Many modern homes don’t feature a traditional dining room. It’s common to have integrated kitchens and eating spaces, breakfast nooks and bar stools at the counter. Regardless of what area you designate as your home’s “dining room,” here are some decorating and interior design ideas for thought.
Dining Room Design Ideas and Tips
Think about lighting
Eating spaces in the home need appropriate lighting – you need to be able to see what you’re consuming. Consider using a dimmer switch in case you want to achieve romantic lighting or a certain level of ambience in the future. And, be sure to pick fixtures that are easy to clean. Having a cobweb-filled, dusty light fixture hanging directly above your plate is unappealing.
Create flow and consider function
For holidays, big meals and other large gatherings, you will be shuffling back and forth between the eating area and the kitchen – frequently with dishes in hand. Make sure that the flow between the two rooms is comfortable and spacious. It sounds simple, but be sure the space can adequately accommodate the table and chairs. You don’t want dinner guests to fill squeezed against a wall or confined by being so near the person next to them.
Create visual appeal
Dining rooms often get the short end of the design stick. Because the primary function of eating spaces in a home is well defined, decorating comes as a secondary thought. Here are a couple of dining room decorating ideas that you could explore to give the room a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Consider shelving your dishes in an open-faced bureau or china cabinet. Arrange and display coordinating dinner plates to create a cohesive, and hopefully colorful, focal point.
Paint the ceiling with an attractive color and design. Give people something interesting to look at while they chew. Possibly purchase slip covers for your chairs. You can change them as frequently as you like to give the entire room a different feel and appearance.
Personalize the dining room with favorite family photos, vases of fresh flowers or other decorations that mesh with your style. Just because its purpose is to provide you with a place to eat meals doesn’t mean that the dining room has to be bland or under designed.
Make the dining room convenient
Does your family enjoy buffet-style dining? If so, consider having a purposefully placed sidebar or serving table. Think about left-handed diners, and be sure there are seats at the table to guarantee they won’t be constantly bumping elbows with their neighbor.
Consider hardwood floors, or some surface that is easy to clean and doesn’t stain. Red wine spills and food spots are hard to remove from carpeting. If you want to soften the room, use throw rugs, and place them in areas that are less likely to see spills.
Be conscious about the layout, design and decoration of your dining room. After all, you will be building memories around the table, no matter where in the home it’s located.
For more insight on dining room design ideas, call Glazer Design and Construction at 404.683.9848, email Randy@GlazerConstruction.com or complete our Fast Form below.