The emphasis has returned to the importance of families sitting down together to share a meal, talk and enjoy each others company. Family friendly dining means that your dining room shouldn’t be too formal or stuffy – bright, modern and inviting are the hallmarks of great family dining rooms; making the atmosphere is relaxed and informal is key to its success.
Many modern homes don’t have very large dining rooms, so you’ll need to make sure that it’s kept clutter free to maximise the available space. Tables which can be extended from the centre or from a drop-leaf are great ways to make the space more usable when the room is not being used for large family gatherings.
You should also consider your flooring, especially when young children are eating! Go online and buy rugs direct from retailers to get the colour and style you like without having to spend a fortune. Some rugs are sponge cleanable and it makes sense to try and opt for these if you can.
Other consideration will be your window dressing. You’ll need to remember that small children with booster seats or toddlers in high chairs will have a different view of the table itself as well as another view into your garden. The sun can play havoc when it’s shining directly into your or your children’s eyes, using made to measure blinds or vertical blinds where the slats and louvres can be angled away from faces will ensure that plenty of light still enters the room and the problem of dazzling sun is resolved quickly and effectively.
Your colour scheme can and should play an important part of achieving a place which is conducive to eating – reds are ideal for stimulating appetite, think along the lines of strawberry, raspberry or deep tomato reds and they’ll make your mouth water, and although may be too overpowering when used on all four walls, you’ll be able to make a superb feature wall from which you can co-ordinate your table linen and seat pads.
As with any room accessories need to be chosen carefully – family orientated items such as photographs, children’s drawings and objects collected on country walks can all be used to compliment your colour scheme. Chose wooden frames to compliment your wooden table, chairs and blinds, or paint picture frames with your red accent colour to bring a sense of cohesion to the room.
