Dining In

Dining In

Last Christmas might have shown up the shortcomings in your dining table but there’s still time to do something about it.

Did you know it’s 100 years ago this year since John Logie Baird invented the television?

It’s eventual arrival in our homes as a must-have changed how we treat dining times and rituals, and invented the spin-off TV dinner. Now it seems we’ve had our fill of all of that and the dining room is back in style, and the more recent dedicated dining area.

Heritage, whimsy and functionality are the buzz words this year, and now that we’re immersed in the season for focusing on the interior life and making big plans for festive entertaining, it might be time to do a quality control assessment of our current table and chairs.

Let’s take a look at the options so you never want a TV dinner again, and at the same time shut down any complaints from the family about not having enough space and comfort at meal time.

Style-wise it’s goodbye to the matching table and chairs and hello to individual personality that even when the table is not in use it oozes design style and sits ripe for venting our tablescaping skills later.

Period Play

The Ideal Home Show for autumn winter 2025 showcased a covetable option from EZ Living Interiors for anyone who loves a touch of antique inspiration blended with contemporary clean lines and whitewoods. Launched in collaboration with celebrity architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace, the Heritage Collection includes the versatile extending rectangular table with its traditional turned leg (from €1,499).

It syncs perfectly with a modern chair like the leather upholstered Camden (€229), or (€249) to play to the collection’s contemporary finish. For a period home, the button upholstered high back Marlow chair (€169) builds on the more traditional aspects of the table design for a cohesive and seamless look.

Benches offer an alternative seating arrangement which work really well when there are multiple little kiddies to seat. The Heritage Collection bench (from €399) can be tucked under the table when not in use and offers multi-function in hallways and at the foot of a bed.

If a little bistro style appeals, the collection’s round café table (€899) sits on a pedestal base; the sort of thing you’ll often see with corner banquette seating, and an option if you’d like to change your dining table and chair design allegiances.

Heritage White Oak 220cm Rectangular Large Extending Dining Table

Out-of-the-Box

Whimsy is trending and even the practical dining table is getting in on the look. Think dopamine interiors and a fun-forward design approach which is all about colour. Minimalists and neutrals-only fans, look away now.

The entire look doesn’t have to be embraced, however. Take a home with something as pared back as the Augusto table (€999) with its elegant, sculptural lines, and the Fluting table (from €799) with its softly curving marble top landing on a fluted wooden base. They set the scene for the gold velvet Jasper chair (€169) or the Albany finished in red for definitive whimsical fun (€149). Go borderline decadent with the Lily ruby velvet chair (€99) and to really get the whimsical look down add the gold Pure rug (€199).

Fluting White Marble & Mango 1.2m Round Dining Table

Size Matters

Which comes first, form or function? When it’s a dining table it has to be function to make sure there’s enough room for the table and chairs and for everyone to sit comfortably. No one wants to be squashed together bumping elbows when they reach for the brussels sprouts and roasties.

Boost a compact dining space with a glass topped table; the transparent quality will help to make the room feel bigger. The smoked glass Rimini (€399) could be grounded by the Connor tan leather chair (€249), its slim profile adding a touch of softness to the table structure. The tidy Modena sand chair (€149) adds texture with fabric upholstery in muted shades.

With a more relaxed approach to living which in many homes has done away with a formal dining room, even in small spaces it’s possible to having a dining area with impact. Here the extending table is your flexible friend.

The blond wood Scandi-style Kona (€549) extends for when friends pop by and has the perfect partner in the natural wood Albany chair (€149 to €179). It’s a particularly versatile seat with understated star quality thanks to its mid-century lines which work in both contemporary and period homes.