How to Make the Most of your Dining Room for Entertaining
As you may have already heard, this season Home Interior Warehouse is all about helping you fall in love with entertaining. With the holidays coming and guests booking their travel arrangements, your home will likely be the hub of holiday activity this season. Entertaining need not be a burden! We want to help take the guess work out of entertaining so you can spend more time interacting with guests and enjoying the fall and winter season. In this blog we’ll walk you through some simple ways to make the most of your dining room for entertaining.
Everything in its place
If you’re like us, then you probably like a clean and tidy home. When it comes to entertaining, you’ve probably had your fair share of dinner guests and weekend getaway-ers. Surprisingly, your home decor can actually work against you when it comes to entertaining. For one, if you are hosting families with young children, those precious trinkets and family heirlooms can look an awful lot like toys. Save yourself extra post-holiday work by putting away some of your home decor pieces until the guests have gone. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to strip your home of character–no way! In the dining room, for example, you’ll want to have as much room for food, drinks, and elbows as possible. Stick to decorating your table with a beautiful centerpiece and let your guests’ dishes delight the eyes. Food will undoubtedly be the star of your hosting show so let your favorite recipes do the talking. Keep things simple by storing extra napkins, serving utensils, and dishes in a server or credenza. Pieces like a credenza can double as additional serving spaces for food. We especially like using a credenza for a convenient drink re-fill station, making it easy to top-up guests’ glasses without missing any conversation. Or, you can really make a statement by setting out your prized desserts on a server or sideboard, reminding your guests’ to leave room for a decadent dessert!
Table for two, or six, or twelve
Your dining room table will be the hub of activity while hosting for the holidays. Finding a table that allows for additional seating is key when it comes to entertaining. We love the flexibility that dining room table leaves offer. It’s simple enough to extend your table for extended family. As guests leave it’s just as easy to recreate that intimate feeling for guests who may be staying longer. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to your dining room table and hosting is having the wrong sized chair. We’re willing to assume you’ve been at a party or two where, though well-meaning, the host tried too hard to fit too many people into a space. Nobody likes to eat with their elbows locked in place. The general rule of thumb is to allow for roughly 18″ of wiggle room behind each chair and about 24″ in width for guests seated next to each other. Many seating dilemmas can be avoided by using the correct chairs. Traditionally, arm chairs are reserved for the heads of the table while arm-less chairs are used along the sides. Of course, you are not limited to following this tradition and can choose whichever chairs you like–just pay attention to whether your chairs are causing you to lose precious entertaining space.
Overall, we’re confident you’ll know just want to do when hosting guests this season. At the end of the day, do what’s right for your home and don’t forget to simply enjoy! This time of year is about connecting with loved ones and being thankful. Don’t get too caught up in holiday hosting and forget what truly matters.
For more ideas visit our showrooms where you’ll find the perfect piece to show off your individuality. As always, our professional staff is ready to assist you. With years of interior design experience, each of our expert staff members can help transform your space into the room you’ve always wanted. Our online store shows you just some of the many pieces we have to offer. Be sure to check our showroom to see our entire product line. At Home Interior Warehouse there’s always something new. For more design tips and showroom updates follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s in store.