Delightful dining rooms
It makes no difference if you live in a small open-plan townhouse or a spacious home - we all yearn for a gorgeous dining room. There's simply no reason to reserve your dining room only for special occasions.
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Rethink your dining room furniture
It's not that difficult to furnish a dining room that is suitable for both entertaining and formal dining.
While round or oval tables offer more flexibility in a small space, any shape or size of dining table offers a blank canvas to dress up - or down - as the occasion requires.
Even if your dining table serves as a temporary home office or study area, thanks to wireless communication, the days of wires and cables everywhere are a thing of the past and you can easily set up and pack away in a matter of minutes.
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Creative lighting
When fitting lighting for your dining room, hang a chandelier high enough to be out of the way if you want to use the room for other purposes, such as a party. It's also a good idea to install more than one light source for a dining room.
Wall sconces on dimmers provide soft lighting for dining and bright light for reading or work. And for tabletop sparkle, nothing adds better ambiance than candlelight, so get creative and pair your favourite candlesticks, crystal or mercury votives.
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Designer tricks
Transform a table with a few accessories and you're ready to entertain dinner guests. Dressing up plain chairs with slipcovers is one easy and affordable way to set the mood of celebration. Small chair toppers or full slipcovers can be run up on a sewing machine and embellished for a special event with ribbons, bows or seasonal trimming.
If you're starting our fresh, purchase plain white crockery and splurge on quality cutlery and glassware that will let your dining table shine. It's so simple to dress up plain white crockery with placemats, chargers and a gorgeous tablecloth.
Personal touches
The secret to dressing up a dining room with success is to add your own personal touch - to bring in elements that are incorporated either in the architecture of a property, or the style of a home.
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