Tips for Designing your Dining Room

Top Ten Tips for Designing a Dining Room

1.       The table size should be determined by the size of the room and the other     furniture in it. Absolute minimal clearance between the table edge and any facing wall or buffet is 30-36” but this will not allow for circulation behind a seated diner, or allow access to the buffet during a meal. Ideally, you should have 48 - 60” of space between a table and facing obstruction.

2.       Each diner needs his own dining space of 24-30”wide by 16-18” deep. Generally there will also be a shared space between facing diners of 5-9”.

3.       When buying any area carpet to go beneath the table, all chair legs should sit on it firmly when pushed away from the table. Always buy an under pad to protect the rug fibers from the hard floor. Rug under pads should be about 2” smaller than your rug on each side.

4.       To determine furniture quality, check the details. For example, look for dovetail joints in drawers. ( Fan-shaped tendons that interlock with a corresponding notched mortises) Also, look for a piece of wood that provides a dust proofing layer between drawers.

5.       In a room with an 8 foot ceiling, chandeliers should be hung with 30 -32” of space between the bottom of the chandelier and the table surface. Increase the space by 3” for every foot if you are lucky enough to have a high ceiling.

6.       The width of the chandelier should never exceed the width of the table. Ideally it should be 1/2 to 2/3 the size of your table width.

7.        Always use dimmer switches.

8.        Wall sconces should be mounted 60” from the floor.

9.       Centrepieces should never block the view of diners. Average eye level for men is 27”from the table top and for women it is 19”.

10.       Finally, have fun and be dramatic when decorating this room. Often it is a separate, more formal space, giving you the freedom to make it different from the other areas in your home. It can be decorated with deeper, richer colours that complement candle light, sparkling crystal and gleaming white dishes.

Sources:    Human Dimension and Interior Space by Julius Panero and Martin Zelni,  Furnish – The Home Furnishings Experts; Winter 2012, Furniture Today Media Group;  10 Principles of Good Interior Design by Vinny Lee

Using Glass Table Tops in Interior Design

When visitors come to your home, where do they gather? Chances are you answered the living room or dining room, which is why these areas of your home should be comfortable, flawlessly decorated, and ready to receive guests. Of course, the design process includes making the right choices when it comes to furniture.

In designing a dining room, selecting the right table is one of the most important decisions you will make. As one of the largest and most used pieces of furniture in your home, a dining table will set the tone for the rest of your decor. In your mother’s day, nearly everyone had massive, solid wood tables that were always dressed with a tablecloth when company came for dinner. Now, we have many more options, including glass tables, which are meant to be used uncovered, as they catch the light and add elegance to your dining room.

Glass table tops are available in a wide variety of forms, tints, and types, although most people prefer a transparent rectangle or oval shape with a beveled (slanted) edge for a dining table. The majority of glass table tops are made of strong safety glass, and will last years with normal usage and cleaning. Glass dining room tables fit seamlessly into most design sensibilities - depending on the cut of glass and the base you choose, they can look modern, traditional, artistic or even rustic.

A more common place to find glass table tops in the home is the living room. In this area, people are usually more open to experimentation with different shapes and etching. Remember also that, depending on its style, the base of your coffee table can provide storage for items such as books, albums, or coasters.

These photos are just a few of the limitless options in glass table tops!

About the Author: Glass and Mirror Pros is a glass company in Orlando dedicated to making customers happy by creating beautiful glass products customized to their specifications. Whether you are looking for a glass table top, glass shelves, shower enclosures or more, we’ll be here for you. We can help you hone your vision and create a unique glass table top that is guaranteed to be the centerpiece of your home! For more creative tips follow us on Facebook!

Thanks to Glass & Mirror Pros for this guest blog post for Design Savvy Interiors

The great Beauty of Paris,

I recently vacationed in France.  As with other European cities I have visited, it is filled with history and wonderful architecture.  Having studied this in college, I am of course incredibly interested in viewing it first hand.  My first stop was Paris and nothing can quite compare to that!  Loved it and will be going back.  So much to see and not enough time.  What I did see was amazing.  I had a list and was able to accomplish some of it.
The buildings, the bridges are all so old and so fantastic.  I was really taken away with the intricate carving I saw everywhere.  Imagine our very industrial and practical bridges in comparison to the intricately carved bridges all along the Seine. Statues everywhere. Very ornate, very beautiful!

A stop at the  Galeries Lafayette  offered much more than expected.  Consisting of several buildings along Boulevard Haussmann.  It was so huge I only really visited one of the buildings. Must go back there for sure - lots of goodies!  From the second floor there is an amazing view of all the other floors with once again intricately carved and painted balconies.  The top of the building has a beautiful stained glass dome.

All of the floors viewed from this point  

Of course one must see the well known tourist attractions - The Eiffel Tower, was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built it.  Eiffel lived in an apartment at the top of the tower for many years. 

A statue of Mr. Eiffel at the base of the tower                                                                                

Views from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Entrance to the Louvre

On a stroll up the Seine we were able to view the 
intricate details of he bridges.  So magnificant!

Notre Dame 

 

After our visit to the Cathedral we made our way down to the Archaeological ryps of Notre Dame which links to the Paris Catacombs which run for miles under the historical secton of Paris.

A view from the crypt out to the river

Looking out at the river from down in the crypt

Jardin des Tuileries

Versailles

A visit to Versailles is definitely worth the lineups.  Having studied this I was prepared for it's grandour and beauty but wow!! it is overwhelming in person.

 Famous Hall of Mirrors

An intimate dining space 












And set up for formal

entertaining

Above is a baby bassinetteA view of the gardens

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Champs Elysees - The famous shopping boulevard was all and more than expected. We spent out last night in Paris after returning from Cannes and strolled down the boulevard with a light rain falling,  just like in movies and art. Unfortunately all my lovely photos are on my tablet which is out there somewhere unknown...

Keep reading for part two - Cannes

The Learning and Education never stops.... or it shouldn't!

This year our GTA West Chapter embarked on another fantastic Professional Development Day for the members in this area.  Once again Willis, a very supportive affiliate of ours donated their space and refreshments for this 1/2 day event.

We followed this up with our annual Summer Luncheon held at the Millcroft Golf Club in Burlington.

A great day of learning, networking and eating was had by all!

Special thanks to  Jason Bouwman , Principal & Creative Director of Compass Creative in Stoney Creek, Ont., a marketing agency that specializes in serving contractors in the landscaping and home renovation industry.

Mike Hetherman, President, owner and CEO of Willis - a North American distributor of world class building materials including DuPont™ Corian®, DuPont™ Zodiaq®, Arpa Italian laminate and Artisan sinks and faucets