Well…Christmas is seriously close now, so we hope you’re getting your dining room Christmas-ready! If you’ve got a big dining-kitchen-living space, it’s lovely to have a tree in the kitchen as well as the living room, and if you do, it could prevent ‘tree battles’ such as live vs. faux, and sophisticated vs. over-the-top glitter! As we head towards the big day, here are some great dining decor suggestions for the festive season…
Star Struck
You only have to go a little bit ‘over the top’ to get a Christmas vibe into your dining space… a few giant paper snowflakes suspended from the ceiling (especially if you have skylights) make a very striking statement… and yes, folding paper snowflakes are widely available from the high street and DIY stores. The fabulous dining set is Crete from DFS -we love the choice of yellow chairs, which look fabulous with Xmas greenery and will of course look just as gorgeous in the summer months too! For a similar sleek stone-look floor, check out our Concrete porcelain tiles page.
Christmas Clean-Up
If there’s time have a huge clean-up before Christmas (even though you’ll have to do it all over again in January) it feels good to get into Christmas with a clean slate, so to speak. If you’re a bit of a minimalist at heart, then there’s no need to go for tinsel and baubles everywhere – we rather like a discreet bit of greenery on the island, which means that there will be oodles of space for all those trays of mince pies and Christmas cookies. Give the floor and wall tiles a good steam clean if you have time, we’ve tried and tested the Vax Steam Fresh which does the job well and is easy to use. And these lovely tiles are our very own Dorset Grey Porcelain, suited to both walls and floors.
Dorset Grey Wall & Floor by Tile Mountain | Phantom Deluxe Recycling Bin by Ekohome | Colleen Green Glass Pendant by Dunelm
Sprucing Up For Xmas
From left: The aforementioned Dorset Grey tiles also come in Black, which is a good, classic choice – and would be perfect if you want patterned tiles that won’t show up too many footprints in the hall or porch. Heading back to the kitchen, we are always in favour of a nice bin! Yes, the ones hidden in pull-outs are very glam and understated (especially those from the Franke Waste Management range) but we also love a floor-standing bin that’s easily accessible and can just stand in the corner looking gorgeous. Floor-standing bins such as the EKO Deluxe Recycling bin, which opens when your hand hovers over it, so you don’t have to touch anything with ‘kitchen hands’. Could be a bit of thing at parties though.The Phantom Deluxe holds two 20L buckets inside. Super-practical! And on the right, if you’re thinking of upgrading the kitchen-island-bar lighting, we love the Colleen Green Glass Pendant, which is from the new collection from Dunelm and will be available for your Spring 2020 renovations!
Highland Highlights
A tartan-themed table is suitably festive, and can of course be used well into the New Year, meaning that it can be considered a bit of an investment. We think the stag-motif crockery and glassware would make rather good gifts as well. And for your Xmas lunch or New Year’s Eve dinner party, just add some mistletoe and gold cones for seasonal style. All from a brilliant collection at Matalan.
Country Creams
And just to show that a festive, seasonal look doesn’t necessarily have to include red, gold, or glitter, we rather like the idea of a country-style Christmas theme with natural shades of ivory, weathered stone floors, and lots of natural greenery. This dining set is the Angeles Rectangular Extending Table, which is available with various chair options. And if you want a similar stone style floor, our Weathered porcelain floor tiles could be just the right choice.
Industrial/Scandi-Style
It’s so difficult to squeeze every theme into a suitable trend…but we just liked this look and thought that the combination of black chairs and natural wood table look fabulous (and what about all those hanging lanterns? Wow!). You’ll need to be a seriously conscientious DIY-er to achieve this look, please make sure all your hanging hooks are perfectly secure!! Take a look at all the accessories from Garden Trading to get the table-top look…
Decorative Napkin Ring by Homesense | Gold & White Dinnerware by George at Asda | Decorative Napkin Ring by Homesense
Golden Wonders
Add a bit of golden inspiration to your Xmas table…and actually we think these gold themes are both a bit of a bargain, and a good investment, as they will work well for lovely summer parties too – with lots of floaty sheer white table cloths and fairy lights! Anyway, thankfully they’re available now, for Christmas! Left and right, napkin rings, from a eclectic selection at Homesense, and centre, this Gold & White Dinnerware is from George at Asda.
Retro Style
Love a bit of retro? Spruce up your mid-century furnishings with some Merry & Bright accessories from the Dobbies Christmas shop…these festive bits and bobs offer a lovely, simple colour scheme that looks warm and seasonal in a pared-down room.
Contemporary Dazzle
Throw the ‘less is more’ rule book out of the window (it has no place at Christmas anyway!) and go all out for glitz, glam and over-the-top dazzle with a quirky and contemporary look that can pretty much include anything you like, from wide-eyed baubles to balloons and star light decs. All available from a wild selection at John Lewis.
Will you be getting all sparkly in the run up to Christmas? If so, then do share your pics with us – tweet us on @TileMountainUK or tag us on Instagram!
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Linda has worked as a freelance interiors writer and blogger for many years; she has written for most of the major home and design magazines, including KBB Magazine, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Period Homes and Good Homes. She made the break and moved from London back to her home town of Shrewsbury three years ago and has just finished renovating her house. She also works in an interior design studio, produces copy for brochures and website, tries to tame her garden, aims to finish all the home furnishing projects she has on the go … and loves walking.