Product review by Loreen Epp
 | | Rectangular dining table |
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.
 | | Legends dining |
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 the table, or should I say the table top. With the distressed wood, antique table planking and worn edges, it was hard 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 antique at a fraction of the price of either.
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 liked about the group is its versatility - it would fit equally well into contemporary, casual traditional or cottage decorating styles.
 | | Rake-back and Cheetz Copper chairs |
There are two dining chair options. The rake-back chair has a simple, schoolhouse quality to it, but the dark finish makes it equally 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 be dismissed as the victim of an overdone animal print fashion trend. I especially liked the option to mix the chairs around the table. Casual living means less matching home décor anyway, and more time lingering over dinner… which could make that Cheetz chair the most coveted seat at the dinner table!
The open storage shelves above the buffet cabinet are a refreshing alternative to fancy beveled glass china cabinets. The shelves let you not just store dinner dishes, but artfully mix them with books, beeswax candles or bins. I liked the open surface 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 let s you sprawl out your projects, puzzles and paraphernalia and still reserve a corner for dinner. But at just 38" wide, it's hardly a space hog.
 | | Legends dining credenza |
I liked the credenza, an interesting piece that 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. The storage drawers are very deep - too deep for small things, unfortunately, but a good location for cocktail bottles, bulky table linens or file folders.
Legends will look great paired up 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 or three simple drum-shaped lamp shades above it.
Look for the new Legends dining room at authorized Hooker Furniture retailers.
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