My first house, when I married had an open plan kitchen and dining room. Yet when we bought our present-day home, which is older, we also acquired a individual dining room for the 1st time. I was looking forward into making it a room with individuality and fashion. I was set on having it as a dedicated dining room and nothing else. Too often nowadays one room seems to blend into another, partly because rooms seem to be getting smaller and need to double up their functions. I was also determined not to let the dining room be used for anything else.

I had made this clear to the whole family so I was able to concentrate on achieving my dream flair and look for my brand new dining room. I wanted to use the dining room for formal occasions but I did not want it to appear indifferent and dull either. I purchased the most amazing quality dining sets we could afford as I knew that they would last for years.

It was real wood and a light finish rather than dark and we had looked closely at wood grains, colours and finishes. We had ruled out darker woods like walnut and mahogany in favour of lighter shades like beech, maple and oak. Even more mind boggling was the design of the table. If extra people came round, I could pull the sides out otherwise I could leave them in to save space. I ran my fingers across the wood and the smooth feel was grand. Elegant, fashionable and pragmatic are the words that I would use to describe my new dining furniture.

The wood on the chairs matched the table perfectly and they were set off with black leather stitched into the seats and backs. The light wood combined with leather just finished off the contemporary look. The effect was just what we wanted.We also purchased two cabinets that would display all the china. This completed the look of the dinning room. I didn't need any more store space as these two cabinets were very large.

The oak dining furniture glows with life and when we entertain, it is the centre of attention and wonder. No matter what is going on in the rest of the house, the dining room is an haven of tranquil and elegance and undoubtedly my preferred room in the house.