Eating separately or alone has become commonplace. It used to be a daily family event–everyone would gather around, share the day’s stories, share good food and share great company. In my opinion, this long tradition that has been prevalent in many cultures throughout human history has been one of the saddest casualties of modern living. There’s a very basic, human connection that happens when we share meals with the ones we love. Sadly, now more than ever, we are denying ourselves that simple and highly fulfilling custom and bonding time.

There are many things that we can change in our daily lives to make a conscientious decision to eat together. We can schedule dinners at the same time every night and make a commitment to make it. Eating together is not just good for your spirit–eating at the same time every day is healthy for you too. Your relationships will grow stronger, your social skills will improve and you’ll feel healthier as well.

While scheduling dinner and making a commitment to eat together is the most obvious course of action, there are other things that can be done to ensure that everyone will have a great time and will want to come back together every night. Making the dining room a bit less formal and a lot more casual is one way of doing so. The dining room tends to be a place where people eat and abruptly leave as soon as their meal is finished. Think about ways to make the dining room a fun place to spend time in. What can you do to make the dining room functional and comfortable? What can you do to the room that will inspire conversation? You can design your dining room in a way that’ll inspire comfort and conversation.

1. The first thing to do is to make the room look great. If, for whatever reason, it’s cluttered or is a mess, clean it up. No one wants to spend time in a messy room. Clean the room up. At the same time, you want to make the room feel casual and welcoming. If your guests feel unnecessarily scared about making a mess, you’ll create a vibe that’ll intimidate and it won’t encourage coming back regularly. So make sure that your room isn’t so formal and tidy that it discourages relaxation and conversation, but make sure it is clean and uncluttered enough to feel comfortable.

2. Make the room look as big as possible. There are many ways of doing this. One way is to Keep it simple. Decorate this room sparingly and be simple about it. Ideally, you’ll want as little furniture as possible apart from the table and chairs. If you’re going to be fitting people into a small space to share a meal, you’ll want to make sure that they have enough space and that they’re comfortable. If it’s cramped with extra furniture or décor, no one is going to want to spend extended time there. The colour of the room can also affect how it feels in terms of size and mood.

It’s a popular practice in interior design to avoid the colour blue in the dining room. Blue has been known to be an appetite suppressant and it is suggested that this is because there is very little natural food that is coloured blue. Shades of orange and red are said to encourage eating and increase appetite. Make sure you take caution when using the colour red, however, as an extremely red room can trigger feeling of aggression. An extremely bold orange shade can be equally as overwhelming so make sure that if you choose red or orange, you make sure that either one isn’t overwhelming and is aesthetically pleasing.

Earth tones, like shades of tan and brown, are also a popular choice. Earthy tones convey a sense of warmth and it helps foster a feeling of camaraderie and conversation. A dark, beige or a light, tan colour would be an excellent, warm colour to paint your dining room. As a basic rule of thumb, the lighter the colour, the bigger the room looks. Darker colours make rooms feel much more cosier and luxurious. Pick a shade that resonates with you, just try to avoid shades of blue and colours that are too bold.

3. Use the right amount of lighting. It’s amazing how much lighting can affect mood. If you go into a restaurant that has great lighting, it’ll almost always guarantee an expensive menu. That is because the right amount of lighting can set a great mood and many people would pay more just to have a great dining experience. Finding a balance in lighting can be somewhat difficult. Eating in an extremely bright room can feel exhausting, while eating in a room that is too dim can feel cave-like. Think of your favourite restaurant. How are they lit? Chances are that if you copy their lighting technique, you’ll find your own dining area much more pleasant and comfortable.

Keep the colour in mind when you’re figuring out how much light to have in a dining room. If you’re dining room walls are painted a dark colour, you might need a bit more light than you imagine. If you’re walls are painted yellow, orange or white, average lighting can make a room like this feel incredibly bright and uncomfortable.

Another great décor tip is to make your dining room look dramatic. People love spending time in rooms that look great, and while you should stay away from adding extra furniture that can take up space, one piece of furniture you can add that won’t cost your space is a chandelier or a dramatic lighting fixture. Right now, glass pendant lighting is extremely popular because they add an amazing amount of flair to a room and makes it feel glamorous and dramatic while not costing as much as a chandelier.

4. Think of circles. Modern styles nowadays encourage long, angular shapes and while long rectangular dining tables are popular, it’s hard to have a conversation with everyone at the table. What ends up happening more often than not is that people will spend the entire dinner talking only to whoever is directly in front of them and on their left or right. This segments conversation in a way that’ll make dinner talk boring and mundane because not everyone can participate. If the life of the party is on one end, chances are that the other end will be incredibly bored at the end of the night.

Consider a round dining table. A round dining table makes sure that everyone can join the conversation. The great thing about a round dining table is that, during a party, you can easily add people to the table just by scooting everyone back a bit and throwing in another chair. The circle of your friends can literally expand up to the limits of your room. Round dining tables make sure that no one is left out of the conversation and that everyone experiences the wonderful feelings that come with spending time with friends and family.

5. Make sure your flatware and glassware looks great, but won’t hurt you too much if they happen to break. I personally love stemless glasses–they just add a hip flair to the table that looks great. Find unique and lovely flatware that matches your personality. Gone are the days when expensive China and crystal glassware meant so much. Nowadays, it really doesn’t matter what you eat off of, so long as it looks good and feels quality. So be unique and most of all, have fun!

Make every night an event and follow these steps and you’re well on your way to having a great home to dine in.

Did you know?

Studies show that adolescents that eat dinners regularly with their families are more likely to develop healthier eating habits as adults. This is just one of the many benefits of eating together.

-Miljean

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