.

From pumpkin pie to butternut squash soup, there are many dishes that use pumpkin but the beautiful colours of squashes make for a pleasant centre table decoration. Bookend it with candles and leaves from evergreen shrubs.

Think 1920s glamour

Prohibition aside, the 1920s was the decade in which everything glimmered, the polar opposite to the drudgery of the Great War that has just ended.

Think navy walls and a brass drinks trolley, cocktails and simple elegance and velvet dining chairs. Perfect for sitting alongside your immaculately laid extending dining table with bench.

Give the small things a twist

When serving drinks, give them a subtle Hallowe’en twist. We love these skull shot glasses, perfect for adding a small extra detail to your industrial dining table and party.

Simple is the key ingredient

When it comes to children’s parties or wild celebrations, the more gregarious and over the top you can be, the better. And we become so accustomed to this way of doing things that toning it down can feel that we are not making an effort.

But simplicity takes more effort than you think;

Natural elements – included nature in your décor by creating a garland with the beautiful golden leaves that drop from the trees at this time of year. Temper the colours with the dark green foliage of evergreen shrubs and trees, like in the centrepiece we talked of.
Non-garish – stay away from a klaxon of colours, sticking with the beautiful palette that nature gives us at this time of year. Plenty of golden oranges and deep, earthy green.
Hallowe’en metallic – opt for brass as the must-have metallic finish in the dining room for your sophisticated party. From brass candle holders on the industrial dining table to counteract the black metal to brass accessories loitering atop the industrial sideboard with wine rack, brass is the golden metallic hue of the season.

Foolproof decoration

Black and orange. It really is that simple.

Stick with the orange pumpkins, opting for various sizes so it doesn’t look too matchy but emphasises symmetry. And frankly, there is nothing wrong with a black spider or two, lurking in the table centrepiece, at the bottom of a drink or two or hidden away in the shadow of a carved pumpkin.

Set the mood at the front door

Hallowe’en wasn’t destined to be fun – it was once, in centuries past, a serious festival – but in modern times, we do enjoy it as a chance of welcoming autumn and looking forward to the festive season. So set the mood at the door with your carved pumpkin, lit with small tea light candles.

Going more green – our pledge to use less plastic

Like most retailers, we are constantly looking at how to reduce packaging and plastic, without compromising the safety of our products in transit.

But our attitude to being eco-friendly doesn’t end there – it is about everything we do, from packaging to the back office.

With a growing emphasis on everyone doing their bit for the environment, we have decided to take a closer look at what we do and how we do it. We have built our business of sustainable credentials – we are one of the few leading furniture manufacturers who offer reclaimed wood furniture and wood from sustainable sources across our entire range from the reclaimed wood dining table to the drinks display cabinet – but that doesn’t mean we are not continually looking to improve.

Not just plastic

Plastic has revolutionised our lives but at Modish Living, we have understood for a long time that being eco-friendly is not just about ditching plastic.

Reclaimed wood furniture is by no means substandard but by repurposing slow growing timber, by purchasing a reclaimed wood coffee table or dining table, our customers are investing in pieces that are higher quality than many budget flat-pack pieces.

Mango wood is our material of choice in collections that are not made from reclaimed timber. Mango wood is a by-product of the fruit industry. It too is slow growing with a dense structure that makes it perfect for furniture, especially carved pieces. When the tree is no longer giving a high yield of fruit, only then is it felled and made into furniture.

Oak is another material that we ensure is sustainably sourced. For example, in the Hoxton Collection, the oak used is European, while in the Hudson Living Chilson Table, it is of French origin. In the Kingsbridge collection, the oak used is reclaimed. We aim to make this the case for every new collection we add to our website to ensure our ongoing commitment to the health of our planet.

Plastic-not-so-fantastic

It has given us cheap products and hard wearing components but the love affair with plastic is over.

We are taking steps to reduce our use of plastic. We are sourcing a biodegradable bubble wrap that offers our beautiful Beam Collection, for example on our beautiful reclaimed table, the protection it needs in transit without filling landfill with plastic.

Paperless business

Like most other businesses, we have significantly reduced our consumption of paper. For the small number of things we do print – the occasional marketing material – we do so on recycled paper when this is practicable.

We also work with our suppliers to make their packaging and business with us less reliant of paper, especially as many printed things are not really needed.

But what do these changes mean for our customers? Are consumer opinions really changing? We took to our social media channels to find out.

Consumer attitudes

There is a shift in how consumers are thinking about plastic. For example, we wanted to know if people would consider buying recycled plastic furniture.

The majority of people said yes, they loved the idea but had yet to make a purchase. Those that had made a purchase had done so with recycled plastic outdoor rugs, an interesting choice.

Plastic straws created an interesting debate with some people advocating the purchase of metal straws whilst others found that paper straws were just as good. However, in our recent poll, most people said that they have no need for straws, paper, plastic or otherwise, so they were ditching them completely.

Small steps, taken consistently

We once read that the best way of making changes that helped the environment was the make small changes but consistently. So we’ve ditched paper unless we really need to print, we are making strides to reduce packaging and use better options, and we will continue to source the best collections made from reclaimed wood or from sustainable sources like Mango wood. We care about our customers, and our environment, and we strive to do the best for both, now and in the future.

How to mix & match chairs with the table to create a pleasant aesthetic

To mix or not, that is the question.

There’s far more to consider when buying dining chairs than may initially meet the eye – shall I opt for the chairs which match my reclaimed wood dining table? How many chairs should I buy (should I invest in extra ones if last-minute guests make an appearance)? Should I stick to one colour of upholstered dining chairs? I could go on.

Thankfully, there really is no right answer and it’s something you can be completely practical about, or go wild and create a fun, eclectic aesthetic which is bound to start all dinner conversations. Here’s a few of our favourite dining table and chair combinations to get you thinking.

Initial considerations

Before you let your imagination run wild, considering the thousands of options available to you – make sure you think about the practicalities. For example, if you regularly host lively dinner parties, a 10 seater dining table and chairs may work particularly well for you. Or you may be working with a small space where something which is relatively compact is the most important factor.

If you’ve already bought a dining table, you’ll also need to think about how many chairs to buy. For example, trestle tables often have the legs at either end of the table, prohibiting you from squeezing an extra guest on the end.

Finally, think about the seat hight. It’s important that your guests are comfortably able to sit under your dining table ready to enjoy a meal. If you opt for seats which are very padded, or perhaps have longer-than-average legs, your guests may struggle to get comfortable. It may also be worth considering whether you’ll be able to cross your legs or not!

Matchy matchy

Why they’re a contender: it will create a sophisticated, well-thought-out space, perfect for that minimalist aesthetic.

Sometimes understated is the best way to go. If you have a beautiful rustic dining table crafted from reclaimed wood rich with history, it seems a shame to mask that by pairing it with statement dining chairs which will become the star of the show.

By there are different ways you can match your dining chairs to your table.

The first option is the most obvious – go for the dining chairs in the same range as your dining table. This is the undoubtedly an easy option, and one which may save you hours (!), when it comes to decorating, as it will save you spending time trying to match the tones of the wood or considering the endless possibilities you have when it comes to the world of dining chairs. There’s also something so classic and elegant about something which is so perfectly coordinated.

Your other option is to spend some time studying the colour of the table you’ve opted for. We were absolutely delighted when one of our customers shared a picture of her beautiful dining room. Jody has cleverly paired her dining table with black dining chairs which match the industrial table legs for a sleek, harmonious appearance and we think it looks utterly fantastic!

Live colourfully

Why they’re a contender: sometimes all you need is a splash of colour to completely transform a room.

Colour is a great way to change the look of your room and add some of your personality – particularly in modern homes, where walls are increasingly painted in neutral tones like white and grey!

We love the combination of this industrial dining table and dark blue velvet upholstered dining chairs. The coordination of the black of the table legs and the legs of the chairs will maintain that chic appearance many of us work hard to achieve while the splash of blue is capable of bringing any room to life.

Create something extraordinary by looking at the smallest details

Why they’re a contender: it has the power of transforming the look of your dining table (perfect if you only want to change the dining chairs!)

Furniture often has interesting details. That’s probably what drew you to your dining table, no? If there is something you love about your table, make a feature of it.

We love how the slim metal accents on this table has been so cleverly highlighted by the seating arrangement. The dining set with chairs and bench has been paired with faux leather dining chairs with metal frames along one side of the table for an interesting, slightly eclectic look which just looks so stylish!

Look at the big picture

Why they’re a contender: it will create a room which looks well-considered, elegant and just a little bit different than the rest.

Notice how this oak dining table has been so perfectly complimented by the fabric dining chairs despite not totally matching. It’s all about being a little bit brave and trusting your gut. It’s an aesthetic which probably takes a bit more time and effort, but we’re sure you’ll agree the finished look is worth it!

The best way to make this style work is to pick your dining table and then pick two or three colours which will compliment it. The light oak and white colours of this dining table lend themselves to being paired with soft colours like beige and blue but there are plenty of other combinations which would work too – grey and purple or different shades of green to name a couple.

How have you matched your dining table and chairs? Perhaps you haven’t at all!? Either way, we would love to see how you’ve styled the item of furniture which is the heart of family life for many of us!