The Return of the Dining Room

Roll the home office away, pick up that jigsaw puzzle, and find another crafting table – the dining room has returned this year to claim its place as the focal point of entertaining at home, and the style is decidedly formal and definitively modern.

Table tops can be glass, wooden, or stone, but all sport clean lines with a modern, minimalist edge. The legs holding up the tables have moved from pure functionality to art pieces in of themselves, with either playful lines and shapes, or ornately rendered classical structures like columns, at times replacing traditional forms. Avanti’s Eliseo Dining Room Table is a prime example of this, with lacquered metal legs curving together organically in a lovely sculptural design, showcased by the glass tabletop.

Industrial styles are also gaining some popularity, grounded with natural elements such as wood, wicker, and clay, as well as with houseplants – the olive tree building up speed as an upcoming trend.

While the form of dining room chairs has been variable, from geometric cut outs, to benches, to more classic, sophisticated styles, the trend of clean lines and tailored padding is pervasive in today’s modern dining room styles. This is something one can see exemplified throughout Avanti’s line of dining room furniture, for example the clean lines and walnut veneer frame of the Bernhardt Haven Bench from the Haven collection, as well as the modern design and tailored padding of the elegant Drexel Heritage Pasqualina Banquette, from the Gourmet Dining Collection.

Color has a big comeback this year, supplanting the ages old dynasty of eggshell walls. Colors range from sophisticated blends of greys and blacks, to pastels, to earth tones, accented with pops of color. Pastel pinks and blues will soon be replaced with dark greens, jewel tones of purple and blues, and burnished metals, coupled with flowing sheers and silks to create a classic, romantic feel.

The feeling of contemporary dining rooms is minimalist with simple, elegant accent pieces and tableware. This look is defined by ample clear spaces – think uncluttered, organized, free flowing energy – which avoids conveying an antiseptic tone, and quite the opposite, actually conveys an extremely welcoming tone with warm colors, natural textures, and soft fabrics.

In terms of flooring, we often see solid color accent rugs anchoring the dining room’s style, carrying the dominant color of the room and creating an oasis-like feel. Matte terracotta tiles are making a return in flooring this year, adding warmth to dining room floors.