The dining area

There was a time the dining room

For the lucky ones, and not only for them, there was a time the dining room, I mean for official dinners, or more formal, with good table and chairs all around. In some houses it still exists, when the space allows it, especially in old houses or classical design, where the spaces are rigidly divided by their function.

In most modern houses, when there is sufficient space available, even without a subdivisions of walls, there is always an area intended for the lunch, clearly separated from the kitchen and the living room. If the space is not large enough, or the blueprint structure is particular, then kitchen and the dining area are the same.

A kitchen of appropriate size, on the other hand, is able to contain within it the table, otherwise, for practical needs, as we have seen, or by choice, the dining area should be placed in the living room.

In this case, the table should be near the kitchen door, so as to facilitate the operations of setting the table and serve meals.

Table for lunch, shapes and dimensions

The shape of the table can be rectangular, square, oval or round and it should be chosen, as well as according to your personal taste and style that you want to give to the place, also according to the space available. In case this is not very big, you can opt for one of the many models extendable.

The material used more and more for the table has been and remains the wood, natural or lacquered, both for the structure for the top, but alternatively there are also synthetic materials or treated stones, crystal, alone or in combination between them, especially with metal supports.

Regarding the dimensions, you must take into account not only the space occupied by chairs, but also the space necessary for moving, if any, as well as the possibility of being able to move around.

Therefore the minimum measures to remember are as follows: 45-60 cm is the footprint of a seat, 75-90 cm is the space to leave between the table and the back wall to allow easy movement of the chairs, 90-110 cm is the space that allows the passage around the table, to be increased to 120 if the table is located near a door, 73-76 cm is the height of the floor.

Position of the dining table and lighting

For proper natural lighting is preferable to have a table near a window or door access to the balcony. With regard to the artificial lighting, however, the best system is the one that requires the presence of suspended chandeliers, to be placed in a central position so as to have their beam of light directly on the floor.

The lamp should be at least 70-80 cm above the floor, so as to ensure sufficient lighting and at the same time as not to dazzle diners. For tables that are long enough you can also opt for two or more points of suspended light.

Dining table and chairs

Important completion in a dining area, in addition to the table, are obviously the chairs, which should be appropriately selected according to the overall style of the furniture, so they do not necessarily match to the table.

If, in fact, it is played on the theme of contrasts, between the table and chairs you can continue the same way, for materials or styles: ancient-modern, all-white-color stain, metal-to-wood, wood-crystal and so on (attention to contrasts, however, they must be studied in order to avoid the jumble effect).

Another mistake to avoid is to exaggerate the number of chairs around the table. It is preferable to maintain a limited number of chairs, maybe arranged on the long sides only if the table is rectangular, or does not go beyond the number of 6 chairs if the table is round or oval, taking care to keep somewhere, some folding chairs in case of guests.

Minimum furniture in the dining area

To complete the decor of the dining area you can choose a cabinet for dishes, a cupboard, in the same style and material of the furniture for the kitchen, if the environment is an open space, or continue with the game of contrasts, perhaps inserting some antique pieces in minimalist modern spaces or, maintaining the style, for example, matching the table and chairs.

Actually you just need very little, if the available space is minimum. The important thing is to rely on a storage unit for the material necessary to the table, so you do not have to go back and forth from the kitchen.

In order to perform adequately the function of containment is good that this cabinet has a depth of 45 cm, in order to contain not only the normal dishes but also large platters and trays. In addition, a drawer would be useful for tablecloths and cutlery, those to be used for more formal lunches.