Tips for Buying Dining Tables for Your Home

Photo by: Annie Gray via Unsplash

In many homes, the dining table is the ideal get-together spot to share a meal, hold gatherings and talk about important topics. However, it’s not only for eating, clinking glasses or having family discussions. It’s one of the focal points of your house and should be carefully considered. If you’re interested in buying a dining table, you’ll probably want to buy it to last, to compliment your home’s decor and only have to buy it once. Here is a guide on how to choose the best dining table material for your home.

Choosing Materials

Sturdy Wood

The ideal dining table is one that can last through years of wear and tear. A traditional dining table made from hardwood will take what you dish out. The best hardwood tables to go for are walnut, oak, mahogany or maple. Make sure that the hardwood is solid and from a reputable manufacturer to ensure its strength and durability. If hardwood isn’t your favorite option but you still want a solid table with a nice, wood finish, try composite wood. These tables are engineered from different, sturdy materials and are very economical.

Glass

Though wood remains at the top of the list, glass dining tables are also a popular choice, especially if you’re looking for a sleek or minimalist design. One of the unique advantages glass has is that it can blend seamlessly with many home decor themes. Additionally, it makes the room appear larger, lighter and brighter.

Marble or Granite

If you’re looking to impress your guests, a marble or granite dining table may be worth looking into. Natural stone has an irresistible and timeless appeal. They’re also incredibly sturdy. However, they still have their downsides such as weight, cost and upkeep. If you decide to go with a natural stone table, remember marble can stain easily and granite requires annual treatment with sealants.

Choosing the shape

One of the advantages of a round table is its ability to fit into any room, be it a small nook, large dining room, or a part of the living room designated as the eating area. They offer flexible seating for conversation; an attribute many other dining tables lack. Likewise, a long, wooden, trestle table allows for guests to sit across from each other for friendly conversation and may still give you that classic, traditional rectangle. Finally, the ever-popular pub table adds ambiance to your space with a modern yet vintage appeal. 

Finding Your Color

Just because your table may be natural hardwood doesn’t mean it can’t have a splash of color. Chalk paint finishes on wooden, farmhouse tables might be just the look to tie your spaces together. You can also stain your wood in a dark finish to give it a dramatic glow. Glass tables come in colored or frosted glass, giving you the option to stick with a clear surface or add a little color to your dining area. Marble and granite range from pale off-whites to deep red or black hues. Whatever your choice may be, be sure to let the colors accentuate your interior decor.

Getting a dining table might seem like a daunting task, but with these tips, you will be able to choose one that serves the exact purpose you envision. If you don’t have space for the table of your dreams, let me know, so I can make a larger dining area one of our priorities during your home search.

The Eco-Budget: How Living Exterior Features Reduce Homeowner Bills

Many of us have heard of a living or green wall. They’re excellent choices for reducing bills, counterbalancing emissions from basic home living and adding a beautiful touch of nature to your home’s exterior. But what are some of their other perks? Are there other external living features that can be applied to a home to further reduce your monthly utility bills?

Here are three external living features that will do just that, starting with the living wall.

Living Wall

Living walls are walls that have some sort of greenery attached to them. A common variety includes vines or ivy being gently guided along the siding of the home with a green facade or vertical trellis. Others include having the plant directly embedded into the structure of the siding or exterior panel.

Living walls are excellent at reducing noise from neighboring homes, other residents within the community or general life sounds. Other facets of living walls include temperature equalizing, which reduces the strain on your heating and cooling system. Since it isn’t working as often or as hard, living walls can also help you reduce your utility bills.

They’re also marvels at reducing fade damage from the sun or eventual erosion from rain, since the plants living on them require both to stay nourished.

Living Roof

Like living walls, living roofs are great for maintaining your roof. The plants keep the sun and harsh rain from damaging the exterior shingles or layering. However, living roofs offer another benefit: insulation. Living roofs help insulate the uppermost area of the home, the area that holds most of the heat during the warmer months. If you have central air, your system may work twice as hard with a conventional roof, even with proper attic insulation, than with a living one.

When working with proper upcycled or eco-friendly, insulating material, living roofs offer an outer layer or barrier of insulation. The outer insulation helps the inner insulation in the home keep up with the demands of the surrounding environment and further reduces the strain on in-home systems.

Living Floors (Grass Alternatives)

Living floors are typically alternatives to grass. Some grass species are invasive, while others can do tremendous amounts of harm to the soil, especially if not cared for. Living floors, like clovers or moss, may not provide the same type of savings, but they will do wonders for your lawn maintenance needs. For example, clovers and moss do not need excessive mowing and can be grown relatively easily with few resources, which will lower your water bill and the bill for new equipment like mowers or extensive weed whackers.

Living exterior features can improve your home’s value if your target demographic is among the emerging, eco-friendly group. With more homeowners looking for ways to save money while staying green, there’s no wonder why so many of these living exterior features are showing up on the market for a wide-range of homeowners with a wide range of budgets.