Price High To Low Price Low To High Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £69.99 Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £49.99 Next day delivery available Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £29.99 Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £19.99 Available to Order now - awaiting stock Low stock, selling fast Delay payment for a whole year when you spend £50 or more Avoid interest by paying in full within 12 months. Buy Now Pay Later is an interest bearing option, subject to status on the Littlewoods account. Your interest rate is shown in checkout. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO >Paula and Phil Robinson, an interior design team, offer space-saving solutions, architectural advice and style tips. This week: how to get more from your dining room Abandon the staid formality of the dining room set - but don't go to the extreme and lose the art of dining. Have a fabulous table that multi-tasks: inviting and inspiring at meal times, but practical and adaptable to other purposes between meals.
The table: Avoid the classic large, smooth rectangular table with matching chairs. The look is reminiscent of a boardroom and not conducive to good digestion! Choose a table with character and interest. Old wood always has warmth and charm, French walnut in particular. For a contemporary look, consider interesting combinations: glass and stone, steel and leather. Drop leaf, gate leg, and tables with removable leaves are ideal if you don't entertain regularly while round tables make for relaxed dining and are easier on the eye. Narrow rectangular tables (around 85cm wide) are more intimate than wider ones - but still practical. Changing levels: Invest in an old geometer's or architect's table, pictured top left, where the height is adjustable to multiple levels. Team it with bar-height chairs for a fun, high dining experience. Next day, lower it to coffee table height and draw up a chaise-longue and lounge over work. Or keep your dining at ground level and choose a low level table with plush floor cushions to relax on.
The chairs: Avoid a matched set: they're expensive and uninspiring. Aim for an eclectic mix, but not the jumble sale look. Find chairs that complement one another. Invest in two stunning chairs and spend more modestly on the rest. If space is at a premium, consider built-in banquette seating in a corner. Don't sacrifice comfort in favour of looks. Don't leave chairs waiting around the table when not in use. Add comfortable scatter cushions to two carvers and create a reading corner by bookshelves. Re-invent your existing furniture: If faced with a matching set of table, chairs, sideboard/dresser, consider a mix-and-match facelift. Solid wood - especially dark oak - can be bleached, above right, to give a contemporary look. It is striking when teamed with suede upholstered chairs. Dining chairs can be disguised under slip covers. Create interest by choosing two or more colours. Room layout: Don't place the table in the centre of the room. It's too formal and wasteful of space. Place a round table in a corner for a cosy look.
Space permitting, arrange the rest of the room as an informal seating area with a small sofa and the table's carvers. Position a rectangular table against a wall. Add a sculpture, lamps or candlesticks to draw the eye. Two can dine side by side. Four can be accommodated without having to move the table from the wall. This frees the rest of the room for other uses. Phil cautions: Lighting: Existing central pendant lights will look strange with an asymmetrical layout. Consider installing halogen wire spots on a dimmer switch: unobtrusive, contemporary, and very practical. Furniture: Removable table leaves can be bulky to store. Test the sturdiness of antique chairs and tables - have them braced by a restorer to avoid wobbles and checked for woodworm. Period tables were built lower than modern ones so always allow a minimum of 20cm between the chair seat and the underside of the table for comfort. Protect the floor by putting felt pads under furniture. The Room Planner, by Paula and Phil Robinson (Ebury), is available for £18 (rrp £20) plus £1.25 p&p from Telegraph Books Direct on 0870 428 4115.
. Email your space dilemmas to Paula and Phil at roomplanners@telegraph.co.uk 01460 30036 Glass tables, furniture & bespoke pieces: Glassdomain, www.glassdomain.co.uk 01527 577446 Glass coffee tables: Margolis, www.margolisfurniture.co.uk 020 7387 8217 Chinese chairs & low tables: Cinnabar, www.cinnabar.co.uk 01462 743432; Argos, www.argos.co.uk Halogen wire spots: The Lighting Superstore, www.thelightingsuperstore.co.uk 01225 704442 Show 99 per page Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £89.99 Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £129.99 Furniture Insurance available: 3 Year Protection £99.99COLLECT for free in AS LITTLE AS 60 SECS large item delivery from next day Look out for products badged Fast Track to get it today - Collect in as little as 60 seconds - 7 days to collect - Dedicated Fast Track counter in-store - 7 days a week - Buy before 6pm and we'll deliver by 10pm - Choice of 4 delivery slots
From next day, 7 days a week Choice of 4 delivery slots > Dining room furniture > Chair covers and seat pads Chair covers & seat pads 1 - 4 of 4 items Adding covers and cushion pads is a fast and effective way to breathe new life into old furniture. Take a look at a selection of seat pads and chair covers from our home and garden range for something to suit your style. Changing the dining chair covers on your existing chairs is a quick and effective way of uplifting your dining furniture whilst also being easy and affordable to create a cared for, more personal look at mealtimes. Our dining chair cushions and seat pads are machine washable so you don't need to worry about any accidents or spillages when you're eating, especially with young ones around. Our cushion pads are also extremely versatile so can be used on any of your furniture like bar stools and outdoor bistro sets. Extra little touches can help uplift a tired space, so when trying to bring some new life into a room consider buying some new tableware and accessories for around the kitchen and dining area.