Traditionally, a dining room consists of a central dining table - either rectangular or round; dining chairs with or without arms; and a sideboard or credenza for functional serving and storage. In many contemporary homes, the dedicated dining room is predominantly used for special occasions with more casual dining spaces incorporated into a kitchen or open-plan living area. These key gathering spaces for your household should be functional and pleasant, to inspire people to frequently gather together. A good rule for a contemporary dining area is to allow plenty of room for movement around the space.

An solid timber dining table with an oiled finish (like we sell within our furniture range) should be regulalrly dusted with a soft cloth, and wiped with a slightly damp cloth after meals. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products to clean your dining table. We recommend re-oiling your table annually, to build up a natural resistance against spills in the timber. Slightly heavier damage or spills can be remedied by sanding and re-oiling the timber, but we recommend contacting a professional restorer for more serious maintenance.

For comfort allow 60cm for each chair. Traditionally the setting for a rectangular dining table is to have chairs with arms at the end of tables, and chairs without arms along the length of the table. However chair configuration is an entirely personal choice, with contemporary furniture styling often using an eclectic mix of chairs. For this reason we do not sell our dining settings as sets at The Modern, instead allowing you to mix and match your dining chairs to suit your own needs and individual style!