Long dining, 7 smart tips for a nice and cozy after dinner

I love it; long dining. Great to do in a restaurant, but actually even more fun to organize at home.

Because if you’re going to have a nice long dinner at home, then you’re not on the kicking chair. You can sit at the table endlessly if you want. With your family, your friends or your whole family.

Long dining requires a bit of the dining area if you are with several people, so we are happy to give you some ideas for a pleasant evening.

Tips and ideas for long dining and lots of fun!

In a few months we will organize a dinner at our house with a wine tasting, where the sommelier also makes the food. A few friends and some family are there and then I can do what I enjoy most, long dinners.

But what do you need to sit comfortably at the table for a long time? The ideas and tips below will take you a long way.

1. A large, nice dining table

This one speaks for itself, of course, but needs to be mentioned. Depending on the size of the group, a large dining table is very nice. The question is, of course, whether you have the space for that, but if you have the space, a large rectangular or perhaps oval dining table would be a good idea.

Certainly an oval dining table (or an organic dining table) is very cozy for long dining because you all sit just a bit closer together than at a rectangular table.

Don’t order dining tables like crazy now to create the right setting for long dining. Certainly not if it is a one-time action. If you want to invite a group to dine with much more often, it would still be an option, but otherwise you can also use the tip below.

Tip: If your dining table is really too small, you might be able to work with a camping table that you put next to it. Now it’s not so nice to work with 2 different tables, but if you put a thin worktop on it that is just as big as both tables together, it looks like you’re all sitting at one table.

2. Long dinners with beautiful crockery

A nice long dinner is of course accompanied by eating from beautiful earthenware crockery. It may be said that a beautiful service does not necessarily have to be very expensive. But there are a few tips that you can take into account if you also want to set the table with the crockery.

• Preferably choose crockery in, for example, earth tones
• Combine different shapes of plates and different earth tones for a sparkling whole
• Also think of sauce trays, for example
• This way you can create a beautiful place for each person to sit comfortably

Tip: You can find affordable crockery in earth tones at Sligro, Xenos or Kwantum, for example.

3. Dress the table further

In addition to beautiful crockery, it is also nice to dress the table in a stylish way. For example, think of a beautiful tablecloth in style with the crockery.

A linen tablecloth, for example. For example, I bought a beautiful cotton Chambray tablecloth from HEMA, not that expensive at all. I have a dark version, but they also have a beige version, which colors very nicely with an earth-toned service.

The only drawback is that a tablecloth is quickly too small if you want to dine with a larger group. You can solve this by using two tablecloths, of course, but you could also, for example, place a runner in a suitable color on both sides where your tablecloth is short.

Apart from the tablecloth, it is always good to place a few vases with a few flowers. Complement that with candles and you are ready for a delicious, cozy dinner and long dining.

Tip: choose LED candles if you think the risk is too great to put down regular candles. Even if the table is already very full of other things, LED candles can be a solution. Would you like to grab a bowl across the street? Then at least you don’t run the risk of setting your sleeve on fire.

4. Comfortable dining room chairs

Indispensable for endless dining are of course the dining room chairs. Do you happen to need to order dining room chairs? Then keep in mind that you not only choose a cool color and look, but that you also really look at the comfort of the chair.

A dining table like the one above with those chairs looks really fantastic, but sitting comfortably doesn’t work.

And that’s not a problem if you eat a quick dinner with the family, but if you want to have a nice long dinner at the table, then this is really not a success.

I myself have had very cool stools at the dining table in the past. Super cool to see, but really not nice to sit on for a long time.

5. Long dinners without clutter on the table

Have you finished eating? Then take a moment to clear the table. It’s not the nicest work, but it’s much nicer to have a long dinner that way. An endless sitting at the table with dirty plates in front of you is far from pleasant.

6. Put something on the table after dessert

Long dining only becomes really cozy if there is something on the table after dessert.

Think, for example, of a cheese board with a delicious port. Followed by different types of coffee or tea with a chocolate or chic bonbon.

And do you really want to finish it? Then there is another liqueur with the coffee. Want to bet that dining takes a long time and is very cozy this way?

7. Not a chef? Then do it differently!

Would you like to organize a pleasant evening to win and dine with friends, but you are not a chef yourself? You can of course take the trouble to learn to cook well, but you can also hire a cook for these types of evenings.

Ideal, because they usually clear everything away!