When we moved into our Victorian house, the last room we furnished was the dining room. That was not because it was the least important, but because we wanted to get it just right and couldn't agree on the right dining furniture! If you saw our house, you would understand why. It was originally two Victorian terraces, built around 1850. These became one larger house in the 1960s, when property was inexpensive.
The room which we decided would be our dining room was at the front of the house, overlooked from the road, so we really wanted it to be in keeping with the period, as well as functional and practical for our family needs. It's not that we often dine in grand style, but just that, when we do entertain, we really like to go for the wow factor. But we also need a room away from the distractions of TVs and computers that the kids can sit in to do their homework in complete peace.
We did not want to clutter up the room, like the Victorians did, with too many items of furniture. The focal point had to be the table, which needed to be large enough to seat ten, possibly more on special occasions. And this was our main stumbling block. The Victorians favoured three woods: mahogany, walnut and rosewood and we did not want any of them.
Because walnut was so expensive and we thought rosewood and mahogany would be too dark, we decided on a light oak to brighten up our rather dark dining room. Oak is very hard-wearing, being a dense hardwood that is resistant to fungi and woodworm. This was important to us as we did not want to be shopping for new dining furniture every few years.
Although our dining room is quite spacious, with its typical Victorian high ceilings and deep bay windows, we did not want it to be overpowered by an enormous dining table. Our best option therefore seemed to be an extending table for those occasions when we had friends to dinner. For most of the time it would be a standard six-seater and the additional leaves would be stored away.
Although the Victorians were still reproducing earlier styles like Chippendale, Tudor or Sheraton, there was gradual shift towards less ornate furniture which was hand carved by Victorian craftsmen of the Arts and Crafts movement.This was more the sort of style we liked but an artist friend told us that it would not fit with our decor because it would be too modern for our house.
We therefore had to start looking at furniture from the early to mid Victorian era, which was more elegantly curved and flowing with carved decoration. The upholstered chairs of this period certainly did look more comfortable. Eventually we found the perfect dining set. It was an oval-shaped extending wind-out table in beautifully polished oak that had a rich, honey-coloured sheen. It came with three extra leaves to seat up to 12 when fully extended.
The comfortable upholstered chairs had the same turned and fluted legs as the table and the ensemble fitted beautifully into our dining room. In fact you would think they had been made for it. It might sound like a huge amount of fuss over a dining table and chairs but getting it right is so very rewarding and was well worth the effort.
