MAKING A HOME Colours important in dining area

Press, 26 July 1976, Page 10

MAKING A HOME Colours important in dining area

By

Prudence Rothenberg

Not so long ago dining and dinner parties were part of the formalities of life. A separate dining room in gracious homes would have a fine table, which could be extended for extra guests, and the chairs would be neatly, placed.

A silver candellabra would! | take pride of place on the I table and the silver would be: gleaming on the sideboard. ■Guests were expected to chat to the person on either side' of them and the hostess; would worrv about seating'; arrangements. Dinner parties and dining are now better suited to our more casual wav of life. An; informal dinner, even served on television tables, is as acceptable now as a formal party. Hence the strictly formal ‘ dining room is an exception today because of space limitation in modern : homes. In its place is often a dual-purpose room — a place I for children to entertain their i friends, a T.V. room or part of the living room. Wherever the dining area is 1 it should have a sense of i seclusion and privacy. COLOURS Colours can have a psychological effect on good dining. Some colours can be quite: disturbing. An expanse of J bright red does not help the! digestion at lunch-time. At[ night under soft lighting, red: can be most effective. u One of the most impressive;' dining rooms I have seen was; ' in Australia. The flooring was mid-green wall-to-wall carpet. Glazed dark green walls, and shot-silk green and nasturtium curtains provided the background. The chairs were covered in nasturtium velvet.

Crystal wall brackets gave a soft glow to the silver on the sideboard. This home was , equipped for dining whatever , the mood or the occasion. The , dining room opened on to an ( outside terrace. The garden . was lit by concealed lighting. ■ There were chairs and tables , on the terrace suitable for j outside dining or pre-dinner ! drinks.

i A garden room, opposite I the dining room, had walls of ipink marble broken up by white wooden trellises with greenery growing up them. This room had a central sunken bar. I do not personally like a bar in a room but this one was not obvious. Bottles and glasses were kept [out of sight. i The window’s and glass j doors overlooked a swimming I pool and Sydney harbour. | Outside was a barbecue and lan outdoor dining area. ; Some friends of mine in 'Auckland bought an old home land redecorated it. They imade a few structural I changes. A wall was taken lout between two rooms giving a large living and dining i area with an interesting shape. RESTFUL Most of the furniture they | bought, including the diningroom furniture, was antique but it included a harmonius combination of new chairs and couches. Both areas w r ere treated as one room. The atmosphere was harmonius and restful. It could have been treated as tw r o separate rooms, by the use of wallpaper or carpet. I liked the background treated as one. Changes can be brought about by accent colours, with curtains and chairs giving the emphasis in the living room. Soft chocolate wrnlls and darker brown carpet flowed i through both areas in the I Auckland home. Curtains [blended with the walls in the I living area. Light beige, i chairs and two-seater ;couches were covered in al

floral fabric of turquoise, beige and brown. The cushions were turquoise. In the dining area there was a turquoise rug on the brown carpet. Brown chair coverings and turquoise curtains completed the colour scheme. Care must be taken to give a definite feeling of unity bel tween the two areas. Leading 'off the kitchen was a breakifast or luncheon room. Here i the atmosphere changed. The walls were papered in acid green. The cane chairs 'were made with dark yellowgreen squabs. Straw matting was laid on the floor and the room featured a white circular pedestal dining table with swivel chairs to match. GREEN IDEAL Green is an ideal colour for furnishing, particularly las a background colour. So many other colours go with it and a complete change can be brought about by changing accent colours. In Australia it has been called the 1976 colour. In New Zealand, according to furnishing manufacturers and retailers, it has not yet been used to any great extent. Lighting is important in the dining area. Candles are effective and contribute to the atmosphere, but supplementary lighting is nearly always required. In our busy world of today dinner is often the only time when the family is together. The room, whatever the type ior area, should be planned (according to the needs of ! the family in attractive surroundings to encourage good and communication.