My dream dining table. Image credit ‘Dig Mig Blog’, which I discovered on Pinterest
When I lived in California earlier this year I had the luxury of renting a room in a glorious 4-bedroom house. The open plan living & dining room had a beautiful large dining table and it was the hub of the shared tenant home. It was where I shared chats over meals with my new housemates as we began to get to know each other. It was where long after dinner we shared the odd glass of wine or two and put the world to right. It was also where I sat with my breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee each morning, then caught up on my emails with friends and family from home while the UK was still asleep. I constantly surprised my body clock by getting up with nearly 2 hours to spare before chef college each day to recreate this dining table ritual time and time again.
When I moved back home in March I promised myself I would reinstate this dining table ritual. My flat had been missing one, and I was quite fed up with sitting on the sofa, bowl in hand, shoveling in food whilst occupied with something else {insert Instagram/ TV/Magazine/Cookbook}. I was embarrassed having guests over and making them sit on the floor with my makeshift coffee table + spare kitchen sideboard construction. So, I swiftly purchased a drop leaf table cleverly storing chairs inside for £50 from my local second hand furniture shop. It’s not perfect – it’s worn, held together by the skin of its teeth, and it needs a good paint job.
BUT! I now have a place for my favourite dining table ritual over breakfast. It’s where I can share dinners with friends. It’s where I complete most of my freelance writing and planning work. The table has already spent some time in various different locations in the room – my favourite is the summer location right next to the wide-open window, here I convince myself I am actually sitting on a balcony in a warm, exotic holiday location.
Loving the perfect dining space is something I grew up with. At home with the family the dining room was the only place to eat. Exceptions to the rule only ever occurred if Mum was out for the evening and Dad let us sneak in the living room to share a Chinese takeaway (!) over the coffee table. This agreement came with a clause to be on best dining habit behaviour – no spillages or crumbs down the sofa allowed. It never bothered us that this was the rule, since the dining table was always a happy place for us to sit and chat. My favourite on a Sunday evening when we talked about what we were up to in the week ahead – mostly for chief chef Mum to work out who was coming and going when. My friend Ruth even goes as far to say that all her lessons in life began at the family dining table, and blogging pal Skye has an entire blog based around memories from hers.
Rituals & family bonding aside I also believe eating at a table plays an essential role in a mindful approach to eating; Savouring each bite, eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, noticing each different flavor and texture, and completely being immersed in the eating experience. Have I conquered this yet? Absolutely not! Am I still trying? Yes!
What’s your dining ritual? Do you sit at a table? Do you have special memories of family meals around a beautiful table?
Many thanks to Marianne from Dig & Mig blog for allowing me to use this beautiful image
*This is a contributed post.
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The Dining table has always been a centrepiece for any dining room and it probably will be for a long time to come.
absolutely!
Your dining table looks so beautiful. I also have many memories of the dinner table, but I prefer a more round dining table for many handy and secure it to the family.
Oh this isn’t my table – I wish mine was this beautiful – always something to aim for!! I love round tables too – much more friendly! Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your thoughts.
This is such a gorgeous post, Ceri – loved reading it and getting a sneak peek into your life! And love your approach to everything – honest, refreshing and inspiring! Thank you so much also for the mention – it has been so lovely getting to know you through a shared love of food and blogging! Looking forward to catching up properly again in 2015! Xx
Thank you Skye. I agree – I’m glad I got to know you this year too. Its so much more fun to get to know people in person than just on line, and yes lets get together in 2015!! xx
Hi, I live in Holland and am the owner of the diningroom on the picture above. I think it’s a nice subject ( Rituals, Memories & Mindfulness) and wanted to leave a comment here as well.
Table traditions are very important to me and my little family here. The diningtable is the centerpiece together with our kitchen. It’s an open space where we cook and eat together, but also the place where we play games together or just sit and talk with the kids with fx. a glas of lemonade or a cup of coffie or thee.
The table is a rough wooden table which is aloved to have stains. I love to see that it’s used and lived and with two girls you can’t awoid stains to come. The same with the diningchairs which are from a plasic material that you can easily clean. Important things to consider when you buy new stuff for a family with small children.
Me and my family eat’s every day at this table and never on the sofa. When we sit at the table it brings you all more together and invites you to discuse the day with eachother and hear eachothers problems or news. I especially love the sunday mornings when my children prepare the breakfast for us and we then sit for maybe an hour at the table with the girls running around on and off from the table. That time together is worth everything for me and hope that we can keep it like that for years to come.
Thank you Marianne – for your wonderful images, dining space, and also for your thoughts on eating at a table. It sounds like your family rituals at a table are the ones I am striving to recreate in my home. Sunday morning sounds utter bliss! I hope you keep up that tradition for years to come. Thanks again, Ceri
There are two tables in my parlor. One’s a fake colonial, nice and long, with fold-up leaves. It lives under the windows that look into the back yard. I have a pretty floral cloth on it, and four cherrywood chairs lined up beside it.
The other is smaller, with fold-up leaves. I have to repair it, so it doesn’t get used much yet. Reupholstering the couch comes first!
I’d love to have that much light in my house! Alas, I’m in the middle unit, under the towering oaks. So lots of lovely shade in the summer, but no sunny dining room.
Fold up leaves are just the most genius thing ever. A pretty floral cloth sounds like just the ticket for finishing off a dining area – must look for something suitable!
I think natural light is probably the ultimate desire for a house! But then shade in summer is pretty helpful too…
I love the look of that dining area.
When we moved in to our house, having a nice dining area was really important to us.
Me too. I’m still jealous of it every time I open my blog and see it. Something to work towards – hey! Happy to hear you value the importance of a table too! 🙂
In my country , the dining table has always been “compulsory ” in every home…
Tradition requires that the whole family gather around it , both for lunch and dinner…..
It’s still all true , though things have changed a bit.
The table is still present as a piece of furniture , but it’s not unusual to see members of the same family having their meals separately or sitting on the sofa in front of the Telly ……
This is essentially due to the different working or school hours …
Thank you for sharing your memories and mindfulness!
Like your post thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing your thoughts too. It is sad that times are a changing and that sofa eating is now becoming the norm, but its so lovely to hear that the tradition exists. Maybe one day we will all look back to tradition for a revival – even in Italy too!
Growing up, we always sat around the dining table. Our Florida house was open plan (still is, with just my Dad in it sadly) with the dining space in view of four other rooms and the front door. The dining table was the place and daily event where everything got shared in an informal way. I think today’s equivalent unfortunately is the school run. As for ourselves now, we are prone to eating on our laps now that our daughter is at uni, but while the weather is so nice we have been eating in the conservatory with the doors open to the warm air and rustling leaves on our giant oak tree. That dining table and space in your opening pic is lovely. Enjoy your new eating environment. It makes us feel so grown up, doesn’t it?
What lovely family memories Kellie. I love that family life can be centred around one table (and food)!
For the record I don’t think there is anything wrong with a bit of mindful ‘eating on laps’, but always good to know the table is there waiting for us (I just naughtily ate my quick dinner on the sofa!).
I long for a dining room like the one in this picture. One day. One day!! 🙂
Yes, I’ve just reclaimed my table which had become a permanent desk in the middle of the front room. A pretty table cloth hides it’s well worn top and we can finally have a sit down breakfast again.
Yes!! A pretty cloth is exactly what is needed for mine. Glad to hear you’ve reinstalled a dining ritual too Laura – especially sweet at breakfast time!
Ah, the humble totally underrated dining table. Well done for doing all you’re doing to pull up a pew at yours as much as possible. It’s where the magic of life truly happens – new ideas, new relationships, deeper relationships and heck, far better enjoyed meals! There was a brilliant comment made on one of my recent mindfulness courses – “If you’re gonna eat out of the fridge for God’s sake, pull up a chair.” Brilliant, just brilliant, eh? That picture of the dining setting is gorgeous – especially the natural light. We’re faced with the need to move house next year and already are quickly realising how spoiled we’ve been with the light that floods our mealtimes – except when the clocks go back… 😉
I’m loving that fridge quote Ruth. Maybe we should all stick it on our fridges? Oh how I wish this was my dining table, but nothing wrong with having aspirations and you should continue to have them for your next abode! 🙂