One of the things I love most about Easter is its sense of splendor. It’s a special time of year when everyone and everything gets decked out and dressed up. Whether you’re a girl, a boy, or an egg—if you stand still long enough, you’ll eventually be wearing a new pastel outfit.

My childhood memories of Easter are all about family gatherings and eating. Sure, most of it was eating chocolate bunny ears I snuck from my Easter basket. But I also fondly recall Easter lunches where we all sat down together at my aunt’s large dining room table. While I’m sure the table was beautifully decorated—what I remember most vividly were the special ‘bunny dishes’ my aunt had just for us kids.

Beatrix Potter Bunnykins china

Back then, we were content because nothing made you feel more grown up [...]

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Tags: dining, dining room, dining room chairs, dining room collections, dining room furniture, dining room table, holiday decorating, painted finish

For most of us, formal sit-down dinners are rare these days… making Thanksgiving dinner even more special. There’s something about coming together around our table that warms both heart and home and brings us closer to each other.

What would add more warmth to this special family time than being surrounded by the perfect dining room furniture? Especially furniture that would serve as a beautiful backdrop for the holidays, but be casual enough to accommodate our lifestyle the rest of the year.

Legends Dining Table

With gently antiqued edges and a lightly distressed wood top that blends four different wood species into the plank-top veneer, the Legends dining room table does just that. This leaf-free table is rich in character (you may be tempted to skip the tablecloth!) and at a generous 84” in length, it easily fits 8 people without having to take [...]

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Tags: dining room, dining room collections, dining room furniture, dining room table, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving entertaining, Thanksgiving meals

Thanksgiving, our most traditional holiday, is being celebrated in old ways and new. Some of us wouldn’t change a thing, such as the way mom cooked and served. And some want to add a new tradition or even make some exciting departures. You might be having your own discussion as to whether you should brine the turkey from that new recipe you just found, or roast it long and lovingly in the oven with cornbread, sausage, and apple stuffing as in years past. In either case, here are some ways to enjoy this holiday around the dining room table while making everyone feel at home:

Harbour Pointe Buffet in the Coveside Finish

1) Keeping Traditions: My friend Ann makes a terrific spinach casserole that has been a part of her family’s Iowa Thanksgiving dinner for generations. Now Ann lives in a high-rise apartment [...]

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Tags: buffet, dining furniture, dining room furniture, dining room table, serving furniture, sideboard, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving entertaining, Thanksgiving meals, Thanksgiving recipes

Even the most seasoned of hosts can experience heart flutters when several holidays seem to merge into one extended party.  It’s the time of year where we not only welcome family and friends; we also have the consideration of the many traditions attached to our gatherings.  Adding in for the possibility of overnight guests . . . well, those flutters might turn into full-fledged palpitations!   I’ll share some of my key ingredients for creating a delicious dining room experience for you and your guests.

Layers of texture and candlelight warm the center of my holiday dining table. One of my go-to sources for table settings is “A Passion for Flowers” by Carolyne Roehm

Whether this is your first event or you have the makings of a celebrity event planner, it’s always a great idea to have a checklist of ‘go-to’ sources [...]

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Tags: budget decorating, design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, holiday decorating, interior design, kitchen dining furniture

“European Charm” is what comes to mind when I think about the new Primrose Hill collection by Hooker Furniture.  Inspired by a bustling village in central London, this collection pairs subtle garden-inspired finishes with modern warmth to produce a hybrid of urban and traditional design.

The collection, which offers two main finishes and two designer finishes, is meant to be mixed and matched, to create a look of urban sophistication. I can instantly picture living in the rolling hills of Primrose Park in this fabulous shelter bed: slowly sipping hot tea and overlooking the hustle and bustle of this fashionable London suburb.

Primrose Hill White Cane Bed

Channeling 19th century European antiques, the cane headboard adds a warm, romantic feeling. I would never want to get up in the morning!! On second thought, perhaps I wouldn’t have to, with electrical outlets [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, Hooker Furniture, interior design, living room accent furniture

Since the 1700s, sideboards have been serving as one of the home’s most useful pieces of furniture and not getting that much credit. A couple of centuries ago, the practical English began bringing in the long, slender hall table into the dining room, especially for entertaining in stately country houses. Thomas Chippendale got the idea to attach cabinets and drawers to the “board” and thus we have been making variations ever since.

Grandover Buffet

Just think of all the functions this stalwart piece of furniture provides: a place for serving as well as a bar; a wonderful stage for beautiful displays of flowers and collectibles; a safe haven to store flatware, stemware, linens, you name it. Hooker Furniture’s Grandover buffet is an example of beauty and functionality. It has the ageless quality of European design and great storage, including side drawers that swing out. So let’s give [...]

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Tags: buffets, dining room buffets, dining room furniture, dining room sideboards, dining room table, sideboards

You’ve likely seen the trend to “mix, rather than match” furniture in your home for a more casual, personal ambiance.

A great way to do this is to vary the style or color of chairs around your dining room table.  Mixing upholstered chairs with wood dining chairs, same-styled chairs in different colors, or differently-styled chairs in the same color creates a conversation-worthy look that’s perfect for the place we converse!

Harbour Pointe Dining Coveside and Bungalow Finishes

When it comes to eclectic decor, a little experience or know-how will avoid a disjoint or too-staged look. These 10 guidelines will help create an unexpected, but compatible mix of chairs around your dining room table.

Choose chairs with something in common, whether their shape, age, historical era or color.
Keep chairs at about the same height. If some chairs are slightly taller, keep them lighter-looking [...]

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Tags: design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, furniture design, interior design, kitchen dining furniture

Just recently, I began a project with clients who are scaling back on some of the tasks which accompany a larger home and yard.  Their goals were to create a more carefree lifestyle, travel to beautiful destinations, while still enjoying a home well-appointed with furniture.  As they shared with me, they imagined experiencing a “wow” factor upon entering their new retirement dwelling.

As I began looking at my clients’ proposed floor plan, I realized their dining room, while seemingly generous, could only accommodate their table and chairs.  (Design Tip: Model homes will be staged in a way to make the room feel as large as possible.  Always get the furniture footprint completed to scale to anticipate what will fit in a space.)

Moccato Buffet and Hutch

My clients required a storage space for place settings and serveware, and the only option for positioning a [...]

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Tags: design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, furniture design, interior design

Often referred to as the “heart of the home,” the kitchen is the hub of everyday activity, and increasingly the place where we entertain on special occasions. Since this is the prime season for special occasions like graduation and wedding parties, is your kitchen ready to receive guests?

Let’s look at how to reinvent your space from functional to fabulous!

In some of today’s finest eateries, the kitchens have been deliberately designed to be revealed to the dining area.  It brings to the patrons a richer entertainment experience.  They can see signature dshes being prepared and perhaps even interact with the chefs.

Waverly Place Chairs by Hooker Furniture – Interior Design by Wanda S. Horton – Photography by Whitney Gray

In our own homes, the idea of entertaining in the kitchen can sometimes be overlooked.  Fortunately, with the wide choices [...]

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Tags: affordable furniture, budget decorating, design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, furniture design, gaming furniture, holiday decorating, interior design, kitchen dining furniture

For many of us, home is more than a place to hang our hats. It is more than tables and chairs. It is a place we create that expresses our hopes and even fulfills our wishes.

Here are two ways home can be an adventure in living:

Hudson Hutch

1. THE ENGLISH COTTAGE: Outside your four walls, the landscape may not be the rocky cliffs of England’s Cotswolds, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the charm and style that makes your home just as warm and cozy. Select a Welsh cupboard like Hooker Furniture’s Hudson hutch to house your collection of teacups and pottery. A sleigh bed or a decorative metal bed is the ideal stage for your quilt. (If you want to be very British, select a quilt that is one beautiful piece of fabric.) Dine on a refectory table that is a wood that looks like generations have placed their [...]

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Tags: design ideas, design trends, dining room furniture, interior design, living room accent furniture