In 2020, we slowed down and stayed home. In doing so, the dining room became the new locus around which family life coalesced  — a stage for quiz nights, boozy boardgames and everything in between. Making time to eat together en famille is one of the habits we’re hoping to bring with us in 2021. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it happen…

Seating

Mies Van Der Rohe once said that it was easier to design a beautiful skyscraper than it was a functional chair. The way we see it, the best dining chairs are a classic case of form following function — ergonomic enough to enjoy for hours on end, and as elegant as the dining tables they embellish. To help you find yours, we’ve rounded up a couple of our current faves…

Dining

A great dining table is the backbone of any stylish dining room. If you’re short on space, try creating drama with a beautiful pedestal table. It’s eye-catching base will make an a clear design statement without compromising on legroom.

In loftier properties, it’s all about establishing a striking focal point. Think sweeping silhouettes and touch-me textures that encourage guests to sit and stay awhile. For visual va-va-voom, we love Cattelan Italia and Bontempi Casa — two of Made in Italy’s most prolific design houses.

Lighting

If you’ve taken the time to select a beautiful dining table, you’ll want to do it justice with some elegant overhead lighting. Pendant lights and chandeliers are among the most popular choices for dining rooms and are ideal for illuminating those hard-to-reach spots. Where possible, try to look for dimmable sources that’ll allow you to adjust the atmosphere as desired.

Serving

In 2014, a group of researchers at Oxford University set out to test the truism that we eat with our eyes. The results were overwhelming conclusive — presentation does indeed affect taste. Fast-forward half a decade and we now have professional “tablescapers” — stylists whose job it is to make your dining table look a million dollars.

While even we would agree that an in-house tablescaper seems like an extravagance, there are a couple of tips you can follow for beautiful serving style. The first, invest in minimalist tableware that you know you’ll love for life (LSA and Cassina have some great options here). Second, don’t treat storage as an afterthought. Select pieces that’ll facilitate the task of hosting and make a daring design statement in their own right.

SHOP NEW DINING ROOM STYLES ONLINE OR IN-STORE AT CHAPLINS