Legends by Hooker Furniture
Not sitting down to a formal dinner as much as you used to? You’re not alone. In fact, casual dining is a growing trend these days.
Casual dining doesn’t mean you don’t cook up a storm or have friends over for beef bourguignon. It just means you don’t get worked up over it. You’re also perfectly ok dispensing with fancy china. In fact, you may or may not own any.
A new dining room from Hooker Furniture, the Legends, brings together the most appealing casual dining trends today. Its styling recalls relaxed Asian décor, rustic wood furniture and the lasting appeal of solid wood furniture. It includes a unique bar table that could easily double as a laptop table and a dramatic dining table that will even fit into loft apartments.
Though I was asked by Hooker Furniture to critique the entire dining room furniture collection, I’m compelled to get my favorite feature on the table first… because it is, in fact, the table.
Table top finish mixes 4 wood species for an antique effect
With the distressed wood, antique table planking and worn edges, it was a stretch to believe this table wasn’t antique or solid wood. I was told that the company’s creative folks spent quite some time crafting the perfect simulation of a solid wood table top… without the warping and splitting that tend to plague solid wood furniture. By integrating four different wood species into a narrow planked veneer pattern, they achieved the look of solid wood and an Asian furniture antique at a fraction of the price for either. (Expect to pay around $1600 for the table and 4 chairs).
This Asian furniture inspiration makes the Legends dining room furniture ideal for anyone who likes zen interior design and Asian décor… key inspirations for casual dining today. The Asian antique qualities are seen in the iron hardware, high-sheen finish, Tibetan-like stool and flared corners that hint at the elegant edges of a Pagoda. I could have done with a little less of the Pagoda edge on some of the smaller accent pieces (not shown), but the overall effect is so relaxing that I doubt I’d be bothered by it for long.
What I most like about this dining room is its versatility – it would fit equally well into contemporary, casual traditional or cottage decorating styles.
Rake-Back chair
Cheetz Copper chair
There are two dining chair options. The rake-back chair has a simple, schoolhouse quality to it, but the dark finish looks chic. The upholstered Cheetz Copper chair has, yes, a cheetah-like print on it. But the chair is so streamlined and the print so small that I can guarantee you won’t become the victim of an I-thought-it-was-a-good-idea-at-the-time animal-print fashion trend. I especially liked the option to mix the chairs around the table because casual living is translating into less matchy-matchy home décor.
The open storage shelves above the buffet cabinet are great not just for storing dinner dishes, but for artfully mixing them with books and other favorite things. I liked the open surface at counter height for placing platters or drinks for dinner parties, and also the reversible wine storage shelves inside the cabinet.
Speaking of dinner parties, you won’t have to pull the table apart to have one. At a generous 84” long, this leaf-free table is longer than a kitchen table, but shorter than a formal dining table. It easily fits 8 people and lets you sprawl out your projects, puzzles and paraphernalia and still reserve a corner for dinner. But at just 38” wide, it’s not a space hog.
Legends credenza with wood bar stools
The credenza suggests you could double your dining room as a home office. The design resembles an Asian antique sideboard. Two wood bar stools tuck in on either end – for a quick snack or for use as a casual lap top table. The credenza is finished the same on both sides. And with storage drawers that pull out on either side, you can use it as a room divider in an open floor plan, a bar table or serving surface. Unfortuatnely, the storage drawers are too deep to store small things. But they could store cocktail bottles, bulky table linens or file folders.
Legends will look good with tailored or contemporary furnishings and colors in earthy or natural colors. I’d place an exotic textured or patterned area rug underneath the table and hang two simple drum-shaped lamp shades above it.
Look for the Legends dining room at Hooker Furniture retailers this fall. More information is available at www.hookerfurniture.com.
RoomPlanners critiques home furnishing products for their usability, value, style and/or quality. This product review was paid for by Hooker Furniture, but our opinions and ideas may or may reflect their own.
