Dining Room Design Ideas
The way to the heart is through the stomach. And the place you do that is the dining room. Technically, that makes the dining area the second most important room in your house, closely following the kitchen… Mmmm…
Think about this… You come home after a weary day at work, maybe from building your empire or working a rigorous nine to five, or maybe, you spend the entire day looking after the needs of everyone in your family. At the end of the day, all you need is some time to unwind and spend time with the people for whom you work so hard. They are your priority, and a light-hearted conversation with the ones you love works more wonders than an hour at the massage table.
Consequently, your typical day would be sitting on the comfy dining chairs around the large dining table, swapping stories, bouncing ideas, basically spending some quality time with your family. If you prefer living alone, this is where you spend time unwinding with some delicious dinner and maybe a glass of wine. If you like to entertain, then the dining space is where your guests will accumulate to share the tales of their adventurous lives.
So, you see, the dining room is pretty much the heart of all your formal, social, and intimate gatherings.
That is why, today we decided to share some incredible dining room design ideas that will liven up the living space, regardless of your preferences. You may choose a traditional dining room or a modern dining room. You can have a small dining room with minimalist décor ideas and pendant lights, or a large formal dining room with a glam chandelier and a mid-century modern feel for your extensive dinner parties.
Truly, your beautiful dining room design ideas are only limited by your preferences and imagination. Without further ado, let’s look at how you and your interior designer can transform your simple eating space with these incredible dining room design ideas.
Read also – Best Small Kitchen Design Ideas
Image credits: pexels.com
Now, before we share the different ways to transform your dining area with specific interior design plans, we want you to close your eyes and envision the colors and décor ideas that make you feel serene. It is important to know what works best for you.
You see, the dining room is a space where you spend the most tranquil moments of your day, therefore each of these ideas that we are about to share must accommodate your personal choices. Let’s get started.
8 Creative Dining Room Design Ideas:
Here are some outstanding dining room ideas to liven up your living space exponentially.
1. The Dining Room Floor Plan
To begin with, let us focus on the floor plan of your dining space. Now, not all stand-alone houses and apartments can accommodate a large dining area for banquettes and large dinner parties. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to spend time with our families during the most important meals of the day; breakfast and dinner.
Thus, it is important to choose a dining room floor plan with deliberation. If you have a tiny home with small spaces, it is best to design a small dining room that reflects intimacy and coziness; feelings that you associate with your loved ones. You can always use open floor plans to combine the dining room with the living room to create an illusion of an expansive space.
For people with large houses that can, in fact, accommodate a formal dining room for extensive dinner parties or even a huge dining space for a large family to accumulate during special occasions, you have a few choices. You can design a banquette hall or a large dining area, but for more intimate gatherings during family meals, you can create a breakfast nook or a dining nook, closer to the kitchen. This not only provides a place for you to catch up with the people you love, but you also have a space for large gatherings.
Read also – 6 Best Kitchen Decor Ideas
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2. The Color Palette in Your Dining Space
It is always ideal to use vibrant paint colors in your dining room. The supreme psychology of colors dictates that brighter colors make the room feel more welcoming and joyful. Therefore, it is good to select paint colors such as yellow, white, or serene blue, green, etc. for your dining room design ideas.
As a decorator, if you are to design a small dining room, then you may want to consider white walls to make the room look expansive, then add color with wood dining accessories, colorful upholstery for the dining room chairs, some vibrant, styling home décor, etc. to liven up the dining space.
For large banquette rooms or formal dining rooms, you can install wall art on the dining room wall, maybe add an area rug, some colorful sideboard, centerpieces, etc. to explore the color palette. Make sure to maintain a theme though. We don’t need the dining room to look like a rainbow Ouija board.
Read also – Bohemian Colors
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3. Selecting The Dining Room Furniture
The furniture plays a vital role in tying together the home décor ideas. Selecting your dining room furniture must not only complement the color palette of the room itself but also work in unison with furniture in your living room, kitchen, etc. The dining room is usually situated between them so they must balance each other.
Round tables are ideal for a breakfast or dining nook, but if you have a large dining space, then a rectangular table will fill the space more appropriately. You can select beautiful upholstery for the side chairs that sit around the dining room wall for vigor. The dining chairs, however, must match the patterns of the dining room table.
You can also install cubbies and china cabinets in the dining area. If your dining room overlooks a magnificent view of the city skyline or a beautiful garden, then you can make it the focal point of the dining room decor. Add some tapestry or twinkling lights to highlight the entryway and the gallery wall. Glam is not just for the vanity room; it works well for the dining area as well.
Read also – Modern Design Process for Dining Space
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4. Choosing The Right Dining Room Decor
Now for the dining room décor ideas, we must always keep a theme in mind. You have to know whether you want a traditional dining room or a modern dining room, a formal dining room, or an informal dining room. As an interior designer or decorator, always keep the dining room decor minimalist and on par with the overall home décor.
It is recommended to use chandeliers only if you have a large dining area to work with as they tend to highlight every nook and cranny. However, for smaller dining rooms, it is best to keep the theme minimalist and not overpower it with a lot of wall art or centerpieces.
A recommended theme for the dining room is ‘Good Times.’ Therefore, you cannot go wrong with some DIY photo frames, some candles for romantic lighting, maybe add some designer sconces or something homemade which feels cozy. The dining room wall is not the ideal place for murals but you can use the space to hang a family portrait or add some floral décor pieces to liven up the place.
Image Credits: pexels.com
5. The Door and Window Treatments
Dining room doors provide an array of choices. You can have a closed-door dining space or choose an open archway. You can also choose zero doorways and leave the space open or add a collapsible screen for a mid-century minimalist design trend.
If you are in the middle of a dining room makeover, consider using large open window treatments and doorways. They work for both large and small dining rooms alike. Introducing some natural light through the windows in the morning helps start your day on a positive note. Not only that but the large door and window treatments make the room feel airier and refreshed, thus leaving a lasting impression on your loved ones and your guests.
For smaller dining rooms, a skylight and unbarred window treatments may also do wonders to add some light and space.
Read also – 80 Modern Kitchen Design Ideas
Read also – milgard.com
6. Picking Your Lighting and Sconces
The dining area is ideally located to allow a little experimentation with lighting. Needless to say, if you have a large dining room, you will want to add a chandelier to make the room feel extravagant. But, at the same time, you can also use other forms of lighting treatments to highlight the focal point of your dining room.
For instance, if you can use pendant lights to high point the centerpiece, or use simple sconces around a piece of artwork or wall art. You can also install a couple of floor lamps by the gallery wall or install some imbrued light fixtures in a new breakfront that creates a backdrop for your dining room,
If you have a small dining room, however, consider using ceiling light fixtures or high-hanging sconces. With the limited space, you need non-intrusive light fixtures that adequately illuminate the dining area but also don’t obstruct the open spaces.
The dining room lighting should always be sufficiently bright so you can see everything, yet not so brightly lit that it causes a strain. You see, dining areas are usually utilized right before bedtime. Therefore, it is necessary to let the eyes relax and prepare the brain to sleep soon.
Additionally, dining areas are also used for romantic dinners, during which you need subdued lighting. Not to mention, during formal dinner parties, you do not need bright lights illuminating each person’s dining habits and etiquette. It is considerate to keep the lighting to an effective ambiance.
Read also – Best Kitchen Lighting Ideas
Image Credit: moderndiningtables.net
7. Storage Units In Your Beautiful Dining Room
You may be wondering, why would I need storage spaces in my dining room when I have a kitchen?
Well, the answer is simple. During a family meal or dinner parties, or even when you are eating alone, you may drop your cutlery, food particles, or any number of things. What are you going to do? Run to the kitchen every time? No. You use the built-in cubbies or bountiful wall cabinets to get what you need.
It is also not ideal to keep spare napkins, dinner mats, surplus cutlery, etc. just sitting around the table, taking up space. Everything you need in an informal or formal dining room can be easily and effectively adjusted into storage units.
Additionally, remember what we said about creating an exquisite backdrop in your dining room? Think about it… You may have a collectible set of mint-condition plates or a delicate oriental tea set or any other functional home décor item that pleases you. Wouldn’t it be nice to display them in a new breakfront or china cabinet? Not only can your guests admire your exquisite taste but it also makes a beautiful focal point for your otherwise simple dining room.
Read also – Top 22 Kitchen Trends
Image Credit: designtrends.com
8. The Cersatility of Use and Functionality of Your Dining Area
In these modern times, dining rooms are not just for dinner-time delicacies or just Sunday meals with family and friends. Nowadays, a multifunctional dining room is trendy. In small homes with small spaces, the dining room can double as the children’s study area, a home office, or a space for family meetings in a lively environment without being distracted by electronics. The dining area is a multi-faceted space that allows you to gather everyone in one place.
Regardless of the size of your home or how much you actually use the dining room, this living space is a continuum of activities. Depending upon the functionality of the dining area, you can choose to furnish it with a home décor item that speaks of your taste and powers of organization.
It is best to design a dining room with versatility. The utility of this space extends beyond the conventional therefore some décor ideas using home screens and wall art could really provide character. Not to mention, if you have an open floor plan, then this area already is being used to its maximum capacity. Thus, as a decorator, you must do your due diligence and optimize this space as per its usefulness and efficiency.
Image Credit: janelockhart.com
The dining room, by far, is the most resourceful corner of the house. Most people tend to overlook this space because they don’t want to waste money or time on decorating ideas for the dining space. Instead, they focus their interior design plans on décor ideas for the living room, foyer, bedroom, and gardens. But the dining area is equally, if not more, important.
Much to your amazement, you may find that when your guests don’t want to watch TV or talk sitting around your living room, they actually enjoy a conversation across the dining room table. This provides a midcentury modern experience and makes the room feel more like an interactive salon.
Additionally, there is your family who you may not even see throughout the day what with you working or busy maintaining the home, the kids at school or college, and your parents feeling bored and lonely. The dining room provides an ethereal experience of bringing everyone together and sharing a few hearty laughs. This room is the heart of a home and must not be ignored under any circumstances.
After all, the dining room is where they share their deepest secrets which bind you together for life. A little extra time to decorate this situation room is well warranted and definitely something worth considering during your home makeover plans.
If you are a new designer or a homeowner, you can use Foyr Neo, an extraordinary home design application that helps you create your floor plans and design your room from scratch. You can create a 3D rendering model to get an accurate idea of the dining room before you begin the makeover. It is certainly worth the effort.
So, now that you have a number of incredible dining room design ideas and a handy design app at your disposal, go ahead and design a fantabulous experience room for you and your loved ones to connect.