Recently I was working with clients with an insurance claim who were starting over with furniture! It was a similar situation to many home owners when they move here without the baggage of past homes! Over numerous years working for a design studio that was within a furniture store, it was quite interesting to see the continuity achieved when we weren’t dealing with existing furniture.

Whether you are replacing or starting over, some consider key furniture pieces as keepsakes to treasure forever! Others in today’s world, consider everything disposable and just want a fit for the current location! Therein lies the challenge of acquiring dining room furniture. During the holidays we’re looking for family dining areas. After the holidays, we’re looking for free space.

After a lot of entertaining, designing custom homes and working on spacing issues in remodels, my favorite solution is the least expensive and easiest! I combine light weight outdoor tables or folding tables (not necessarily the same size and width but square or rectangular) into as long of a table as we need usually in adjoining spaces. Matching or coordinating tablecloths are added for unity. Use whatever you have in abundance for the centerpieces – candles, fruits, pumpkins, squashes, small limbs with foliage or flowers to create a one-of-a-kind table. It is more flexible than a big table that never accommodates the exact number of spaces we need for a given group. Sometimes existing furniture has to be moved for the day but it is always festive and inclusive. #FriendsfortheHolidays! #HolidayDining