Dazzling dining rooms: The hottest trends for 2012 – Guest Post

This guest post is provided by Eva Stephen from Shop 4 Furniture.

With the festive season just around the corner, many of us are starting to think about the challenge of entertaining friends and relatives over the winter months. Aside from finding places for everyone to sleep and making sure Auntie Nelly’s nut allergy is not aggravated, we may also be thinking about sprucing up our dear old dining room so it’s ready to welcome our nearest and dearest in style.

Getting into the hottest trends in the dining room for 2012 is not too taxing. With plenty of room to maneuver in terms of reflecting your own taste and personality, it won’t take much to create a dining space that is bang on trend as well as being uniquely and personally yours. Here are some of the hottest trends for 2012, to give you some inspiration for a delectable dining room this season.

Rustic riches

The thought of a ‘rustic’ dining room might conjure up images of roughhewn woodwork and rather unsophisticated, rough and ready pieces. However, when introduced amidst an otherwise formal setting, a nice reclaimed timber or unfinished oak dining table can add a sense of warmth and homeliness to your dining space.

Elegantly eclectic

For a modern twist to your dining area, forget matching tables and chairs. Instead, opt for an eclectic mix of styles and fabrics to bring a sense of lived in comfort to your entertaining area. Invest in a quality table, then indulge your tastes with a bit of shopping to pick up a mix of complementary seating for a look that is less contrived and oozes relaxed style.

Reflecting on mirrors

Mirrors have been an essential component of a light an airy dining space for some time now, but why confine their light reflecting properties to your walls only? Mirrored tables are all the rage for 2012, as are sideboards and buffets, so you can have some fun bouncing the light around the room to maximum effect. If plain mirrors are a little too glaring for your tastes, go for an antique finish which will have just enough mottling and wear to take the harsh shine away.

Big on benches

Once upon a time, dining room seating had to be standing to attention just as much as the guests had to be dressed to impress. With dining becoming a more relaxed, intimate affair, so this year’s hottest seating trend has emerged to complement this notion. Benches are back, and in a really big way. Forget the wooden benches of school dinner halls, and instead imagine comfortable, sumptuously upholstered seating in designer tones which offers trendy, flexible and highly accommodating seating for as many guests as you need.

Supersized style

The ongoing trend for oversized accessories has not slowed pace in 2012, and is seen more and more in contemporary dining rooms as a nod to the modern in an otherwise traditional space. Grandiose pieces of artwork, gigantic mirrors and large statement lampshades, when used with taste, will bring your dining room bang up to date without breaking the bank. Wallpaper is still a hot trend, and to capture the essence of 2012 go for oversized, bold patterns and luxurious textures for that perfect finish.

Unique chic

Lighting in the dining room has always reflected the era, and coming out of the last decade everyone was investing in glitzy, post-modern chandeliers and retro styled shades. Whilst these certainly haven’t gone out of fashion, there is a move towards bringing something truly unique to the table when it comes to the lighting in the dining room. Think outside of the box here, and consider going to a small designer or cottage industry to make you something truly unique that captures your personality and style. You will fall in love with your lighting every time you step into the room, and your guests will appreciate the talking point to kick off their meal with you.

Overall there is not a lot you can do ‘wrong’ in the dining room this season and don’t forget to check Mark Harris furniture from shop4furniture. In fact, the hottest trend of all this year has been the element of personalisation in our homes. Get deep and meaningful with your décor and you’ll not only be showing your guests your sense of style, but also giving them a window into your personality too.

Meet our guest author:
This article is brought to you by Eva, who works for shop4furniture, an online shop of furniture with latest style. I am working in home improvement industry for the past 2 years and writing on the latest trends of interior decoration.

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