One Dining Room For Every Hour Of The Day

A compact dining space can do far more than host dinner. With the right table, seating and lighting, one corner of a Maltese apartment or townhouse can handle breakfast, homework, painting and board games without feeling cramped.

One table, many guests

A small dining room earns its keep when the table can grow. An extendable table such as the EKEDALEN range stays neat for everyday meals and opens out when family or friends stop by for a long, unhurried lunch, which suits the slower pace of Maltese weekends. Rather than relying on folding chairs that get dragged out and put away, choose a sturdier stackable set that can live in the room permanently. Mixing a few chairs with armrests or padded backs alongside simpler ones, and adding a bench along one side, makes it easy to seat a full table without crowding a compact room.

EKEDALEN / BERGMUND table and 6 chairs, white/Orrsta light grey/white, 180/240 cmEKEDALEN / BERGMUND table and 4 chairs, white/Orrsta light grey/white, 120/180 cmEKEDALEN / BERGMUND table and 8 chairs, white white/Orrsta light grey, 180/240 cm

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Keep supplies within arm's reach

A dining table works harder when there is somewhere nearby to keep the things that get used around it. A shelving unit beside the table gives cutlery, napkins and everyday crockery a home on open shelves, while drawers can hide away paints, pens and other supplies for when the table becomes a workspace for painting or homework. Pulling a drawer open and getting straight back to the table saves the back and forth that small kitchens and dining nooks rarely have room for, and keeps the surface itself clear for whatever the day calls for.

KALLAX shelving unit, white, 77x147 cmLACK wall shelf unit, white, 30x190 cmKALLAX shelving unit, white, 77x77 cmKALLAX shelving unit, white, 42x147 cmKALLAX shelving unit, black-brown, 77x147 cmKALLAX shelving unit, black-brown, 77x77 cm

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Light it for the evening

The same table that hosted breakfast can shift mood entirely once the sun goes down, and Malta's long, humid summer evenings often call for eating a little later. A dimmable pendant lamp such as IKEA's NYMÅNE hung low over the table spreads light evenly across the whole surface, which makes it easy to share plates and conversation without anyone sitting in shadow. For a softer evening feel, a paper lantern or a scatter of candles alongside the pendant brings the light down further, turning the same spot used for lunch into somewhere calmer after dark.

NYMÅNE wall/reading lamp, wired-in inst, white, 7 cmNYMÅNE floor lamp with 3-spot, white, 7 cmNYMÅNE floor lamp with 3-spot, anthracite, 25 cmNYMÅNE LED ceiling lamp, white, 45 cmNYMÅNE wall lamp double, wired-in, white, 6.6 cmNYMÅNE floor/reading lamp, white, 7 cm

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Settle in for game night

A bench beside the table is useful for seating, but it also makes a handy spot to store cushions, throws and chair pads out of sight until they are needed. Pulling them out turns hard chairs into something worth lingering on for a long evening of board games with family or housemates. Brighter lighting matters here too, since reading cards and counting pieces is easier without straining, so it is worth turning the dimmer up a notch once the games come out rather than leaving the room on its softest evening glow.

TOLKNING bench with storage, handmade rattan, 120 cmPERJOHAN bench with storage, pine, 100 cmVALTORP bench, with storage/Viarp beige/brown, 103 cmRÅGRUND bench, bamboo, 78x37 cmMACKAPÄR storage bench with sliding doors, white, 100x37x52 cmNORDLI chest of 8 drawers, white, 160x54 cm

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A dining table that adapts through the day makes the most of a small room, and pieces like these can be ordered for homes across Malta and Gozo.

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