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Our top 10 blogs in 2021 voted by you!

our top 10 blogs of 2021 as voted for by you

Looking back at our blogs over 2021 it’s obvious to us that you like a mixture of tips and ideas as well as inspiration from interior experts and nosing around other peoples homes. As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the blogs you most enjoyed reading in 2021.

Our top 10 most read blogs

1. Arthty Ragupathy of @av.home gave out some super tips on how to add character to a new build. In this blog, she explained how wood is your best friend when trying to make your new build home feel rustic and traditional. Along with our Soho Extending Reclaimed Wood Dining Table, she uses different textures and neutral tones to create a contemporary interior with a warm, homely and lived-in feel.

Credit: @av.home

2. Dining room furniture ideas are still the top item of interest with industrial dining tables being as popular as ever…. of course with that comes additional decisions for you when choosing dining chairs as well as the must-have wooden dining bench. Getting the right dining table is very important to you and we are often asked Which wood is best for a dining table? To answer this we had a look at numerous popular rustic dining table options from oak to a reclaimed wood dining table and looked at the pros and characteristics of the most popular choices.

3. Our blog looking at how to Style a rustic dining table with leather seating was another hugely popular read. We didn’t only look at leather seating we considered faux leather dining chairs too as an eco-friendly alternative – like us, our readers care about the planet and want their homes to reflect that.

4. We shared our top tips when it comes to How to style chairs with your industrial dining table and it was clear you were asking the same question. Our blog covered not just the typical black metal legged industrial tables we all love, but also a more glamorous option, the Oldham Oak Dining Table.

5. The breakfast counter is another area that you’ve been wanting to improve. Choosing the right bar stools for your kitchen can be tricky, so we looked at practical ways to help you decide what style of kitchen island stools would work well for you and the members of your household, whilst looking super stylish, of course.

6. Using eco-friendly products throughout the home is something that many of you are interested in and our blog Using colour with The Little Greene Paint Company made it into our top ten. Their water-based paints carry the industry’s lowest eco-rating, meaning its VOC content is almost zero – great for your home and for the environment.

Credit: Little Greene Paint Company

7. After an unprecedented year, it’s no surprise that our focus has been on home decor and the useability of indoor and outdoor space, so it will come as no surprise that so many of you enjoyed reading our 3 colours that complement a brown leather sofa blog. A brown leather sofa is a perennial favourite in the home and sits comfortably with pretty much any colour, but we picked three modern hues that clearly inspired you.

8. Sticking with advice to make your home your favourite place, our tips to get a family friendly living room also made it into our top 10. We showed how you can create a stylish sophisticated space that works for everyone in the household.

9. Working from home became a norm for most us throughout the year and a focus on improving our work space was hugely popular. We’ve been with you all the way with plenty of ideas to create a comfortable home office – whether you have a separate study or have had to combine it with a room that has, until recently, only been used for something else. We’ve looked at everything from office storage, to choosing the best desk chair right through to Ways to give your workspace a creative edge.

10. We added to our range of popular British handcrafted Onslow Reclaimed Wood Bed frames and took the opportunity to look at ways to make the most of the space in your bedroom, which we were glad our readers enjoyed. From what to consider when purchasing a reclaimed solid wood chest of drawers to ideas on how to style the foot of your bed, including adding a wooden blanket box or even a wooden bench for a wonderful rustic look.

What were your favourite reads from our inspiration and ideas this year? We’d love to hear what you enjoy, so we can bring more of it to you next year. Leave a comment below to let us know.

How to style a Christmas rustic dining table

Discover how to dress your rustic Christmas dinner table with style. We chatted with one of our favourite Instagrammers, Rachel Hitchcock @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks, to take us through how she transformed her rustic dining table with a show-stopping nature-inspired Christmas display.

Christmas table styling with Rachel

I absolutely love the hanging Christmas arrangements that have gained popularity over the last few Christmases and knew that I wanted our lovely Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table to have this type of feature this Christmas. However, I didn’t feel comfortable drilling holes into the ceiling – it’s the sort of thing I would do badly, so I set about finding how I could create the same look without the drill. I came across a table hanging rail which clamps onto the table, which was perfect. I decorated it with some pine cones, Christmas garlands and faux eucalyptus, berries and other foliage and had an instant eye-catching display that framed the dining table.

Decorating your Christmas dining table

In terms of decorating the table, I wanted to dress it as opposed to cover it. I have previously used a tablecloth when decorating my table for Christmas but now we have our beautiful reclaimed wood dining table and I didn’t want to hide it behind a tablecloth, I wanted to dress the table and still have the natural beauty of the reclaimed wood very much on display.

My usual dining table styling features a statement vase and flowers that suit the season, however, it’s not always the most practical as it can block the view of the person sitting across the table – not really what you want over Christmas dinner. Instead, I chose a traditional long and low arrangement using another pine Christmas garland and a faux eucalyptus garland intertwined.

Styling Tip: I placed the garland on a linen table runner, but I think for the day I’ll use a gold sparkly runner and a few fairy lights to make it even more festive.

I now had an arrangement along the middle of the table and an arrangement in parallel above the table. I wanted to make them cohesive so I played around with heights to bring them together. I added a mixture of tall, medium and small matching black candlestick holders along the table to create varying levels of height and interest. I then hung clear glass tea light holders and baubles from the hanging rail at varying heights so they would dangle elegantly between the candlestick holders. This helped the entire arrangement come together as one display rather than two different segments parallel to one another.

Styling Tip: Add some fairy lights interwoven into the hanging rail garland to give a little extra sparkle to the overall look. This is something I will do ahead of decorating for Christmas Day dinner.

I added little sprigs of faux eucalyptus, berries and other foliage into the centerpiece along the length of the dining table and I popped some pine cones and little miniature scented votive candles on the table runner and into gaps amongst the garland to fill it out.

Styling Tip: use clear empty glass candle jars with mistletoe or other festive flowers, branches or berries on your table, together with some fresh florals to add more interest and height to your table decor. This is another addition I’ll be making to my table on Christmas Day.

The best tableware and crockery

This year I’ve purchased some Christmas crockery with a discreet mistletoe pattern, but plain white works equally as well with this look. When I think of Christmas velvet always springs to mind, it brings an instant touch of luxury to the table. I found these lovely green velvet napkins and added black velvet bows for added extravagance. Once glasses and cutlery were added my Christmas table was finished! On the day, as well as fresh festive flowers, I’ll add Christmas crackers to complete the look.

Styling Tip: Add a sprig of holly with berries to place settings with a name card. You can even buy personalised velvet ribbon to tie your napkins.

For more Christmas home styling inspiration check out our ideas to impress guests this Christmas along with Rachel’s posts on @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks.

All images @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks

Get ready! 5 tips for impressive entertaining this Christmas

Many of us are guilty of putting too much pressure on ourselves to get everything just right when we’re entertaining and this seems to be amplified when it comes to Christmas entertaining. Decorating the house, styling your reclaimed wood dining table and getting the lunch or dinner just perfect. Here we have put together a few suggestions that may help take the pressure off a bit – so you actually get to sit back and relax and your dinner parties will run like clockwork.

5 Festive ways to impress your guests

1. Shop in advance

Getting the shopping finished early is a great way to rid yourself of at least some stress. Even without talk of potential shortages, it is always a good idea to get stocked up early – it helps spread the cost as well. Items like freezer items, wine, beer, gifts, biscuits, snacks and the Christmas pudding, will all keep for a long time, so you can buy weeks in advance. Many online shops are again extending their return periods so you can easily return things if you see something better a little later on. However, if you are thinking of buying bigger items like an extendable table or new fabric dining chairs for Christmas then don’t leave it too late!

2. Prepare and freeze

To make life easier over the holidays, much of the food preparation can be done in advance. Homemade stuffing and some home bakes can all be prepared now – just keep a list of what you have done and cross off items as you get more organised. Also think about preparing and blanching vegetables, you can peel potatoes and parsnips the evening before your dinner, salad can also be prepped and kept in airtight containers in the fridge overnight.

3. Wrap those gifts

Christmas always seems to sneak up on us – as soon as it turns December the time just flies by and before you know it it’s the 23rd. Wrap presents as you buy them it is surprising how much time this does end up taking up, especially stocking presents! Pop them under the Christmas tree or hide them at the back of your rustic wardrobe or wooden blanket box. If time is really short, select the gift wrapping service from stores and get someone else to wrap!

4. Plan your table setting

This is the fun part. Think about how you are going to set your dining table now – there is nothing worse than having an idea and just not being able to find all or some of the components you want. Planning now gives you plenty of time to shop around and even tweak your plan if you need to. The rustic dining table looks good with natural decorations, warm colours and natural evergreen foliage along the centre. For a reclaimed wood dining table, you can add contrast by choosing a glamorous gold or silver theme. And of course, there’s no reason you can’t set the table the day before!

reclaimed wood dining table with blue Christmas decorations

Organise your cupboards

Allocate a section in your kitchen dresser or cupboard in which to keep Christmas supplies – candles, serviettes, snacks, chocolates, pickles and pretty much everything you have bought to keep for the holidays. At least you’ll know where to find everything when you need to and you won’t use anything by mistake. If you have a cocktail cabinet then get this tidied up and check out what you’re running short of. Wash and polish glasses that haven’t been used in a while and make sure you have ice buckets, stirrers, shakers and anything else you need when mixing cocktails. And finally, if you have a wooden sideboard in your dining room, check your serving dishes for chips or cracks and enough cutlery.

For more Christmas tips and inspiration, including 5 Ideal Seating Solutions see our blog.

Ways to create a cool industrial dining room this Christmas

Introducing our new Urban Industrial Reclaimed Wood Furniture dining collection

Although industrial style furniture conjures up images of a New York City loft or a 1920’s factory it has evolved to a style that isn’t exclusive to only urban style homes, but all types of interiors. It is no longer a cold, bare look. With the use of warm materials such as leather, velvet, rattan and statement lighting, it can be elevated to create a warm, sophisticated and inviting living space – perfect for a cool Christmas.

Urban Euston Industrial Dining Table and Urban Euston Industrial Dining Bench

If you’re picturing a Christmas gathered around a trendy industrial dining table with family and friends sat on a mixture of an industrial wooden dining bench and plush fabric dining chairs, there’s still time to get the look with our new Urban Industrial Furniture collection.

What’s more, order any industrial dining table from the Urban collection before 15th December 2021 and we not only guarantee delivery in time for Christmas, but we will throw in the matching Urban Industrial dining bench completely free.

Order any Urban industrial dining table before 15th December 2021 and receive the matching Urban dining bench for free!

Tempted? Let’s take a closer look at how you can bring the industrial look into your dining space this Christmas. The main elements to consider are….

reclaimed wood furniture
exposed brick
metal
concrete
bare bulbs
neutral colour scheme, but you can add accent colours
a pared-down look

Once you have your main industrial elements in place you can bring in the finishing touches. Mix a wooden dining bench with plush blue velvet dining chairs around the table. An industrial style pendant light over the table and a table lamp on a wooden sideboard for some mood lighting. Hang some striking modern art or a wood-framed mirror on the wall, choose leather or rattan placemats and coasters for the dining table. A large floor standing houseplant in a rattan container is another great way to soften an industrial space. And, of course, adorn it with cool Christmas decorations for a festive feel. We’re loving the deep blue colour scheme that’s popular for Christmas 2021 – it sits effortlessly next to the rustic wood and black metalwork.

Urban Kings Cross Industrial Dining Table and Urban Kings Cross Industrial Dining Bench

Loving industrial furniture as we do, our new Urban range of industrial dining tables with matching benches will help you achieve a cohesive look in your dining space. With a reclaimed wood dining table top and sturdy black steel legs, they are the perfect anchor to design and personalise your own unique industrial dining space. The tables and benches in this range come in four different sizes, three different finishes (light, medium and dark) and with three different metal leg designs, you are bound to find something that is right for your home. Free delivery and assembly are also included!

We also think these tables are perfect as a home office desk. The industrial look is very popular right now in office design, creating a functional minimalist space to work and be creative in.

Urban Victoria Industrial Dining Table and Urban Euston Industrial Dining Bench

The new Urban Industrial range, along with our Beam range of handcrafted furniture, supports our efforts to purchase from growing British business whenever we can. Every table and bench is handmade to order, by craftsmen right here in the UK and as the wood used is reclaimed, each and every wooden dining table with bench will have unique markings and undulations meaning they are a genuine one of a kind.

It’s world vegan month! Are faux leather dining chairs right for you?

November is world vegan month where for an entire month the virtues of being vegan is celebrated and promoted. Every year more and more people are choosing a vegan way of life. You may choose to be vegan if you want to reduce the impact on our planet or maybe you want to stop the slaughter of animals for human consumption – perhaps you prefer the health benefits it brings, or all three! It’s a choice thing, giving people the freedom to act on their beliefs.

In food, beauty and fashion products there is now a vegan alternative for pretty much everything, and there are furniture options too. When it comes to chairs you can choose vegan with faux leather dining chairs as a substitute to a leather dining chair. Apart from being vegan-friendly, there are other advantages of opting for a faux leather chair in your home. Firstly, they are usually more competitively priced than leather dining room chairs, and secondly, they are super practical with spills easy to wipe away and much easier than a leather or fabric dining chair – very handy in a home with small children and sticky fingers!

Here are a few of our top picks!

Ethan Faux Leather Lounge Chair

The Ethan Faux Leather Lounge Chair really look amazing and are super comfortable too. The chairs are sumptuously padded and soft to the touch – the perfect partner for a rustic dining table, don’t you think? With the stylish and sturdy u-shaped metal legs they would also sit well with an industrial dining table, faux leather looks particularly good in an industrial themed room.

Cleo vegan-friendly dining chair & dining bench

This range of dining room seating really is one for the style-conscious. It consists of a variety of seating options ranging from a bench with a back, a bench with no back, grey faux leather dining chairs as well as a counter stool – pretty much every seating option you could need. It’s available in a grey and tan colour too so great if you want to stick to a neutral brown colour scheme in your dining space.

Martin Faux Leather Dining Chair

We love the Pebblewell modern dining chairs with their slightly retro look. Available in a gorgeous brown or grey colour with modern minimalist black legs they are a match for many a reclaimed wood dining table. This is a way to get maximum style into your dining space without the worry of spillages on your dining seats. Featuring black metal legs these vegan dining chairs will also look fabulous with an industrial dining table which is a great way to blend contemporary and industrial style as seen in the latest interior decor publications.

Although reclaimed wood furniture is not an animal product it is an environmentally friendly way to furnish your home, which is supporting the vegan way of life. It’s the same with mango wood furniture – this is a sustainable by-product so another eco-conscious way to furnish your home. Find out more in our Why is Reclaimed Wood Better? and How Suitable is Mango Wood for furniture blogs.

Want to know how to celebrate an amazing Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in the USA, celebrated in all states up, down and across the country. It is believed that Thanksgiving was to commemorate a harvest festival back in 1621 by the Pilgrim fathers and was declared a national holiday in the USA in the early 1940’s.

Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November followed by a bank holiday Friday, which is now commonly known as Black Friday, this four-day weekend is seen as one of the most important holidays of the year, definitely one to get the family together and enjoy a traditional celebratory Thanksgiving meal.

Whether you’re American or not, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner here in the UK is a lovely reason to get family and friends together. But how to decorate the table for your Thanksgiving dinner? Here we look at a few styles you might like to bring to the table.

1. A classic or rustic setting

This is well suited to a rustic dining table like the newly launched Ringwood mango wood dining table and a great theme for a Thanksgiving dinner with a very traditional touch. Pumpkins are a big part of Thanksgiving in the US so you could set a rustic theme for your table by opting for natural fauna, dried flowers and also some gourds. The tableware to use for this theme should be chunky, homely earthenware in neutral colours.

2. A contemporary setting

For this, you will want ultra-modern tableware, modern simple lined minimalist candlesticks, white plates to almost achieve a retro look that would complement the striking design of the top of the Canford mango wood dining table. A simple table setting and serving dishes that will sit easily on the striking diamond patterning of the tabletop.

3. Go glam

Our new Farnham collection of mango wood furniture blends industrial style with golden glamour and is perfect for a sophisticated, high glamour stylish table setting for Thanksgiving. Merge glamour with an industrial dining table to achieve the trending look of the season. With the wooden sideboard in your dining space too you would be bringing extra bling in the shape of the gold etching which is a unique feature of this gorgeous new collection.

How to engage all 5 senses with an autumnal tablescape

How to engage all five senses with an autumnal tablescape

Looking to incorporate the seasons into your home decor? We asked Hayley Baddiley from the ceramics and homeware brand Denby to share her top tips for creating an autumnal tablescape to engage all of your senses.

There are so many things to love about this time of year, from the beautiful autumnal scenery to the warming and delicious seasonal foods and drinks. This season inspires beautiful home design too — autumnal décor is stylish, inviting, and the perfect way to add rustic charm to your home. If you’re looking to incorporate the season into your interior design, why not try doing this by creating an autumnal tablescape on your rustic dining table?

Not only does this make your home look beautiful, but making a sensory simulating tablescape can even be good for you too. You can manage your stress levels with your senses, as certain scents, sights, and sounds can be soothing and induce relaxation (Verywell Mind). So take some time to put together a seasonal tablescape and celebrate all of the senses of autumn.

To add a seasonal touch to your home, read on to find out how to create a stylish seasonal tablescape which engages all of your senses.

1. Sight

Create a beautiful display to admire and evoke positive emotions by choosing the right colours for your tablescape. A good place to start is by looking at shades of brown. Not only is brown found on every autumnal colour palette, but it’s also associated with feelings of comfort and warmth, which is exactly what we need around this time of year. Plus, there are so many ways to incorporate it into your table setting, including through a reclaimed wood dining table, or a set of faux leather coasters and table mats.

Farringdon Reclaimed Wood Extending Trestle Dining Table

Of course, there are a number of other colours you could incorporate into your tablescape too. Vases, decorative bowls and floral bouquets consisting of warm greens, orangey reds and rich cream can give your display a splash of colour, while still keeping with the warm and cosy theme.

To create an appealing look, decide on a theme for your interiors. Rustic furniture is a great theme to go for in the autumn and upcoming winter months as it can create a cosy atmosphere. Plus, this style of furniture tends to be durable and versatile, making it a great eco-friendly option. To add a rustic touch to your tablescape, use a large jug as a vase for an autumnal bouquet and invest in sturdy and reliable reclaimed wood furniture.

2. Scent

The chances are that your sense of smell is more sensitive than you think. In fact, a human’s sense of smell has been found to be just as strong as a dogs. And as scents have the ability to soothe us and boost our mood, incorporating natural and calming smells into your tablescape is a must (Stylist).

For fresh scents, opt for a colourful and fragrant floral bouquet to display in a high-quality vase or jug. Roses, crocosmia, and cosmos are popular autumnal flowers, which both look and smell delightful. If you’re looking for something to last a little longer, a candle is a great addition to your tablescape. Opt for one that comes in a reusable ceramic pot to add to the beauty of your table setting.

3. Sound

Wind down during your evening meal by incorporating relaxing sounds into your solid wood dining table display. A great way to do this is by placing your furniture next to the window to listen to the noises of nature, such as birdsong, or the sound of autumnal British weather, whether it’s wind, rain or thunderstorms.

Or if you’d rather, play soft and slow music in the background to create a relaxing atmosphere. Gentle classical music works well when it comes to winding down and it has been found to be good for both the body and the brain (The Healthy). But don’t worry if this isn’t your thing, as you could try slow country or smooth jazz instead.

Mitcham Industrial Oak Spider Leg Dining Table

4. Taste

No dining table is complete without a delicious meal! And one of the best things about autumn is all of the delicious seasonal produce on offer, including butternut squash, carrot, apple, pear, and pumpkin, to name just a few. By using seasonal produce, you’ll both maximise the flavour of the meal and make more of a conscious choice too, so it’s a win-win.

There are so many delicious autumnal meals to make which the whole family will love, such as butternut squash soup, pumpkin risotto, and apple and blackberry pie.

5. Touch

To engage your sense of touch, use a selection of fabrics and textures in your tablescape. Not only do high quality textiles appeal to our senses, but incorporating a variety of them into your table setting can make the display look full and complete.

There are a variety of textures to choose from, so you shouldn’t find it too difficult to use a range in your presentation. A great base for your tablescape is a reclaimed wood dining table. As well as being high quality and durable, reclaimed wood furniture has a unique texture that feels great to touch. Plus, when it comes to reclaimed furniture, no two pieces are identical so you know your dining table is unique. Pair with a wooden dining bench or faux leather dining chairs to bring the look and feel together.

Top the table with a soft table runner and a set of placemats or coasters of your choosing. Faux leather placemats or ceramic coasters are great options. Not only are they incredibly versatile, but they’re easy to clean too. Finish the tablescape off with a centrepiece that has an appealing texture, whether it’s a glazed ceramic vase with a floral bouquet or a decorative ridged bowl filled with pine cones to bring the best of autumnal nature into your home.

If you use the tips above, you should be able to create a stylish autumnal tablescape that appeals to all of your senses. For more inspiration when it comes to seasonal interiors, make sure to check out the other articles available on the Modish Living blog!

New Farnham – mango wood furniture with a difference

With all our new collections of sustainable mango wood furniture, it is really hard to settle on a favourite! But, if you like a bit of bling in your living and dining space then this has to be ‘the one’.

What is so wonderful about the Farnham mango wood furniture collection?

First and foremost this collection is crafted from solid mango wood – a sustainable wood that much like reclaimed wood furniture, is eco-friendly and kinder to the environment. What’s more, mango wood is actually a hardwood, like oak and mahogany, except it is fast-growing and readily available due to it being a byproduct of mango fruit farms.

Secondly, the Farnham Sustainable Mango Wood collection is absolutely gorgeous! If you are looking to create a luxurious look in your living and dining space by using on-trend rich and dark colours then this collection will bring in tonnes of glamour and brightness thanks to the brass detail that is both a stunning and unique feature of the collection.

For the dining space, you have a solid mango wood dining table – the tabletop of this has been left as solid natural mango wood that allows the beauty of the wood grain and natural undulations of the wood to shine through. It is finished in a dark honey colour making it look warm and inviting to diners. Rich blue velvet dining chairs look stunning alongside it with the blue complementing the sleek brass table legs effortlessly.

Sensational storage solutions – hidden golden gems

Hidden storage comes in the form of the wide mango wood sideboard which proudly boasts a contemporary design that pops out of the cupboard doors (one double cupboard and one single). The geometric hexagonal design is etched with brass and set within the wood to give the range a decadent finish and enhance sleek gold coloured legs. Another hidden gem is the highboard cabinet, a wonderful piece with four cupboard doors and brass handles in the centre that set-off the unique brass detailing in the wood – the perfect drinks cabinet perhaps?

You can continue the Midas look into your living space as well. The mango wood coffee table top features the same eye-catching geometric wood and brass patterning and for additional storage, you have a handy solid wood shelf below it. And don’t forget to include the wood side table in your living room – stand a contemporary lamp on this at the end of your sofa or pull it out for guests to use when you need a little bit of extra space.

The mango wood TV unit does not disappoint either – with two open shelves there’s plenty of room for the TV box and consoles. There’s a cupboard for hidden storage, a perfect spot for all the controllers and other TV paraphernalia when not in use.

And finally somewhere to put all those books and decorative items you like on display. For a contemporary look, the wooden bookshelf has some open shelves and some with a back all brought together on a stylish slim gold coloured frame… actually, you may not even want to put things on some of the shelves of the wooden display cabinet as they will obscure the beauty of the piece itself!

Find out more about Farnham Sustainable Mango Wood collection here or read about mango wood furniture and why it’s the sustainable choice for your home in our Mango Wood – how suitable is it for furniture blog.

5 Ideal seating solutions for Christmas

After last year’s disappointment, we are all looking forward to a Christmas this year with our family and friends. How are you going to celebrate? No doubt there will be at least one occasion over the holidays when you have a houseful and your wooden extendable dining table has guests balancing on an old chair or perched on a stool because the age-old problem of a shortage of dining chairs. Although this may be half the fun of a Christmas dinner or other festive get-togethers, there comes a time when you need seating solutions – and we have them!

1. A wooden dining table with bench

It may sound over zealous to say that a dining bench will revolutionise your festive get-togethers, but it’s true! Not only is a wooden dining bench a stylish must-have around your reclaimed wood dining table, it’s a very practical addition too. Dining chairs are all well and good, but they can sometimes be a bit restrictive when it comes to squeezing in extra guests, especially if you have wooden chairs with arms. A dining bench is relaxed, inclusive and can get more bums on seats, perfect for Christmas don’t you think?

2. Separate kids table

When it comes to festive dinner parties, let’s face it, kids get bored with adult talk and so the most common solution world-over is to create a separate wooden dining table for the kids and cousins. The grown-ups can spread-out around a rustic dining table and linger for as long as they like. Depending on numbers a bar table and chairs is a great option – children just love sitting on bar stool chairs. Think about opting for bar stools with backs for extra safety.

3. Take seating from other areas of the house

We’re not suggesting you move the sofa into the dining room or kitchen, but you can get creative. If you have a hallway bench seat in your entrance or a small armchair where people would normally sit to put their shoes on, then bring that up to your dining table for mealtimes. Or a wooden blanket box from the bedroom would make a perfect seating spot – just empty any heavy items out of it before moving it! For a casual dinner or buffet, you could even try a solid rustic coffee table as a temporary perch or bring in garden seating.

4. Go buffet!

Food is a big part of a festive party but instead of a sit-down dinner, why not change the format with a buffet? A buffet is a more relaxed way of entertaining and seating can be a lot less formal than for a traditional sit-down meal. Alongside your dining table with bench and dining chairs, you could also use stools, especially handy for seating against the kitchen island, large sideboard or breakfast bar.

5. Bring-your-own!

If you have surpassed the number of chairs and bench space in your home with a whopping invite list, there is no harm in asking your guests to bring a foldable chair of some kind. Again, it is part of the fun to arrive at the host’s house for a festive get-together and bring your own wooden dining chairs…!