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Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
Fine Furniture Design’s Regal Collection features these dining set that’s meant for royalty.
Casual dining rooms are what’s known as functional dining rooms. These are your usual setup where you can relax, dine, laugh, and not worry so much about how to behave. If you want to dine like royalty, though, or if there is a formal function that you need to attend, then you will need to prepare for formal dining.
Formal dining rooms, simply put, are fancier dining rooms. Their furniture choices, as well as lighting, are very much different from casual dining areas. They also come with a more posh choice of accessories and other decorative elements.
The look of this room determines whether or not it can be considered a formal dining room. How space is used and how it becomes distinct from the usual dining setup will also point as to whether you are going to dine in a formal setup.
Even when pizza is going to be served in formal dining, this is a time when you should refrain from pigging out. With everyone wearing black ties and long gowns, it would be wrong to behave in such a manner.
The Fancy Location
The very purpose and location of the dinner will make a huge difference on whether it is going to be a formal occasion or just a casual tête-à-tête. A formal dining room tends to be separated from the rest of the rooms. It also comes with pocket doors or lovely French doors. It is also common to see double doors opening up to the lavish setup indoors.
A casual dining room, in contrast, often shares a space with the living room or the kitchen. It is also wide open since it does not come with any closable door.
The formal dining room’s purpose is to serve the most elegant dinners. It can also be the hub of classy social get-togethers. You will be served with meals that are ceremonially served by waiters who are also properly dressed for the evening.
Proper etiquette is also expected in a formal dining setup. All these go with the fine embellishments that you get to see everywhere.
The Fancy Ambiance
A formal dining room is more conservative. It tends to have a darker color palette because of the formality that it evokes. Since this is so, you will find that most formal dining rooms have dark wood floors. You will also find rich paneling where the lighting is kept to a bare minimum so that the ambiance becomes more intimate.
You will rarely hear loud voices from the diners. In fact, you are expected to talk in whispers and to dress up in a formal manner.
As opposed to the casual dining room where the room is flooded with light and the diners talking animatedly, in the formal setup, the diners simply need to behave.
The Fancy Furniture
The formal dining room needs formal and fancier furniture pieces. This is one of the most important things that will help you distinguish the formal setup from the casual one. A functional dining room contains a table and chairs that can be exposed to the daily rigors of informal dining.
In a formal dining room, there are only two things that could become the focal point – it’s either the long dining table or the charming chandelier that’s hung right above the center of the lovely table. You will also immediately notice the lovely formal chairs that are gathered about. More often than not, these are made of traditional woods and are possibly padded complete with refined details.
Expect to find a china cabinet, buffet or sideboard nearby. In place of these, you might find a small TV or even a laptop atop a computer desk in a casual dining room.
Tags: formal dining, formal dining room, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Dining Room Design, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Dining Like Royalty: The Essentials of a Formal Dinner
Wednesday, December 21st, 2016
Hooker Furniture Dining Room Sanctuary Rectangle Trestle Table
As cliché as it may seem, Christmas is definitely just around the corner. It is a season that could require a more formal table than the usual five-seater in your dining room. The good news is the art of modern table setting just has a few basics that you need to learn. Commit them to memory and you’ll be confidently welcoming your fine dining guests to your home soon.
Table Setting Prior to the First Course
Table setting makes use of logic. You don’t need to be intimidated by it. For instance, you must begin a meal by getting the flatware at the outermost sides (left and right). You can then work your way in as Cathy Bates’ character in Titanic advised the young Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The flatware must align with the bottom parts of a large plate so that it can be easily removed once the napkins are spread on everyone’s laps. You can use napkin rings as a festive décor for your napkins this Christmas. If you can have golden rings or anything Christmassy to hold the napkins, then do so.
The stemware is set at the right above the dinner plate. On the upper left are the bread and butter plates. Water glass should be above the dinner knife with the white wine on the right and the red wine placed, top center.
Table Setting for Soup
The soup dish holds the heated soup which will sit atop the dinner plate. Use the soup spoon which can be found at the outer right. The spoon, bowl and plate will only be removed once everyone’s laid his soup spoon.
Let the bread and butter plate as well as the butter knife remain.
Table Setting for the Main Course
Now the table’s set for the main course. A large dinner plate could be brought in empty or with a portion of food. This plate can be preheated unless the main course is supposed to be served cold.
Use the dinner knife and fork.
FFDM Highlands Collection
Table Setting for Salad
A midsize plate is used in serving salad. Use the remaining fork with the broader end. Beyond this course, the bread and butter plate, the wineglasses and butter knife will all be cleared together with the salad fork and plate.
Table Setting for Dessert
A dessert plate will arrive together with a teacup or coffee cup and a teaspoon. Use the dessert spoon and the cake fork which have been laid atop the setting before the meal begins.
The only stemware left at this point is the water glass.
Fundamental Table Etiquette
Formal dining is all about knowing your dinner’s context. Will the dinner be held in Boston? Paris? Shanghai maybe?
There are differences in these key cities but there are also fundamental protocols that need to be met –
Tags: dining etiquette, fine dining, formal dining, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, table setting, table settings
Posted in Dining Room Design, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
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