Formal Dining Rooms – what's hot this season

Posted: 07 October 2009 by Metricon Homes

Tags: colours, trends

Dining rooms are evolving to keep pace with changing lifestyles. The current trend that can only gain in momentum is the return to scaled-back, simplified living. The demand for smaller scale furniture is growing, driven by younger consumers as well as baby boomers and second homeowners.

Comfort is the primary motivation behind the move towards greater simplicity. Other key factors include an emphasis on functionality and taking up less room. Consumers today want to make the most of the space they have available.

People are leaning towards basic styles with cleaner lines. This direction lends itself perfectly to an eclectic combination of contemporary, traditional, and even country designs.

People living in apartments, second homes, and apartments tend to have less formal dining spaces. Fortunately, casual dining pieces are available in smaller sizes or with features that make better use of these limited spaces.

But that's not to say that formal has fallen out of favour. According to Jacinta – Metricon Interior Designer, the traditional formal dining room is still a hot seller in certain markets.

"Formal dining rooms are still very much in style," she says. "I believe with the emphasis being brought back into the home where people are doing much more entertaining, they still seek formal dining rooms. There are also many very large and opulent homes that require you to fill large-sized dining areas."

But homes without a large square footage can indulge in elegant dining rooms, too.

"Even if you live in an open-concept home, you can still make a separate and intimate dining area by painting one wall with an accent colour to give the feeling of a separate room. You can also use different luxurious fabrics on the chairs,” offers Jacinta.

According to Jacinta, colour choices can make or break a dining room. "Reds are still very hot this year," she says. "Shades like Autumn Leaf create a warm, inviting atmosphere while Raspberry Truffle adds an element of fun to the room." Reds look elegant by candlelight and create a great backdrop for your crystal. "It's a hard colour to live with for a long time, so it's good to use in a room that isn't always occupied."

Other colours in vogue this season are the sophisticated taupe and brown shades. "People are using their silverware and china again, so you want to make sure to choose a wall colour that will complement it.”

If your dining room is a separate space, Jacinta suggests painting the ceiling a golden shade that will reflect warmly on the room.

As people continue to combine their living spaces with their work spaces, they want greater functionality from their furniture and items that expresses their personal style. As a result, they are demanding furnishings that fit both the living spaces and their changing needs. New options in dual-purpose furniture for the dining room are turning up on many showroom floors.

"What we are seeing in terms of trends is that dining sets are very strong in their statements. They can be very luxurious with combined woods and finishes, sleek contemporary, or elegantly finished yet simple, allowing the set to serve more than one function," concluded Jacinta.