As proverb exclaims, “Together is a wonderful place to be…” and one such place in our homes is a Dining Room or a Dining Table. It is indeed a desirable feature in a sweet home as it is the most social space in the house to cherish family tie, chit chat and gossip, as well as delight of gastronomy. It is all about meeting and interacting with a group consisting of family or friends in a friendly ambiance and that is the reason, the dining room earns its importance. More the place will be ergonomic and comfortable, it will be more accepting for all. The plan for a dining room should be based on two premium factors.A dining space is never an only dining room; it’s an extended part of kitchen, or it is a part of family room. Traditional dining room that was once used exclusively for dinning, is changing presently and getting improvised with new-age versatility. It can be a separate dining space, a dedicated area in the space of kitchen or a corner in the living room, however, you have to make it friendly and comforting by all means.
Things to Keep in Mind While Planning a Dining Room
The most important factor to consider while planning a dinning space is to create its style, function, and functionality. It will help you to utilize your space with ease. Following are the things to keep in mind while planning dining room for your home:
01. The Shape and Size of Dining Table
The shape and size of the dining table and chairs must be balancing to each other so that the circulation in the room is not prevented when you want to use that room or the space. The most prominent shape for dining table is rectangle as it accommodates large number of people. It is a popular choice among the people. According to Neufert standards, the standard dimensions for:
- 4 – seater dining table is 1.25m x 0.8m (4’-0’’ x 2’-6’’),
- 6 – seater dining table is 1.87m x 0.8m (6’-0’’ x 2’-6’’),
- 8 – seater dining table is 2.5m x 0.8m (8’-0’’ x 2’-6’’), and the standard size for a chair is 0.45m x 0.45m (1’-5’’ x 1’-5’’).
02. Location of A Dining Room
The location of a Dining room depends on multiple factors like proximity to the living room, the Kitchen, washbasin, other rooms, living styles and culture, etc.
The Dining room can be located in the East, South or West direction of a home depending upon the design of kitchen and ventilation.
Additionally, dining room should be located on same floor without any minor height differences as it will be impractical and not adorable to carry hot food and utensils up & down.
03. Natural Lighting in Dining Room
Any direction is suitable for a Dining room, provided it is close to the Kitchen and has sufficient light, air and enough comfort to seat, eat, and spending quality time with your loved ones. If east is the direction, then the room can get natural morning light, as it is super-convenient for family to have breakfast without having a glare! If south and west are the directions, then the room will be windy enough and mostly it will be blessed with the surge of direct south west winds and some glare. The wind directions will of course be different for different places.
04. Keep Functionality in Mind While Planning Dining Room
The very important thing to consider is how exactly you are going use your dining room at its best. It depends on your lifestyle, which means your habit of using the room. For some instance, the habits like whether you eat your meals daily on the dining table, or you use dining table occasionally on holidays, or you host dinner parties every weekend, matter a lot for the design of the room. Once you know your usability, it would be easier for you to choose your dining accordingly.
If you are really worried about messy spots and sticky fingers, then opt for the benches instead of putting chairs. Benches are a good option for kids but if you have grown up kids to use your room, benches can cause a big problem to get in and out.
05. Planning Considerations for Dining Room
The planning considerations for a dining room depend on various factors like:
- Space to be used at your dining table
- Total number of persons in your home to be seated on the dining table at a time
- Space around the dining table to access and for free circulation
- Size and type of furniture you want
06. Dining Seating Style
Dining tables come in varied styles and shapes. But it depends on the space available in your house, budget if you are planning to buy a new one, and the theme best matching your home décor. Here, I have listed some of the easy but catchy dining styles:
Banquette Dining Table:
This kind of seating can be used when there is limited space in the room so that you can push up the seating against the wall. An upholstered banquette completes the dining space to make a perfect seating for you.
Scandinavian Dining:
Scandinavian dining style is a perfect blend to a minimalist dining room. It looks stunning with neutral colours like white and beige. They are aesthetically appealing to the eye. It is known for clean lines, functional design, and simple forms with thin legs for chairs and grey, white or neutral colour tone for fabrics.
Contemporary Dining:
If your house is designed in a contemporary style, it definitely requires a contemporary dining decor as well to meet the needs of a fast-paced lifestyle and to set a synchrony with the home decor. Today’s contemporary furniture combines modern designs by utilizing simple and clean lines. It mainly focuses on comfort. The colour scheme ranges from black, white, and neutrals. A home with contemporary furniture has open and spacious feel which is low in maintenance too.
Vintage Dining Table:
A vintage style dining table is proportionate and includes graceful features such as symmetry and elegance. Vintage furniture becomes less common as time goes by but it gives your décor an individuality and style. But remember that simply an old furniture does not make it a vintage furniture. It should reflect a particular defined style. It creates a unique look to your dining room but make sure not to mismatch your home décor with vintage if your home is already designed in some modern style.
07. Dining Table Shapes
The dining table shapes may vary from square, rectangular, oval, round and any abstract form. But, make sure to choose the appropriate one that suits your home décor and keeping in mind the space in your room where the table will be placed and of course the seating capacity.
The dining table may be in whatever shape or size, but sometimes it may be placed in an independent room or what we call it a dining room or it is placed in continuation with kitchen or living room as well.
For combination layouts with kitchen, if you want to plan a perfect kitchen and dining, you need to refer this kitchen work triangle in order to make an efficient layout.
08. Overhead Lighting in Dining Area
The lighting over the dining table is like a cherry on the cake. It makes the atmosphere of dining room soothing and comforting for and it will help you to enjoy the meals. So, choose the correct chandelier for your dining area. Additionally, people make mistakes regarding the small fixtures hung too high enough for the large dining tables. Hence your lighting fixture must be proportionate to the size of the dining table. Thus, the bottom of your hanging lights or fixture must be approx. 30’’ above the table surface.
It works on a specific principle. Larger the room, greater a number of bulbs are required in your chandelier. Additionally, bulbs placed in opaque glass will give more diffused light. So, if you do not want to add more bulbs to your chandelier, then add opaque shades and your atmosphere in dining space is good to go…
Additionally, dining rooms must feel centered for the placement of the chandelier above the center of the table. But, the center of the table need not be the center of the ceiling.
Want to know more about lighting fixtures for your home interiors? Here you have a guide for it:
09. Placement of Doors and Windows in Dining Room
The doors and windows are an important part of the building. Here are the things you should know before placing doors & windows in your dining room:
- It is always good to have door for constant use at such a place that the traffic passing through them does not interfere the arrangement of furniture and visual clearance.
- Windows should be designed such that they are large enough to allow adequate natural light in the dining room.
- Convenient access should be there for operating doors and windows, and at same time furniture should not block the window view.
- The position of T.V should be fixed such that it is not opposite to window, otherwise the T.V screen will reflect glare and light from the window which is not desirable to watch T.V.
10. Add a Visual contrast to the Dining Room
Visual contrast plays a vital role in making your space feel-good and interesting.
For making a visual contrast, select varied colours for tables and chairs. It depends on your choice if you want to mix the furniture styles for chairs and tables or not. You can also switch chairs and add bench instead to make it visually appealing and accommodating.
Another way to add a visual contrast is to choose a good rug beneath the dining table in a way that it complements your dining area and the decor of table. Adding a focal point like an artwork will make your room vibrant and creative.
Conclusion
On a final note, planning dining room is not so difficult task if you keep the aforementioned tips in mind. A good dining space will make a family member feeling happy and cozy. We hope this article will help you in planning and creating a well-designed and planned dining space that everybody can cherish. But, before you make a move from here, let me share with you some useful tips like this one to make your dining room visually and aesthetically appealing.
Guide to a Stylish Dining Room & its Furniture in a House!
12 Tips to Make Your Dining Room Design More Appealing!
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