Among the spaces in our house, the dining room is the one that’s most often used for gatherings. Whether for intimate family meals or a social occasion with more attendees, the dining room provides the venue and backdrop for shared experiences of eating and conversing with other people.
We all want this room to be comfortable and conducive to memorable times spent eating and talking with family and friends.
Whether you’re designing your dining room from scratch, or re-designing it to fulfill your evolving needs, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Define your purpose for the dining room.
Are you using it mainly for private family meals and occasions? Or will you be hosting large parties? How often will it be used? Will it perform additional functions such as doubling as a workspace for household working from home or students doing online lessons?
These considerations will influence the type of furnishings that will go into a room such as getting more ornate and high maintenance pieces for more formal setups and more functional, easy to clean and hardy pieces for rooms that will se everyday use, especially by children.
Light up the space.
As an area for socializing, you want this room to appear bright and ambient. It is often advisable to layer various light sources such as using a chandelier or pendant lights above the dining table supplemented by lamps, sconces and the occasional candles to illumine the space at eye level.
If you are also using the dining room as work/study space, make sure that adequate task lighting is also available.
Get your flooring right.
The dining room gets a lot of foot traffic and is also the site of many spills and splashes. The floor should not only look good, but it should also be easy to clean and able to stand up to wear-and-tear.
Hard flooring may be best for dining rooms that see a lot of use, particularly for entertaining. Softening touches may be applied to amp up the comfort and coziness through area rugs that add texture and color.
If you’re shopping for your dining room furniture, fixtures and accessories, check out and get inspired by the awesome selections at Crate & Barrel.
This US-based retail chain specializing in upmarket and artisanal housewares, indoor and outdoor furniture and home accessories has presence in forty-two countries across the globe.
In the Philippines, its stores are located at:
- Level 3, SM Aura Premier, 26th Street corner McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Landline: +63 2 88934255| Mobile: +63 917 8895667
- Ground Level, Annex Building, SM Makati, Courtyard Drive, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City. Landline: +63 2 88342780 | Mobile: +63 917 5833573
- 4th Level, SM Megamall Fashion Hall Building D, Wack-Wack Greenhills, Mandaluyong City. Landline: +63 2 89420761 | Mobile: +63 917 8704796
Shop online for Crate & Barrel products through its website and stay updated on its products and offers by following it on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos taken during a store visit at Crate & Barrel’s SM Megamall branch.
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