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Current Trends in Dining Room Design

The dining room is a central focus of a home, as somewhere that people eat, entertain and socialise. Dining areas in commercial premises and workplaces are also very important, helping to create a welcoming ambience and improving staff morale. Here is our guide to some of the latest trends in dining room design.

Danish Dining

Danish design is currently extremely popular for both domestic and commercial premises, putting the emphasis is on creating a light, airy feel. White is an in demand for dining room tables and chairs and helps to give a feeling of space. The Danes tend to use candles for lighting, because of their long, dark winters; in the UK, the effect can be achieved by having lots of different spotlights and individual lamps, perhaps in black and white.

The Scandinavian fashion can be extended into the flooring too. Oak flooring provides an ideal neutral base, but there are other grains, shades and styles which can provide subtly different effects. Xylo Flooring also supplies vinyl or laminate flooring with a variety of stone and wood finishes.

Country Farmhouse Style

The idea of this look is to give a feeling of tradition and bringing a feeling of nature and the outdoors into the room. This can work particularly well in homes where the dining room is attached to the kitchen, but can also be used for separate dining areas. Often the space is dominated by a big wooden table and chairs, since the life of the traditional farmhouse was centred around the dining room table. The table and chairs don’t need to be matched, either, as slightly different styles or woods will help to create an individual ambience. Painted chairs can also be used with a wood table.

Generally, you are after a ‘fresh but worn’ look’, which means the wooden furniture and fittings benefit from a distressed look, to create the impression of age. If possible, the windows are kept free of clutter so there are unobstructed views out onto the garden. Wooden flooring, or a floor made from wood-grain effect laminates or vinyl, will effectively complete the look.

Shabby Chic

This look relies makes a virtue of being different. It means introducing a lot of contrasting styles into any given room and gives each room lots of individual character. In terms of the dining room, this can mean combining items such as cosy bench seating with floral textiles for wallpaper and tablecloths, and varied paint finishes on the walls.

Xylo Flooring’s ‘Sandhill shabby chique’ vinyl flooring has a light-coloured, distressed wood appearance which will achieve precisely this effect as it should provide a striking contrast to a large range of furniture and fittings. It is also long-lasting and hygienic.

Industrial Inspiration

The factory-inspired look, which has been popularised in kitchens, has also spread to dining rooms as well. Key features of industrial design mean brick walls and wooden beams are left exposed, while metal also features strongly. The dining table needs to be a strong centrepiece and can be made from materials such as reclaimed timber or gunmetal grey, with chairs made from steel and wood. The stripped-down look can extend to pendant lighting hanging down from the ceiling and the colour scheme should be as basic as possible.

The slightly ‘raw’ effect can be added to by using odd individual items, either freestanding or hung on the walls. The industrial effect can be made to work in smaller dining areas too, provided it is left uncluttered to provide a feeling of space. Grey flooring, such as the grey stone-effect floors from Xylo’s Dynamic Click vinyl range, will complete the look.

Flooring specialists Xylo Flooring supplies a range of quality flooring solutions, including in oak, walnut and other woods, as well as vinyl or laminate flooring. We work with retailers, contractors and interior designers and developers. To request a brochure, click on the link above.

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