Dining room

THESE SIMPLE DESIGN INGREDIENTS ARE ALL YOU NEED TO CREATE A SOPHISTICATED AND ELEGANT SPACE FOR MEAL TIMES. TICK OFF OUR ESSENTIALS TO ACHIEVE A SCHEME THAT'S PRACTICAL, YET BEAUTIFUL

- HOLLY WALSH

1. TABLE

Your dining table might just be one of the hardest working pieces of furniture in your home, not only a spot for eating, but working, entertaining and poring over the kids' homework, too. So it needs to look great but be practical. A timber option will always be timeless and a pale wood, like this, keeps it contemporary. If you choose one with chunky legs, opt for more slender-legged dining chairs for balance.

IH LOVES...

Next has a large choice

Barker and Stonehouse for stand-out styles

Oak Furnitureland for solid-wood designs

2. BENCH SEATING

Back-to-wall seating means you can push your table up to create more floor space in a dining room and it will accommodate more people than individual dining chairs. An Ikea Havsta TV unit topped with a foam bench cushion creates a place to store dinner party tableware and linen that doesn't need to be accessed regularly.

IH LOVES...

Ikea for simple base units