Gathering ‘Round The Table

Interior Design Tips To Beautify Your Dining Room

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You might be surprised how much a room’s appearance can influence you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Dark, cluttered rooms can feel claustrophobic while bright, barely furnished ones can feel sterile. As a central meeting place within your home, your dining room should promote cheerful, positive vibes where you can relax, dine, study, or even work.

When it comes to designing your dream dining room, keep in mind three important endgames: safety, style, and service. You want to achieve a careful balance between a room that is functional and a room that showcases your personality. To help you optimize your space, focus on these design elements: 

Lighting

Any interior designer will tell you to embrace as much natural light as possible. But artificial light is just as important, especially in Western New York where our winter days are short. From chandeliers to pendant or recessed lighting, there are endless fixtures to choose from in order to illuminate your dining room. Turn your fixture into the centerpiece of your design with a dramatic chandelier or pendant that draws the eye toward the ceiling. Aim for simple and stylish with a minimalistic pendant. Round fixtures pair easily with round tables while linear fixtures complement traditional rectangular tables. The most important thing to remember is that lighting is about more than choosing the right fixture, it’s about ambience!

Unlike kitchens where bright lighting is essential, your dining room can be low and moody. Set the tone by connecting your chosen fixtures to a dimmer switch. A dimmer switch allows you to adjust the brightness, giving you the ability to create a cozy, dimly lit atmosphere during dinner, then turn up to the brightness as you transition into family game night. Dimming your lights can also increase your energy savings and may extend the lifespan of your bulbs.

Walking Paths

There are two types of space: positive and negative. Positive space is the space occupied by furniture and décor whereas negative space is empty space. You need to achieve an equilibrium between the two to create ample walking room and clear, navigable paths.

• Select a table that fits comfortably within the room, leaving space for chairs and for guests to easily move to and from their seats. Round tables make an excellent choice for smaller rooms while long, rectangular tables with extension leaves work well in large or long, narrow rooms. Extension leaves also give you the ability to increase the available seating during the holiday season!
• Arrange furniture such as curio cabinets, storage chests, and bookshelves along the perimeter of the room.
• Embrace multi-functional furniture that allows for hidden storage. (You can never have enough!)
• Optimize your accent décor by limiting yourself to two or three statement pieces. The fewer knick-knacks you use, the less cluttered your dining room will feel.

Ample walking space is especially important when inviting elderly or disabled guests that may need a little extra room to maneuver.

Color Schemes

The same way you tailor your lighting to set the mood, use color theory to create an aesthetic. Every color has its own meaning and the way you combine hues and shades, and the way you place them around the room, all create an emotional response. The wrong color can evoke the wrong emotion and overwhelm your overall design.

Traditional dining rooms favor warm neutrals: beige, brown, ivory, and gray. These warm neutrals add sophistication and leave you free to add bright pops of color in your accessories:

• Add bold reds to create warmth, stimulate appetite, and reinvigorate your guests.
• Add bright oranges to radiate happiness, create warmth, and draw attention.
• Add vivid greens to reflect nature or pale greens to promote relaxation.
• Complement masculine neutrals with a feminine shade of coral or pink.

Linens, tablecloths, wall art, candles, and area rugs are all great accent pieces that allow you to play with color. For a bolder approach, choose a bright wall color and pair it with neutral accent pieces.

Décor 

Blank walls can make your dining room look unfinished. The décor you choose can heavily influence your space so look for decor and accessories that tie the room together.

• Mirrors help to bounce natural light deeper into the room.
• Wall art takes your decor for “ordinary” to “extraordinary” and can serve as the focal point of your dining room. Choose land or seascapes to bring the beauty of nature into your interior. Choose abstract patterns or textures to add visual interest. Wall art is incredibly versatile, giving you endless design potential.
• Sheer drapes or blinds allow natural light to flood your dining room while still maintaining privacy.

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Interior Design Firm | Williamsville, NY