We’re all craving opportunities to leave our homes and to spend time with our friends and family without worry. 2020 has proven to be an unpredictable year, making it unclear when we can go back to booking dinner reservations at our favourite restaurants and freely celebrating at social events. When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s unlikely that the year will be resolved. With that in mind, homeowners are keen to bring that same sense of intimacy and festivity of “going out” into their own spaces. Catered dinners, private chefs, to customized cook-it-yourself meal kits, the culinary industry has made it accessible to create memorable dining experiences at home, leading homeowners and designers to pay more attention to how they present their dining rooms.
The dining table provides optimal chances to decorate and build a narrative for the evening. Mixing in sculptural end chairs with your regular dining room setup is a playful way to ensure scale and balance is achieved while creating a bigger visual impact. Decorative candles, floral centerpieces, and even sculptures are simple and inexpensive methods to liven up and personalize the table. Drapery is another great tool to infuse richness without distracting from what else is in the room. Finding creative ways to include texture and colour into a space without introducing new freestanding elements will make the space appear more refined and less cluttered.
First impressions are everything and lighting is sure to make an impact early on when invited into your dining room. If comparing a dining table and chairs to a t-shirt and jeans, the lighting fixture is the layering piece or statement scarf that elevates the look. A group of pendants can be the perfect accompaniment to a large table and a simple dining hutch can become more interesting with a piece of artwork highlighted by a picture light. Whether it be a dining room or another space, we at Louis Duncan-He Designs believe designing boldly makes for the best outcomes. A chandelier that is slightly too small looks like you were afraid to commit, where a larger piece looks confident and makes a statement. Being bold doesn’t just hint to size, but also materiality, colour, and shape. Selecting pieces that incorporate gold, copper, or brass tones adds touches of elegance while utilizing natural and distressed woods can add just the right amount of cottagecore to your space.
Texture and colour are simple and effective tools to create an expressive space that packs a punch. Incorporating these design elements can be as easy as featuring a colour saturated piece of artwork by the table or as elaborate as installing wallpaper or panelling to the ceiling. We once convinced an unsure client to apply flooring to her ceiling and are happy to report that the dining room is now her favorite space in the home. A feature wall is a fantastic alternative for those who can’t commit to shooting for the stars with the ceiling. Colour is emotive and it can alter our perception of a space. With that in mind, picking a colour that excites you for your dining space can dramatically change how we feel about the room. No matter where you lie on the texture and colour “spectrum,” enjoy the process.
Crafting an unforgettable dinner goes beyond the meal itself; what makes it is the harmony between the people, atmosphere, and menu. When leaving a dinner party, I tend to think about the overall experience rather than a specific dish or drink I had. With many dining rooms being further removed from the rest of the home, it can serve as the perfect space to take that creative risk you’ve always wanted to. The dining room is one of the best areas to test ideas and investing that extra bit of care is the difference between a space that is lifeless or full of life.
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