One of the main trends in interior design and furniture of the recent years is the move away from mass produced items to more unique, one-off items which have a quality and durability which is often not available on the high street or through some of the mass market retailers. Whereas in the last decade the focus was on minimal looking plastic, metal or glass furniture, recent years have seen a move back towards a softer feel, with wood making a big comeback.

For dining furniture, the current trend is for chunky and heavy furniture, moving away from the delicate glass table tops and wrought iron legs which were a staple of the design magazines throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The current economic climate has also had an effect on the fashion for dining furniture. Shoppers, whatever their income bracket, are becoming more canny about their purchases and would prefer to buy a classic piece that will stand the test of time rather than a highly fashionable piece which will be out of fashion within a couple of years. Consumers are prepared to pay more for a quality item, knowing that it will last much longer than a cheaper item which may need to be replaced within a few years of purchase. Ethical considerations have also become important, with consumers questioning whether it is right to completely change furniture when it goes out of fashion, given depleting resources.

Wood is the must have material when buying a new dining rooms set, and the bigger and chunkier the better. Plank furniture is highly fashionable at the moment, and the construction of this type of furniture makes it durable and sturdy. The planks of wood which make up the table top are of varying widths, and a wider plank gives a more country or farmhouse feel to the furniture. For a more ethical choice in furniture, tables are available made from reclaimed planks, which have been recycled from other items of furniture or other uses. When buying dining chairs to complete the dining furniture set, most sellers of plank furniture offer a choice of matching chairs for the table. A fashionable alternative is to scour the second hand shops or the auction rooms for some vintage chairs to go with the table. If buying vintage chairs, it is not necessary to have them all matching as part of the appeal is to have a variety of different styles and shapes of chairs. For a more unified look, the chairs can all be upholstered in the same matching fabric, or cushions can be bought to place on the chairs and make them all look similar.

A good quality dining table, like other items of plank furniture, will last a lifetime if it is cared for well, and this is not difficult to achieve. Unlike glass or metal furniture which requires regular polishing and can get chipped and dented, all that a dining table requires is to be wiped over daily with a damp cloth, and then polished once or twice a week to keep it looking shiny and to nourish the wood. One of the best things to use to feed the wood is natural beeswax, but other polishes will do the job just as well. Although the table top will inevitably get dented over the years, especially with children in the house, this merely adds to the character of the table and does not detract in any way from its appearance. A plank furniture dining table is a valuable addition to any home and is an investment which will continue to look good for many years to come.



Lauren Mason is the author of this article on Plank Furniture. Find more information on Furniture here