The clocks went back on Sunday. By six it’s dark, the candles are lit, and supper takes longer than it used to.
That’s the point. In winter the kitchen table becomes the room we live in. We eat there, work there, and stay there long after the plates are cleared. A wooden chair that’s fine for a quick breakfast in June is hard by the second glass in October.
Dinners are long in our house. Beans on toast for two or a Sunday roast that runs into the evening, it doesn’t matter. Once the seats are soft, nobody wants to get up. It’s why we’ve never been tempted by TV dinners. Our table is as comfortable as our sofa.
We don’t change the table. We soften where we sit: a sheepskin on every chair, one along the bench, a cushion at the back. It takes ten minutes, and the room looks warmer and feels warmer to sit in.
I’ve put together two looks. Same idea, two very different tables.
Items in this look include: Double Nappa Rug, Single Nappa Rug, Nappa Seat Pads, Nappa Square Cushions, Nappa Rectangle Cushion, Rouge Noir Candles, Brass Holders
This is the soft, luxurious one. Long-hair sheepskin has deep, loose wool you sink into, and in warm Nappa beige it glows by candlelight.
It’s made for long suppers. Burgundy hand-dipped candles in brass holders, a linen cloth, a stoneware jug of dried branches on the side. The table can be plain oak or dressed in linen. The sheepskin does the rest.
Look one or Look two: which is right for your table?
If your chairs are simple and the room is pared back, choose Look one. Long-hair adds the softness the room doesn’t have yet.
If your kitchen is busy, your chairs have detail of their own, or the table is used all day, choose Look two. Short-hair softens without adding bulk.
The honest truth: the long-hair Nappa pads need brushing regularly to keep them looking their best. The short-hair Oatmeal ones need no care at all. Both have a non-slip base and a foam cushion inside, so they stay put on a wooden chair.
If you can’t decide, start with one chair and sit on it for a week.
At the end of the evening the candles go out and the chairs stay where they were pushed back from the table. That’s how I know it’s working.
If you’d like to see how ours has lasted, I wrote about our kitchen banquette, a year on. The candles are hand-dipped beeswax, lit every evening, not only for guests.
Ayshea x
FAQs
Are sheepskin seat pads good for dining chairs?
Yes. They make a wooden chair warm and comfortable to sit on for a long meal, and they change how the whole table looks. A round seat pad suits most dining chairs, stools and spindle-back chairs.
What's the difference between long-hair and short-hair sheepskin?
Long-hair sheepskin has deep, loose wool you sink into, and looks luxurious. Short-hair sheepskin is dense and curly, sits close to the seat and keeps its shape, so it looks neater and more modern.
Which is more practical for a family kitchen table?
Short-hair. Crumbs brush off easily and it stands up to being sat on all day. Long-hair suits a dining room used mainly in the evening.
How do I look after a sheepskin seat pad?
Long-hair sheepskin needs brushing regularly to keep it looking its best. Short-hair sheepskin needs no care at all. For either, blot spills straight away with a damp cloth and let it dry naturally, away from direct heat.
How do I make a dining room feel cosy in winter without redecorating?
Soften where people sit. Sheepskin on the chairs and bench, a cushion at the back and candles on the table change how the room feels in an evening, without changing any furniture.
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