Dining Tables

Creating Memories Around Dining Tables

We usually eat our meals three times each day, so there's plenty of opportunity to turn mealtime into something special. Whether a meal is just a simple family event or a more lavish celebration with guests, dining tables play a crucial role.

If you think back to your fondest and funniest childhood memories, chances are good that many of them involve a memorable meal. Maybe it was the Thanksgiving dinner when someone burned the turkey, or perhaps it was a birthday party that featured an unfortunate-looking cake with plenty of candles. Sharing food with family members and friends creates a bond that is hard to match through other activities.

Dining tables make these memorable occasions possible. Forming the solid base that people gather around, a dining table also contributes beauty and style to the surroundings. You'll find dining tables available in a range of shapes that scale with the dimensions of any dining room; although rectangular dining tables are more prevalent than other shapes, round tables are popular for allowing every person at the table to have equal access to others.

Natural wood makes an excellent choice of material for any dining room table. The warmth of the grain and color that the wood conveys helps to extend the feeling of welcome and comfort that the best dining rooms seem to exude. The shared meals that take place at a dining table help to reinforce the ties between family members and friends, and it's well-known that preparing a meal for loved ones is a demonstration of caring. The right dining table fits in perfectly with the sense of nurturing and welcome that we all want our family and friends to feel.

Many dining tables offer the advantage of extra table leaves that help to expand the size of the table to accommodate additional diners as needed. This is an excellent benefit since the leaves can be removed after the meal; the dining table takes up less space in the room without the leaves.

Mixing up the dining chairs has gained favor as a dining room decorating trend. Rather than placing multiples of the same chairs around the table, many designers are opting to break up the look and add visual interest by varying the seating options. Sometimes this takes the look of a bench that replaces two or three of the dining chairs, and other times it involves mixing different types of chairs, such as combining upholstered chairs with those without upholstery. Just remember that if you choose upholstered dining seating, make sure that the fabric is treated to repel stains in the case of an accidental spill.