Following two years of unknowns, this holiday season is serving as a sign of hope at the end of an agonizing tunnel. Once again, we can gather with our loved ones and maybe even hug them, kiss them on the cheek and continue the tradition of sharing what we are grateful for.
So, how we can decorate our dining rooms for Thanksgiving and Christmas to coordinate these heartwarming gatherings? It all begins with a seating plan! Although the holidays are centered around gathering, eating is often a major portion of the day, and where and how you sit brings the two together in special ways.
Before the season of gathering kicks off, we wanted to give you a resource for how to buy and style your dining room for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Holiday dining table décor comes in many shapes and sizes. Luckily, it can be as simple or extravagant a task as you want, but there are a few factors that you should consider before running to the store to purchase new furniture to enhance your dining room with Christmas and Thanksgiving décor.
Things To Know Before Purchasing Holiday Dining Table Décor And Furniture
1. Measuring Your Room
When you walk into Furnitureland South in search of dining room furniture, the first thing your Design Consultant will ask is, “How big is your space?” Measuring your room is integral in the design process, as it gives both you and your designer an idea of what shape and size your dining room table could or should be.
What do you need to measure? Begin by measuring the length, width and height of your dining space. Once that is done, consider the number of people who will be sitting at your dining table. If you have a family of four, then plan your dining room around that, as you want your dining room to be functional for more than just your Christmas and Thanksgiving setup.
Six people can comfortably fit around a 72-inch table; eight people can fit around a 96-inch table, and 10 people can fit around a 120-inch table. While 18 inches was once the average width of dining room chairs, we are seeing larger chairs come into play and recommend allotting enough space for 24 inches per chair. A standard table is 30 inches high, and it is best to have 12 inches between the seat cushion and the bottom of the table – making sure to take the apron of the table into account. This leaves 18 inches from the cushion of the chair to the floor for leg room.
2. Selecting Your Seating
Next to “is something burning,” “do you need a place to sit?” is one of the most troubling questions a host can hear during a gathering, so we have a few tips as you select the most functional and stylish seating options for your dining room. The first thing you need to consider when choosing dining room seating is how long you and your guests will be sitting on it.
If you’re the type of family who eats quickly then runs outside for a family football game, then wooden chairs might be a practical option for you. On the other hand, if your family enjoys taking their time to enjoy every bite of their meal, wait for the entire family to finish before moving onto dessert and browsing through Black Friday catalogs in the same seat you started in, then upholstered chairs are a suitable option for you.
While upholstered chairs are considered the more comfortable option, you can fit more wooden chairs around a table, so you can’t go wrong with either. Benches and banquettes are also practical options when trying to seat more people, but you will need to consider the number of times each person will be getting up and how much room they will have to do so when considering how to decorate your dining room for Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays before moving forward with your seating plans.
If you are worried about not having enough seats to accommodate large gatherings, then having table leaves put in and foldable chairs on call or placing decorative side chairs next to windows is a great idea. These tricks will make a comfortable space for you, as well as a flexible system to work with during the holidays.
3. Styling Your Room
WWhether you’re planning an elegant gathering with fine china or a casual get-together with paper plates, you can style your room to match any occasion. Thoughtfully planning your dining room setup will allow you to sit back and enjoy the holiday when it comes around. Thanksgiving dining table décor goes hand in hand with dining room Christmas décor, as they are so close together and don’t need many style variations.
With that, don’t be afraid to be bold! While there are specific color palettes present during the holidays, there are countless alternative design options and ways to implement dining room holiday décor that will make your space functional year-round.
We want your dining room to be used for multiple meals a year, but we also realize the likelihood of you eating in your dining room every day is slim; therefore, if you’ve always wanted to have animal print or bold-patterned accent chairs, the dining room is the perfect place to incorporate those adventurous styles without having to make a full-time commitment.
Selecting two finishes that complement one another for the host and side chairs is also a unique and subtle way to add style to your dining room, Christmas and Thanksgiving setup.
“Stick to two different finishes that are distinct but have something in common, and that’s the best way to tie a room together,” Becky Greene, Executive Director of Merchandising at Furnitureland South, said.
Visit the Custom Dining Gallery at Furnitureland South to shop luxury dining brands and customize your table and chairs for a world-class dining room experience.
4. Decorating With Area Rugs
Decorating with area rugs is a simple technique to use when you want your guests’ eyes to be drawn to the center of the room (and protect your floor while you’re at it). When you’re selecting the size of the rug, you’ll want to be sure there is 24 inches of rug from the edge of your dining table to give everyone space to scoot their chair back without having to worry about getting caught in the rug. For the same reason, you’ll want to choose a thinner (flat-weave or low-pile) style rug.
The thinner the rug, the less cleaning there will be involved, making a thin rug a safer option for your dining room. If you found a thick rug that you absolutely cannot live without having in your dining room, we suggest finding a similar rug in darker tones to disguise stains better. Let’s face it: someone is probably going to spill wine or tea on your rug, and we don’t want that to distract your guests from your holiday dining table décor.
Be sure to shop the Rug Gallery at Furnitureland South for customizable, quality-made rugs that will enhance your space.
5. Let There Be Light
While it seems to be a small detail, lighting should be the focal point of a dining room and can change the mood in a second. Like all things in design, selecting lighting requires a close look at the size, shape and proportion that will best suit your space. A helpful rule of thumb when selecting dining room lighting is that it should take up one third of the dining table (any smaller will not be enough, but you can go bigger – so long as you don’t choose something larger than the width of the table).
Visit Furnitureland South to discover the perfect lighting for your dining room Thanksgiving, Christmas and everyday living experience.