Like a great meal, a beautifully designed dining room is all about carefully selecting the right ingredients; tables, chairs, lighting and artwork to compliment and contrast with one another.
We eat at the dining table (or at least that’s the goal), but it is also an essential spot for enjoying each other’s company and conversation, and that is why the dining room should be as comfortable and stimulating as possible. This also means that the dining room is the ideal place for dramatic design, and here are a few rooms full of inspiration.
All Dressed Up
A formal dining room doesn’t have to be stuffy or pretentious. The room above is elegant, but has enough unexpected touches, like the unfinished wood table and the wicker baskets under the side table, to keep it down-to-earth. Adding a round table may take up slightly more floorspace but is also intimate and encourages conversation unlike a longer rectangular one.
Flow
One of the trickiest things about living in an open concept space is trying to figure out how to divide areas from one another. The owners of this bright and airy apartment have kept everything white to help the dining room seamlessly blend into the surrounding ‘rooms’ instead of creating divisions; a great approach in a space like this.
Elle Decor (Spain) via Full House
Room For All
Whether you’ve got a big family, or a just a habit of collecting dinner guests, a long casual table with ample seating will make sure everyone has a spot . This dining setup couldn’t get more easy going and relaxed. I’d love to know where they got that sliding chalkboard, it’s brilliant.
Mix and Match
The play of patterns and colours in this room designed by Sarah Richardson is fantastic. This space is so vibrant and playful; I love the mix of painted and upholstered chairs with the rustic wooden table and the colourful decor.
Focal Point
A nice big painting or piece of art can complete any room, but in a dining room it can be especially effective because it gives your dinner guests something to look at, and adds ambiance to your dining space. Both the painting and sculpture pictured above are eye-catching and provide high contrast against the white walls.
Are you feeling inspired to give your dining room a makeover? If you’re looking for some dramatic dining room furniture Greentea Design has some phenomenal pieces worth taking a look at. My personal favourites are the Wide Maru table and the Misaki sideboard.
