When considering dining room design in your home, you primarily have the décor and furniture to consider. These factors will largely be influenced by the size of the room, and whether or not you have windows. The room you use primarily for eating in might not in fact be your dining room, since many eat in the kitchen as a family and use the main dining area for guests and dinner parties.
Whichever your practice is, it is nevertheless dramatic that the room is bright and airy, and comfortable to eat in. The decorative accents should be focused on expanding the size of room, and light colors and mirrors can make a room appear significantly larger than it is. This is particularly true if you have mirrors aligned to reflect each other, and also reflect the windows if you have them.
Here are some tips on dining room design, including sculptural and decor suitable for the more traditional home and household that wants to impress relaxed guests.
Dining Room Décor
White or light colored walls will make the room look larger, while if you have a particularly large room, darker colors can make it appear more intimate. Try to cut back on very bright primary colors: it is fine to have one brightly colored wall if the others match with a more muted pastel shade, but too much color is not usually recommended for an open space dining room.
Windows can seem larger if they have narrow frames and surrounding woodwork, and cutting back on the drapes also tends to help open out a room. As previously mentioned, mirrors can also be used to make a room appear more expansive, but should be avoided with larger rooms if you wish to create an intimate atmosphere.
Dining rooms tend to be the source of a lot of conversation, so wallpaper is better than painted walls for absorbing sound waves. A carpet or rug also absorbs sound better than wood flooring.
Without some form of sound absorption, voices will be reverberating from surface to surface, and the conversation will be booming rather than muted.
The Furniture Dimensions
The furniture should fit the room. Many people make the mistake of packing as much furniture in as possible, but all this achieves is a cluttered appearance and your room looking smaller than it really is. If you can only fit a 6- or 8-seater dining table types in your room, then that is all you should have.
Dining Room Accessories and Accent Pieces
If your dining room has the space for them, other pieces of furniture such as cocktail cabinets, curio cabinets, sideboards and credenzas add that extra touch of eclectic elements to your décor and furnishings. Candelabra, a chandelier and other forms of unique lighting can be used, and table furniture such as bowls, centerpieces and trays of nuts and fruit will add class to any table.
