Thinking of the place that probably represented the most loved dining room by the film industry in the last twenty years, our imagination can only refer to the dining hall of Christ Church College in Oxford. A place where everyone will seem to have already been…. because in fact they have, at least if they've seen one of the Harry Potter saga movies. In all its Renaissance splendour, the immense 16th-century wood-panelled hall covered with portraits, inspired the dining room of the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Madly iconic with its huge tables lit by table lamps, the real hall is actually used as dining room for the university students, and was originally part of a church founded by Henry VIII, then transformed into college in 1546.

Staying on the subject of cinematic locations, we move to an Italian city much loved by the big screen, Turin, to immerse ourselves in the spectacular house-museum of Turin designer Carlo Mollino (1905-1973), one of the most polyhedrical minds of the 20th century. The dining table, made up of a marble top whose legs are two recovered columns in a completely different style, is an tailored made project created by the designer. Illuminated by a spherical rice paper pendant lamp, it is paired with a set of Tulip chairs by Eenio Saarinen for Knoll. The elements are framed by an antique mirror, a sideboard and a console — both suspended from the wall conveying an effect of lightness with a surrealist charm — on which decorative objects are displayed. An example of how the apparently ancient frame can welcome the modern by creating a unique atmosphere that reflects one's passions, one's history and that of the objects we love to collect.

Back again to the late 19th century, as American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was defining his vision of a new American architecture, he was also desiging furniture for his home in Oak Park, Chicago. In the dining room, which is emblematic of Wright's ambition to create the total work of art, the integrated furniture hides the radiators, while the recessed lighting filters the light through rice paper. The soft light that comes from this sophisticated device — forerunner of a contemporary trend loved by the most cultured interior design — illuminates a solid essential wood table, literally shielded by eight high-back chairs designed especially by Wright: a vertical and essential aesthetic which was revolutionary for that era. The furniture thus creates a secondary intimate space in the room, a style to be found in Wright-designed dining rooms, usually furnished with high-back chairs arranged in a room of their own, or tucked away in a corner of the living room forming "a space in the space".

It is as if the dining room reflected the designer's thoughts on how people should dine… And even if today the traditional dining room tends to practically disappear, due to an increasingly informal and versatile lifestyle, the fact remains that whoever is accustomed to organizing a meal, from celebrations to a simple meal with the family, he recognizes the importance of an area dedicated to conviviality, inevitably culminating in the dining table. Whether it is a room in all respects, or an open space without precise boundaries, those who are preparing to furnish this area today know well that it won't be dedicated exclusively to mealtimes: with smart working, homework sessions and family games evenings, dining tables are now the social hub of the house: this is why more and more value is attributed to a quality table, built to last, fitting well with the general furniture style, and why not, extendable if the guests number increases. Vintage furniture plays a leading role in the contemporary conception of conviviality, precisely because the 20th century was a time of great innovations in domestic design, mixing different solutions and trends in the space of a few decades.