The dining room is one of the key focal points in any home. It’s the place where you cook, converse, spend time with the family, entertain and even use as a space for activities such as occasional office work, playing board games or somewhere for children to sit whilst doing their homework. It needs to be a practical and functional space but stylish too. Read our guide to see how introducing hardwood furniture can bring your dining room to life, making it an area of your home that you love to spend time in.
Dining Room Furniture Guide
How can hardwood furniture create a beautiful dining room?
Choosing hardwood furniture for your dining area can quickly add quality and beauty to your chosen space. Heavier, darker hardwoods are not only functional, but are highly resistant to moisture and steam, preventing warping and damage from boiling water or spillages. This allows you to combine utility and the ability to redesign your space with ease.
While some may prefer the stark beauty of a minimalist dining room space, woods carry warmth and natural beauty. This is perfect whether you are looking at a storage solution such as locally sourced Welsh dressers, long tables that are perfect for hosting get-togethers, or beautiful Ercol items to bring a dinner party to life.
What key pieces should I consider?
When it comes to making the most of your dining room it’s important to think about convenience for your guests and storage solutions for your space.
Depending on your overall design, picking out a pre-loved farmhouse table can help add character to your space, with our expert teams restoring it to pristine condition. If space is not an issue, looking for a Dutch oak table can sturdily accommodate groups of eight or more.
If storage is a concern, we would recommend looking for items like a vitrine dresser or a French sideboard. These can be fully customised to suit your space, providing natural beauty and comfort where it is truly needed most. This can be easily accompanied by a vintage sideboard for storing your aperitif’s or your treasured dessert crockery.
Remember, you can start by deciding on a stylish statement piece and using that to inspire the rest of your aesthetic. And if that doesn’t work, creating a mood board can be great way of organically ‘walking through’ your design and getting a better sense of your space.
And if you’re still stuck? Contacting our team directly can help you find the right item for your home with ease.
How do I maximise my storage?
If you are looking to make the most of your available space, picking out some furniture that combines a unique look and a small physical footprint is a must. Our team regularly sources corner display cabinets that can provide additional space where it is most needed – from small waist-high models to large, stunning looking carved oak pieces.
Alternatively, picking out a bookcase or dresser can quickly give you a number of options when it comes to storing your tableware, after dinner games, or beloved plates and crockery. Our regularly updated selection of Welsh dressers can also make even the smallest homes feel grand in size, either through choosing lovingly restored original wood or a beautifully painted relacquer to draw out the character of the piece.
How do I make the most of my space?
When it comes to maximising the positives of your space, some simple tips include:
- Adding light to the area, either through free standing lights or smaller lights on cabinets or dressers can help bring extra warmth and cultivate a welcoming atmosphere into the room.
- Avoiding clutter by storing away any items in use and displaying one or two keepsakes. Remember, less is more and even the largest space can be left feeling cluttered extremely quickly.
- Think about your colours and designs. While white can be very effective at producing a ‘blank canvas’ effect it can run the risk of looking sterile in a smaller space. Deciding on items with warmer colours can help create a welcoming space and our team would be happy to repaint any of our pieces to suit your style if required.
- If you’re interested in creating actual space, selecting a folding hardwood table can help provide extra room in the area, allowing you to fold it out when your guest arrive. Choosing a rounded table can also allow you to accommodate more guests without having to worry over picking out a larger, more expensive table.
How do I take care of my furniture?
One of the greatest benefits of hardwood items is that they are not only hard wearing, but relatively easy to maintain. If the item you have purchased displays its original wood, it’s worth ensuring that you regularly wax the piece with paste or liquid wax. To do this, apply a small egg sized amount of wax to your cleaning cloth and gently work it across the surface of the item. Once complete, rebuffing the surface of the item with a gentle lambswool cloth can help produce a fantastic level of shine.
For more serious scuffs, scrapes or damage - it’s worth searching for furniture restorers in your local area. These teams will be able to give you advice about properly caring for your items. Alternatively, you can reach out to our bespoke restoration service and our team will be able to conduct any repairs required…or give some advice about how to look after your new dresser.
How do I create a quiet dining environment?
One of the great strengths of hardwood furniture is the material’s ability to absorb and dampen noise. Used in acoustics management for centuries, picking out items made from dense wood can help absorb noise from less conscientious neighbours and ensure that your own dinner party doesn’t disturb the folks next door.
Picking up larger items such as corner cupboards, dressers, sideboards, and display cabinets can help muffle sounds and quickly improve acoustics in a space – absorbing echoes and reflecting sound into the room, helping to prevent outside noise and help amplify voices for the hard of hearing.
How can I renew an old piece of furniture?
If you are interested in breathing new life into an old piece of hardwood furniture, it’s worth considering our dedicated restoration service. This covers anything from significant repair work such as mending broken elements to dealing with damage to fully renovating a piece – including full refinishing, waxing, lacquering, and repainting.
Our team are always happy to work within your specifications and ensure that your piece is restored to its former glory in a style that suits your tastes and living space. If you want to learn more about the options available to you or to receive a quote, you can contact us directly and let you know what you need to end up with a refurbished item that is right for you.