What to consider when buying dining room furniture
Buying furniture for any room in your home is an exciting yet complex exercise.
Dining room furniture is no exception. You can't just go our shopping one day and
come back with a dining set, a buffet and a home bar for your dining room. This
is a task that needs to be executed after careful evaluation and consideration of
several factors that will eventually influence your final purchase. The most important
things to consider before buying furniture for your dining room set are budget,
size, current decor, number of people using the dinning room table, lifestyle and
the style statement you wish to make through your furniture.
Budget
Like every major purchase, this one too is determined by the amount of money you
are willing to spend on furniture for your dining space. There is dining room furniture
available at every price point so don't despair if your budget isn't on the higher
side. Dining room set is usually quite expensive so mix and match works better if
you are working with a limited budget. Buy a sturdy dining room table and then buy
chairs that complement it, not necessarily match it perfectly. The same is true
for other dining room furniture like the dining room table,hutch, buffet, cabinets
and home bars and all othe dining room set. You will end up with not so expensive
but rather unique dining room set.
Size
Size is a very important consideration when buying dining room furniture. The size
of your dining room table will dictate whether you can buy a 6 chair table or a
4 chair one. It also determines whether you can buy any other piece other than the
bare essentials-table and chairs or dining room set. If you stuff a small room with
a huge table, a hutch, a curio cabinet and a bar, there will hardly be any room
to move around. However if you have a large room and a small table and a few chairs
occupying it, its going to look very bare. The ground rule is that your dining chairs
need at least 48 inches space from the wall or other furniture to allow easy and
comfortable movement.
If you are planning to buy a table with leaves, then factor them in as well when
measuring how much space your table will take up. When buying a dining room table
go for a size that will allow enough elbow room for all people sitting at the dining
room table and at the same time allow you to place crockery, cutlery and dishes
with ease. Another important thing which a lot of people overlook is the size of
the doorway from where the dining room set is to be brought in. If you are not looking
at the assemble type of dining room set, make sure what you buy can be easily brought
in through the doorway.
A lot of times, the most exotic dining room set gets damaged and scratched when
trying to squeeze it through a tight entrance. The best way to avoid these tricky
situations is to keep a measuring tape handy and measure everything before you set
out to buy your dining room set.Sometimes a room's shape can also influence furniture
purchase. For instance a regular rectangular rooms, gives you more flexibility with
furniture selection as against an irregularly shaped formal dining room.
Quality
Furniture purchase if a long term investment in most cases. Never compromise on
quality. Ensure that you buy from reputed manufactures who offer warranty on their
products.
Current Decor
If you're not doing up your dining room from scratch, then your dining room furniture
will need to complement your room's current decor which may include the wall color,
the window treatment, wall paper or any other key design element. However if you
are going in for a complete makeover then you can go ahead and choose a decor style
and then work around it. The furniture you then buy will obviously be in sync with
your preferred decor selection.
Number of people using the table
Your family's size and the number of people who will regularly use your formal dining
room is another important factor in furniture purchase. Obviously every family member
needs a designated chair at meal time. Also if you entertain regularly or have friends
and family over often for meals, you will need a big table and extra seating in
your dining room. A good option is a table with leaves that can be extended every
time you need a bigger table and more seats. Extra dining chairs can easily be stacked
and stored when not in use. For a small family that rarely entertains, small table
that seats four or six is usually adequate.
Lifestyle
What does your formal dining room mean to you? Is it merely a place for dining or
is your dining room table put to many other uses besides eating? Like your kids
homework? Or a game playing zone? You need to answer all these questions before
setting out to buy your dining room furniture. If your formal dining room is a hangout
space for friends and family, comfortable, casual and sturdy furniture is what you
need. However if it's a space reserved for special occasions and formal dining room
parties, then by all means go for more formal dining room and elegant style, but
remember to keep your dining space warm and inviting in either kind of setting.
Style Statement
Finally, dining room furniture, like everything else in you home is a reflection
of your personal formal dining room. It could be country style, warm and inviting.
Or it could be rough, and rustic. Or it could be totally contemporary and chic.
These are formal dining room that cater to every kind of style from the very traditional
to the super modern and everything in between. You can also mix 2 styles and create
a very unique style of your own. The one thing to remember is that dining room furniture
and decor should give a cohesive feel with the rest of your home.
Good planning, some groundwork and keeping these few factors in mind. That's all
you need to find the dining room set that's just formal dining room right for you
and your home.