The same old, same old might not cut it in your kitchen. If you’re tempted to try new recipes and stretch your culinary horizons, you might want to spice up your presentation, as well. Whether you have a formal dining room or an eat-in kitchen, seating arrangements aren’t what they used to be. Feast your eyes on some of the hottest trends.
1. Light and Dark Meet
When furnishings have rich variations in color (highly distressed wood finishes, for example), they also have the potential to be great mixers since they “talk” to each so easily. Feel free to have a darker finished table with much lighter finished dining chairs (or vice versa). Together they serve up a whole lot of style.
2. Striking contrasts
Bring even more flavor to the table with a mix of seating colors and styles. Maybe even incorporate upholstered seating at the head of the table for more indulgence. To keep the look from getting too busy, you might limit the seating to two color schemes.
3. Sidelined on the bench
Why settle exclusively for standard side chairs? Create a beautifully balanced, less formal look by bringing a bench to one side of the table. Upholstered benches make it a lot more comfortable to linger over a meal. Come Sunday family dinners and holiday gatherings, you’ll appreciate that dining benches make it easy to slide in that extra guest.
4. Changing times
Styles from different eras can commingle beautifully at the table. As this example shows, classic Windsor chairs are paired with a mid-century-inspired kitchenette table. The fact that the spindle backs and legs are crafted of metal instead of wood makes for a unique and timely twist.
