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

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

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

Seating all the guests around the dining room table is one of the real challenges of Thanksgiving. Whether the guests are family or friends, you’ll want to make each feel special. Here are some suggestions that mingle younger children with older ones and adults–to help make Thanksgiving the holiday we all love so much. 

Let’s face it–some of our “beloved foods” are not what kids are accustomed to. Moms and grandmothers know an extra dish or two of something like macaroni and cheese might delight the little ones. 

If a kids’ table works for your family, and it is a tradition, that’s great. However, some kids–especially at smaller gatherings–really want to be with the big people. Here’s where your bar stools or kitchen counter stools come in handy for youngsters who don’t need high chairs. 

If there’s to be a series of tables, [...]

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Tags: dining room collections, dining room furniture, holiday decorating, kitchen dining furniture

Not sitting down to a formal dinner as much as you used to? You’re not alone. In fact, casual dining is a growing trend in dining room furniture these days. In part 1 of, “How to Create a Casually Elegant Dining Room,” we offered several ideas to help you blend both sophistication and relaxation at mealtime. Here are more tips to help you have a dining room that harmoniously brings together rustic and refined style:

• Choose a buffet or cabinet with open storage shelves above. They’re a refreshing alternative to glass china cabinets. Open shelves let you casually store dinner dishes in open view, or artfully mix them with books, pillar candles or woven bins.

• Think buffet parties as much as formal dinners. A buffet, sideboard or china cabinet with counter-height serving surface is a handy feature in a home where fancy [...]

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Tags: design ideas, dining room collections, dining room furniture, Hooker Furniture, kitchen dining furniture

Not sitting down to a formal dinner as much as you used to? You’re not alone. In fact, casual dining is a growing trend in dining room furniture these days.

Casual dining doesn’t mean you don’t cook up a storm or don’t have friends over for beef bourguignon.  It just means you don’t get worked up over it. You’re also perfectly ok dispensing with fancy china. In fact, you may or may not own any.

If a more casual lifestyle sounds right for you, but you’re not ready to give up a little sophistication at mealtime, it is possible to bridge the two! Along with choosing the right new dining room collection like Legends by Hooker Furniture, and a few simple tips below, you can perfectly blend rustic, refined and relaxed.

Legends Dining Collection

•    Choose a style of furniture that doesn’t fit just [...]

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

We’ve become a nation of busy bodies. As nine to five become 24/7, our homes are fast becoming one of the few places we can disconnect from a hectic world.

So how can you create a sanctuary, or serene haven, in your own home? Start by taking a look at your home in a new way.

First, look for ways to relax or unwind in comfortable, unexpected places. The living room is the most obvious place to unwind, but a serene home includes places to be comfortable in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and even front entries!

Find unexpected places to add a comfortable chair or settee for reading or napping… or a writing desk with a comfortable, slip-covered or seat-padded chair for working. Add dimmer switches in bathrooms, bedrooms or hallways, rather than just dining rooms, for ambiance at night. Watch how the sun moves [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, design ideas, dining room collections, interior design, kitchen dining furniture, living room accent furniture

Sure, a day at the spa ranks high on the serenity scale. But if you need serenity in your life on a daily basis, your home is your best ally. Use this checklist of 5 serene haven benefits to measure how relaxed and rejuvenated each room in your home feels.

A perfectly serene room will help you do all 5 of these!

Serene Spaces: Soft Chairs, Sparkling Finishes

1. Get Comfortable

Cocooning in comfort isn’t just for living rooms anymore! Getting comfortable at home means finding plenty of places to kick off our shoes and settle in. Upholstered chairs around a dinner table invite us to linger for hours, This was the idea when Hooker developed its Sanctuary collection, pairing soft chair selections with the dining tables. Slightly weathered or worn furniture finishes, also a hallmark of Sanctuary, inspire a feeling of calm. An [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, kitchen dining furniture

Bookshelves, entertainment centers, desks, dining room tables and chairs — sure, you can find them almost anywhere these days. So why is there such a huge price difference between what you see at Wal-Mart and what you see in an actual furniture store?

Legends Dining Room Table

The simple answer is quality. Wooden furniture (often called “casegoods”) is priced on a variety of factors, such as the wood used, stains/finishes, carvings and designs, and how it’s all put together.

I’d like to give you a few quick tips on how to judge the quality of the wooden furniture you want to buy. Maybe you’ll decide that what you need IS something cheap and temporary, but you should at least know that before plunking down your hard-earned cash for it. On the other hand, if what you want is a beautiful piece that will grace [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, home entertainment center furniture, kitchen dining furniture, wood home office furniture