Tables
Tips and ideas for creating a great home office
Sweet office chair
Working from home can be bliss. No need for the daily commute (unless your home is extraordinarily large!), no office politics, no fighting over the last drop of milk for your coffee.
But many people who are lucky enough to work from home don’t get the best out of the situation because they never get around to creating an efficient and attractive environment for themselves to work in.
If your home is big enough, then it’s best to make your office in a spare room so you can close the door on it in the evenings and really take a break. Even if you can’t devote a whole room to the office, then there are clever ways of making sure that your office space and living space are clearly defined.
We’ve got a few suggestions for making your home office an oasis of calm and productivity, and furniture solutions that will enhance your home rather than ruin it …
COLOUR SCHEME
Yellow is energising
The psychology of colour is important in any room, but it’s perhaps most important of all in a home offices. You have to think about how you want to feel when you are in your office space: energised, productive, creative, yes, sleepy, cosy or stressed, no. Well there are ways of using colour to help you get into the right mood. For example, an office space painted or furnished in a stimulating yellow will keep its occupant upbeat and exhilarated, while a business-like deep blue colour scheme can aid concentration. Purple encourages creativity and lateral-thinking (although is also linked to day-dreaming). Red is at the bottom of list for office colour because it raises the heart rate and can become overpowering
The most important thing is that you chose the right colour for the type of work you do.
You should also consider the colours in the rest of the house. You may want your office space to stand out from the rest of the house so that you can keep the two areas separate in your mind, and there will be a clear cut-off when you finish your work for the day and go back to your ordinary living space.
FURNITURE
The main consideration is that your furniture is fit for purpose – that the desk and chair are a suitable height and that they allow you to sit and work in a way that’s not going to cause you aches and pains.
Empire office chair
The Sweet office chair from Danetti (above left) has an adjustable height so you can make sure you’re sat at the correct height for your desk and computer. It’s also great no matter what office colour scheme you go for – the back of the chair comes in seven eye-popping colours.
Other chairs from Danetti include the Empire chair (right), which comes in a wood veneer, or a leather upholstery finish in a variety of colours.
For desks, Danetti has a great variety, all of them contemporary and sophisticated looking.
You could go for something cool and futuristic like the Lenda curved table (below), which would be great for working at, and also for holding impromptu meetings with clients.
Lenda curved table
If you’re after something made from natural materials then Danetti also has a range of wooden tables and desks including this Spirit table (below), which can double up as a dining table if you’re entertaining.
This is one of the great things about home office furniture – if you buy multi-purpose items then you can also use them when you’re not working!
Spirit table
Spirit table
OTHER IDEAS
* Make sure you get the lighting right. A strong over head light is recommended if you need to hold meetings in your home office. If not, then task lighting is the most important. At Danetti we have a range of lighting solutions, including some great statement lighting to give your home office a creative and original look. You can see it here.
Santino four door sideboard
* Clutter can sap your energy, so invest in furniture that will keep everything accesible but out of view. The Santino four-door sideboard from Danetti (left), for example, is a really attractive and practical option. For other storage solutions, see our full range.
* Plants and other decorative accessories add life and personality to a home, office, so don’t be afraid to add a few quality shelves and display your possessions – just make sure that they improve the room, and never start looking like pointless clutter.
2010 interiors trend: canteen dining
Canteen-style dining is a big trend for 2010
If you’ve paid a visit to Wagamama recently, or one of the many noodle bars that have sprung up in the UK in the past few years, then you’ll know that bench seating and canteen-style tables can be very sociable.
Kimi bench and Emmett table, for canteen style dining at home
There’s something relaxed and communal feeling about friends and family sitting together on benches rather than on separate chairs. You can squash extra guests in with no hassle and children can easily sit with their parents without the need for an extra seat.
And bench seating really comes into its own at Christmas and Easter time when you have all the family round for lunch – there’s room for everyone, without the need for granddad to sit on a deckchair.
All in all, we’re hooked, and want to be able to introduce a little canteen-style dining to our own home.
Dorna trio stool. Bench seating
Here at Danetti we’ve got lots of products that fit the bill.
Tables include the glass Galaxy extending table (pictured below left) which is an incredible 2m 40cm wide when extended and the great Emmett dining table (above left) which easily seats 10 people.
For bench seating you’re spoiled for choice – we particularly love the Dorna stools (left) which can be joined together to form a bench and the simple Kimi bench (pictured above with the Emmett dining table).
Galaxy extending table
What Size Round Dining Table Should I Go For?
The most important factor in buying a new round dining table has to be the size. After all when you think about it, the dining table is the largest single piece of furniture in most homes.
The Dining Room:
Whether you have a traditional dining room that is a separate room of its own dedicated to entertaining or you plan to put your round dining table in a kitchen or open plan kitchen/ breakfast room it is crucial that you measure the room and place a dining table in there that is in proportion to the rest of the room.
The problem lies not so much in buying a table that is relatively small for the space- It is your own personal taste and circumstances that will decide this. Rather the problem instead lies with buying a round dining table that is too large for the room. If this happens people will struggle to move around the room and table comfortably and will feel enclosed.
The widely accepted rule is that there should be a 900mm minimum gap between the edge of your table and the wall, not only to stop people feeling like sardines but also so that when the dining chairs are pulled out by diners, the chairs do not brush up against the walls.
The Dining Table Itself: Large Vs Small
The general consensus is that at a round dining table 762mm should be allowed per person, this is because the shape of the table means that a person’s allotted space will narrow nearer the centre of the table.
The size of the table you require will vary according to how many people you plan to seat at it. If you want six people to be able to sit at the table then go for a table that has a 1524mm diameter. Really this is the smallest you can opt for as far as six diners are concerned, any smaller and people will start to feel cramped and there maybe some elbow overlap when it comes to eating!
A round table that is 1016mm in diameter is about the right size for a party of four. Some designers concede that at a squeeze you can fit six at a table of this size but only if there is no alternative.
The Effect:
Allowing different amounts of space per person can even allow you to create different dining experiences. For example, the Regina round dining table is big enough to seat six to eight people but if it is used to seat four and placed in a room where there is ample space for its 1300mm diameter a luxurious, spacious and slightly regal feel will be created.
Alternatively if you want an intimate, casual and friendly atmosphere for a group of six then allowing a large amount of space for each diner won’t work. You’ll need to get something like the Cross Round Extending Dining Table which is 1200mm in diameter and can be extended to fit eight people around it.
Social and Commercial Dining – The Rules
You’ve found the perfect dining table and chairs, the dining room table looks every inch an extract from one of those good home magazines, and the candles add the final touch, creating the right mood for your dinner party. Guests arrive and are met by a canapé and wine reception, when everyone is gathered; you guide your guests to the dining table..from then on in it all goes horribly wrong. There is not enough space around the table for guests to pull out and get under it, eventually they manage but your guests now resemble sardines rather then the magazine extract you had planned. This could have been avoided if we had just followed the ‘Rules of Dining’.
Now obviously these are not strict guidelines, they bare room for a little flexibility, for instance to squeeze in that extra person who didn’t RSVP, so you had no idea they were coming, but they are guidelines all the same, to help you achieve the most from your dining experience.
Choosing the Right table: - The table should be 750mm in height, allowing room from the slightest to the most robust guest. So chairs should be around 450mm high at the seat.
Choose Numbers: - Each diner requires 600 mm to eat comfortably, whilst leaving 100mm between each person to avoid any stray elbows landing in soups.
For four persons dining, a square/circular dining table is ideal for creating the right level of dining intimacy and gives enough room for all. For six plus , you should look at rectangular tables, the standard length of these dining tables is 1200 mm, many come with folding leaves so are easily extending to fit all guests comfortably. We suggest the Innocence Dining Table for four diners and the Lenda Classic Dining Table for six diners or more.
Choose the Area: - You will need to keep at least 600mm free space around your dining room table to allow easy access in and out. So for a square dining table measuring 1200mm x 1200mm, a space of 3600 mm sq is required.
Commercial Dining
Every restaurateur knows the importance of a restaurant layout and you only get one chance to get it right. There are many important factors to consider but top of the list is – layout. It is crucial to get the right spacing, leaving enough room for your waitress to manoeuvre comfortably for both them and diners, around the dining tables and to and from the kitchen.
The space needed around the tables is slightly more than standard dining, this is to allow for the flow of traffic between the tables and give each tables its own level of privacy. The distance around each table should be 900mm for comfortable dining.
Which Table to serve what? : – Dependant on which cuisine style your restaurant is serving, will be a deciding factor on the different level of space required by individual diners, a diner in a coffee shop requires less room than someone in a restaurant having a three course meal.