Despite its sudden revival this year, the formal dining room is still a rare find in the average home, largely thanks to spatial constraints, lifestyle factors, and a more relaxed approach to entertaining. So, where we once might have needed storage for linens and silverware, we now need places to neatly stash our kitchen essentials and kids’ art supplies, as various spaces within our homes condense and converge.
In many ways, the rise of the open-plan kitchen is a glorious thing, allowing for greater flexibility and an altogether more sociable living and dining experience. That said, when it comes to upping the ambience for entertaining — or simply for your own day-to-day enjoyment — the atmosphere in a do-it-all dining area can sometimes fall a little bit flat.
