The other day I started looking up things about the winter and summer solstice and because very fascinated by the different meanings they have and their significance. Solstice derives from the Latin word “stop” or “to stand still”. This idea is also shared with dining. It is a time for everyone to join together and stop their lives for an hour or so and just enjoy himself or herself. I want to bring this idea to my dining area and make it more than something we must do to nourish ourselves, but rather have it be a pleasurable experience.
This idea of the summer and winter solstice also made me think about how important the connection between people is. Through social media, you could connect people from two completely different parts of the world and bring them together for a meal.
Summer solstice is said to be a time of light and fire, and a time to reflect upon the growth of the seasons. The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It appears as if the sun and the moon stopped in flight across the sky. I want to combine both of these ideas in my dining area. I want the summer solstice to be portrayed in or on the table, and the winter solstice around it. The light, possible created by a fire, would be at the center of the table and the source of all the life around it. The winter solstice would be portrayed around the table by having it be much darker, creating a more intimate setting and putting emphasis on the light and what is happening at the table.
In the dining space, I think a circle table would work best because it signifies unity and togetherness, two concepts that are very important in my dining area. This idea of a circle would be apparent again in the table by using a tree stump. It would have many rings leading to the center of the table, where the light source is, and would bring nature and growth into the setting.
For chairs, I was thinking of something like a circle booth, or a bungalow but connected on all sides. The chairs could dethatch from one another, but when put together would make one continuous circle. I would want them to be cushioned and very comfortable to help more with a relaxed and intimate setting. Here are a few chairs I was thinking about: chair one chair two chair three chair four chair five
The sideboard is where I am running into the most trouble. I’m still not sure what kind I want it to be or where I want to have it, but I don’t want to put a lot of emphasis on it and take away from the center of the table. It could be more in the shadow since I want the outer area to be much darker than the light from the table.
As for time of day, I was thinking closer to night so it is dark. I think it would be interesting to have a large skylight in the shape of a circle, possible the size of the table. This would be another way to incorporate nature into the setting, although I’m not sure how much moonlight would affect the setting. Although the area could be used during the night, it could also be designed to work during the daytime or the summer solstice. In this case, the emphasis would still be on the center of the table, but the outside area would have more of a presence than if it were just in shadow. The natural light coming from the circle skylight could produce the lighting for the room and shine down onto the wood table.
