In homes all across Canada, dining rooms sit unused and empty for much of the year while families eat their meals standing around the kitchen counter, sitting on the couch in the living room, or grabbing something quick while heading out the door. But don’t feel too sorry for the dining room because all of this suddenly changes during the winter holiday season!
Dining rooms take center stage during the holidays for big family dinners, hosting parties and gathering around favourite traditional foods and conversation. Now is the time to start learning about fun and festive dining room ideas so you can enjoy the upcoming holidays to the fullest!
Plan for Extra Guests
Limited dining room space? No problem!
It’s easy to accommodate extra dinner guests for the holidays and keep your dining room uncluttered during the rest of the year when you have an expandable dining room table, such as the Alto 6-Piece Rectangular Dining Table Package. This rustically charming set includes a table leaf that you can add and remove whenever you like. It’s that easy!
For more seating space at the table, swap out dining room chairs for dining benches on each side so that more guests can squeeze in at a moment’s notice. To encourage your guests to linger a little longer after dessert, we love the ultra-comfy Caroline Dining Bench with its mix of high-density foam, sinuous springs and webbing that creates seating that can be enjoyed for hours at a time. If you go with dining room chairs, pick ones with comfy cushions, like the Chelsea Fabric Dining Chair, or add fun accent pillows to the chair backs for a touch of colour.
Update Lighting Fixtures
One of the easiest dining room ideas to instantly brighten up your space is to update your lighting fixture above the dining room table. Forget what you think you know about boring, old chandeliers and consider the possibilities of modern fixtures that add design intrigue as well as alluring ambient light. To give your holiday table a brand-new personality, hang the Tauri Metal Sputnik Pendant Ceiling Light with its iconic starburst design over your expandable table.
Pick an Eye-Catching Centerpiece
Holiday centrepieces offer a focal point for your festive dining room décor and tie together design elements from other parts of the room. The table centrepiece is often what guests notice first when they walk into a room, even before taking time to appreciate the wall art or area rug.
Bring elements of the outdoors into your home with real plants, such as miniature trees, pine cones and soothing white flowers. Easy-to-care-for potted succulents are also great for making your holiday table a little greener. But if you plan to have a lot of dishes on the table at once, keep the table décor simple so you don’t have to inconveniently remove too many things when it’s time to sit down and eat.
Stock Up a Bar Cart for Cocktails
Let’s face it, the holidays are just more fun with a few festive cocktails in the mix!
The easiest way to keep the drinks flowing at your dinner table is to have your bottles and supplies within arm’s reach. Dress up the North Avenue Bar Cart with festive garland and ornament balls before stocking it with your favourite spirits, mixers, garnishes and glasses.
For even more storage space and a larger bar area on top, consider adding the Tate Server to your dining room. After the holidays are over, the adjustable shelves let you shape your space to store everything from tiny teacups to large serving dishes. Now all that’s left to do is let the conversations flow and raise your glass for a toast!
