5 Ways to Create a Welcoming Dining Room

It's time to start planning holiday dinners to welcome family and friends to your home. I love this time of year because the formal dining room finally gets its due! It's a great place for delicious meals, great conversation, laughter, and making memories. That's what the holidays are all about.

So here are my 5 best tips for creating an inviting dining room for your holidays:

1. Table it! Selecting the perfect table for your dining room is the biggest decision you can make. You want to offer as many seats as you need, while still leaving enough room for people to move around the room. A round table is great for conversations, and works well in a square dining room. Rectangular tables are fabulous for dinner parties because so many people can fit around them, and they're great in rooms that are the same shape. For the best of both worlds, consider an oval table! Be sure to leave about 3 feet between the edge of the table and the wall or furniture so chairs can be pulled out easily.

2. Create conversation space. Place the chairs far enough apart for elbow room, but close enough for great conversation. You want guests to be able to have a great time with those around them without having to shout or to jostle for space. Allow at least 2 feet of space per guest.

3. Make storage stylish. No one can be comfortable in a cluttered space, so be sure your dining room is free of extra stuff. But make your storage chic, too, and let it display your gorgeous china and silver.

4. Light it up. Lighting can make, or break, the mood at the perfect dinner party. Use a gorgeous and chic chandelier or pendant to softly light the dinner table, and maybe even some lamps on a nearby console for a brighter evening.

5. Comfort is king. Having the most gorgeous dining room means nothing if your guests don't want to sit in the chairs you've provided. Make them comfortable with an upholstered seat, and they'll linger longer at your dinner parties!