THE DINNER PARTY IS ALIVE AND KICKING

Contrary to press reports, the dinner party is still chic and happening.
These days it may be called the supper party or a meal in the kitchen. Whether our customers sit down informally in the kitchen, or eat in a dining room, how their table looks is as important to them as the food that they prepare.
Along with the candles, the glasses and the china, our customers come to us for formal and informal tables and chairs old and new.
While we still sell many antique tables and sets of chairs, we are making more and more bespoke pieces in a wide variety of styles, from traditional to modern.
The old-fashioned formal dinner party is still being held for special occasions. Fine linens are just as popular as they always have been. We have beautiful antique damasks, along with colourful new napkins and tablecloths, which we can make efficiently to order in special sizes.
The tea party is also alive and kicking, as we have found from many customers this year who have come in for cake stands and pretty tea things.
Customers also rush in for last minute supper party purchases, looking for more knives, forks and spoons. We sell vintage cutlery in well-priced bundles. Or they are looking for more serious sets of silver and silver plate. As well as the antique sets, we also supply brand new designs to order in a wide variety of silver finishes..
Newest are some excellent old-fashioned-looking table knives with faux ivory handles. These are safe in the dishwasher.

WHAT`S NEW

"Can you make a table and chairs in a rustic style to go in our Swiss Chalet?"
This was something we were happy to do for our customer. We made her a generously sized table for 12 in solid oak, together with a comfortable set of Stewart chairs, upholstered in antiqued leather.
"Can you make a corner wine rack with a concealed door to match my table that you made last year?"
We were happy to comply and made just what our customer needed from solid oak in the same finish as her existing table.
"Can you make an informal extending round table for our country cottage?"
We were happy to make a circular table in oak with a central leaf. The pedestal was painted and antiqued in a pale ivory.
These are just a few of the many requests we were able to satisfy recently..

IMPORTANT PARKING ADVICE
Due to recent changes in local parking, we advise all customers visiting The Dining Room Shop by car, to arrive after 11.00 in the morning. Restrictions on all residents` parking bays are lifted after 11. This means that for the rest of the day there is free parking in White Hart Lane and the surrounding small streets where the signs indicate the residents` bays. It also means that there is time to stop for a snack or a meal in our local friendly cafes and restaurants, and that you do not have to worry about parking meters.
By bus, come to the shop on the 209 from Hammersmith (about 10 minutes journey). to White Hart Lane.
By train, take the suburban line train to Barnes Bridge. White Hart Lane is about a five minute walk.

New kitchen table and chairs

Small kitchens need small tables and compact chairs. We made this useful small oak table and chairs, as well as the shelf above to fit into a tight corner. When extra people come for a meal, the table can be turned around lenghthways and an extra couple of leaves are added, which means the table can go from seating four people to seating eight. The customer chose these neatly sized solid oak chairs with cane seats, plus a small matching oak bench, which is pulled up when the table is extended.
"Careful measuring and our bespoke service means that we can help our customers make the best of a room with limited space," says Kate Dyson

All in a Day`s Work
Delivering tables can be an interesting business. We always like to be sure everything arrives safely. Over the years we have lifted tables over garden walls, walked them along narrow pathways, hauled them up house fronts and pulled them in through open windows, maneouvred them through narrow doorways and even taken them apart to get them in, before putting them together again.
This picture shows one of our more unusual recent deliveries. We had made a special table for a houseboat. As the main doorway through to the saloon was too narrow, we had to walk the table round to the back of the boat, lower it down from the roof and bring it in through wide doors leading to the after deck. Beyond is the river Thames. There was a heart-stopping moment during the delivery when it looked as if the boatbuilders, who were carrying the table might drop it into the water. But luckily they held tight and all was well.
This is why it is important to make sure that your entrance is suitable when buying a table. Where new tables are concerned, we are always happy to deliver them with the tops off or the legs separately. This makes it easier to get tables in through awkward entrances.

Marble topped furniture
David has been busy helping a customer who wanted new furniture for her dining room. She chose a marble-topped cherry buffet and corner cupboard, together with a matching and extending dining table for twelve people. He is now working on a set of painted and upholstered chairs. All the furniture was designed to the client`s specifications and carefully made in England. "It was really good to see this room come together so beautifully after so much effort," David commented.

TABLE FOR A BARN
Finding long antique tables can be a problem, because they are often not as wide as our customers would like. In this particular case, our customer wanted an extending table which would seat 12 - 14 for her newly converted barn. The customer also wanted beautiful timber. Kate suggested burr elm, from an old fallen down elm tree that we had brought over from France. The result was a fine and sturdy large table, with two extensions. The top was polished and the trestle base was painted to match the customer`s chairs. "This was a practical choice," said Kate. "It sits very comfortably in the house."

BARRISTERS` WORK TABLE
Three barristers working in a historic building at the Inns of Court sought our advice on improving the appearance of their chambers. They had been using contemporary office furniture which looked out of place in the l8th century room.
Our brief was to make them a large mahogany work table in late l8th century style. There was a drawer at each work station and brass grommets were let into the centre of the table. These were the conduits for the computer wires.
We made the table with square tapered and fluted legs, following an Adam design, and gave the mahogany an antiqued appearance.
Result? Three happy customers.

OUR 25TH BIRTHDAY

Twenty-five years ago, in April, Kate Dyson opened the doors of The Dining Room Shop, so this month we are celebrating our birthday.
The shop was the first specialist shop of its kind when it opened and immediately attracted customers from all over the world, who made their way to Barnes to see what was in store.
Kate`s four children in turn used to work in the shop on Saturdays. Her youngest, Kinna, was five when the shop started. Her idea of fun was to make her own sales table, which had to be watched carefully, as Kinna tended to take down an expensive goblet or cup and saucer and then add her own price label which generally said 5p.
Now the grandchildren can sometimes be found in the shop - generally behind the computer - they are not quite old enough to start being shop helpers.
"In the 25 years since we first opened, people`s tastes and habits have changed," says Kate. "We still have plenty of customers with formal dining rooms, but we have many more who have turned their kitchens into large family rooms with big tables that we make for them, and where they can have less formal parties."