Cookery programmes are enjoying a bit of a renaissance on television at the moment, so much so, they seem to have replaced some of the huge number of design and DIY shows that ruled the daytime ratings for many years. The reason these shows do well is because of the inspiration they provide to viewers who often try to emulate what they see on screen.
One of the common themes to these programmes is group dining. Guests gather to eat together or celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver talk about serving up platters of food for family members to pick on as they natter away about their days. This more relaxed attitude to dining is hard to pull off at a formal dining table and that’s where modern furniture really comes into its own. While it’s nice to bring out the good cutlery and crockery for special occasions, there’s something special about knocking elbows as you reach for second helpings from bowls of food on the table. With this in mind, designers are offering up group-friendly dining set choices.
The first step to clever come dine design is maximum use of space. Take your lead from super trendy noodle bars and supper clubs and buy a bench guests or family members can get close and comfortable on. This Lucce large bench from Interior Addict is a lovely and affordable example that works perfectly alongside this modern family dining table . We can’t help but conjure up images of friends and family sitting in a row slurping up ramen or tearing chunks of bread from a painted wooden board in the middle of the table.
If you love the idea of extendable tables, sleeker, sharper furniture lines and eating around a unique-looking table but don’t like the idea of relaxing dining formality too far, you may want to consider a set up like this.
Here, bringing together several different chair styles with a common colour and design theme introduces a more relaxed feel but maintains the attention to design detail in the room. There’s also a far less cluttered and more elegant feel to this dining set up than a long bench and table set up would provide. The look is simple, but contemporary rather than rustic and the result is dining ensemble that would be easy to dress up for guests, but is equally low-key for everyday use. If you want more clever ideas, have a look at this article. I especially like the stairway storage!
