How to Style a Dining Room for Casual or Formal Dining
With the 'new normal' that everyone is adopting due to the global situation, the dining room has become more than a place to sit and eat meals, now it's a place where you can gather to entertain friends and family.
19/12/2021
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Settling in with the 'new normal' is becoming a way of life. It has become increasingly difficult to meet friends and family for a day out or a night of wining and dining. And dining at home with family and friends has reinvented the dining room into a casual or formal space or one that has a dual-function.
While the purpose of a dining room faded into obscurity for many years, with families gathering around the kitchen island or breakfast bar, it once again becomes the focus of attention in the home. Designers are paying more attention to the dining room as a place to relax with family or friends or to set up a lavish area for wining and dining at home. Whether you need to set the place for a casual gathering with friends or for an evening of hosting the ultimate dining experience, browse these dining room ideas to provide you with plenty of ideas and inspiration to get you started.
Family Gatherings
Entertaining family and close friends with an informal dining experience call for relaxed comfort. Everyone should feel at home in the dining room, but you still want the space to show off your personality and blend harmoniously with the rest of the home. Balance is the key in this instance and while you can pull together elements you love and that reflect your style throughout the home, make the dining room as personal and comfortable as possible.
Keeping it casual doesn't have to sacrifice style. Team formal, comfortable dining chairs with a relaxed-style dining table.
When entertaining involves children, be sure to choose easily cleanable fabrics for upholstered dining chairs. Chair covers are an excellent investment and an easy way to transform a dining room from casual to formal.
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You can elevate a casual dining room setting with dramatic or eye-catching lighting and the right accessories.
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With more people entertaining in their own homes, the dining room has become the heart of the home. This is the space where you can spend quality time with the family or dress up the space for lavish dining. It is all about the fittings and accessories you add to the room. When not used for formal dining, keep tableware simple but take out the china and crystal when it is time to host a special occasion or evening of dining with friends.
Today's dining room is not about showing off but more about decorating the space to be comfortable and relaxed, even when used for a formal occasion.
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If there is one tip that everyone should keep in mind it is to keep it simple. Remove any items that clutter furniture and keep decor accessories to a minimum.
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Formal Entertaining
Formal entertaining used to call for a strict decorating style that was prim and proper. It was all about having certain items on the table, formal settings, crisp table linens, crystal glasses and strait-laced dining chairs that were hardly comfortable for an hour never mind an evening.
Choose furniture and accessories that are easily swapped to transform a casual dining room into a formal space.
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Today, formal still has its place but it is more relaxed. Gone are the requirements for rows of cutlery that confuse and the strict guidelines for everything in its place to a dining experience that is about comfortable conversation, the enjoyment of cuisine and the closeness of friends or guests.
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For a dining area that serves both casual and formal entertaining, it is all about adding or removing items that dress up the room.
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Formal with a Casual Approach
A dining room doesn't have to have a single purpose and there will be times when you want to entertain family and friends in a casual setting or be able to set up the table for a more formal gathering, and since you only have one dining room, you need to decorate the room to suit both occasions. And that is easier than ever with the popularity of eclectic style and the ability to mix and match old and new. It is possible to have a formal dining table and comfortable dining chairs, and you can let your hair down by dressing the table either for casual or formal dining and playing around with decorative elements.
Dressing the table differentiates the difference between casual and formal dining. Use items such as centrepieces, crockery, cutlery, and glassware for a more formal arragement.