Dining Room Decorating Ideas

Are you searching for dining room decorating ideas to spruce up a boring room? Do you need new dining room furniture but don't know what shape or size of dining room table works best for your space? Whether you need dining room decor for large or small spaces you'll find lots of great tips and inpiration, so read on!

Your dining room decor is a reflection of your personal style as well as the style of your home. Finding the right furniture for your space can be a challenge sometimes, but I urge you not to rush this decision.

Our lives are so busy today that we rarely get the time to just “BE” in our homes. Sometimes, it’s months or years later that we start to notice the little things that could make our room interior design, and our lives, function better.

Glamorous dining room decorating ideas: Metallic wall paper and ceiling paint, velvet upholstery and metallic sheers, while the crystal chandelier and antique mirror up the sparkle factor. Designer Overstock Wallpaper $9.99 or Less plus Free Shipping! (for similar look, see book #1667, pattern #X7KGUPRU, pg 30, and here's a few more wall decorating ideas.

 

Dining Room Decorating Ideas For Large Spaces

If you're looking for Tuscan dining room decorating ideas, here's a great example. The warm glow of the fireplace, the use of wrought iron, massive beams, faux paint techniques, plus the style of the dining room chairs and rug, all work beautifully together.

With the popularity of great rooms, soaring ceilings and open floor plans, we see a need for much larger furniture and dining room light fixtures that are the right scale for the space.

Dining room light fixtures can can make your room seem dated or out of kilter unless they're properly sized for the scale of the room. A small chandelier with a 16' long chain hung right above the table would seem out of proportion in this dining room.

Notice how this chandelier is hung quite a bit above the table and fits the scale of the room perfectly?

If you have super high ceilings, you're much better off hanging a very large chandelier and not worrying about getting it so close to the table. Use recessed ceiling lights or wall sconces for additional light/ambiance.

Here's a fabulously frugal tip, not only for dining room decor, but any room interior design: Find a furniture source with wholesale prices. This allows you to buy better quality pieces that will look good for years to come, or get two rooms decorated for the price of one.

 

This oak dining room table is substantial, weighing in at over three hundred pounds, plus it expands from 84 inches to 120 inches (Mountainside collection, made by Lane for Eddie Bauer).

Chocolate brown leather chairs have a twisted leg design, lending an English country charm.

Buying a table with leaves can make more seating when entertaining, but what do you do with the extra chairs when not in use? Why not try grouping a pair of chairs in front of a fireplace, in your foyer, or as additional seating in a living room, bedroom, or study?

 

Dining Room Decorating Ideas For Small Spaces

City dwellers, and those living in older homes typically have small rooms and sometimes even low ceilings. In this situation, you need to find pieces that don't overpower the room or restrict the ability to move around the table.

Those living in studio apartments and very old buildings with galley kitchen designs can benefit from specially designed, compact pieces, as well as glass topped dining room tables with sleek legs.

Try wall mounted, drop leaf tables, or space saving tables that store against the wall when not in use and sleek designs that allow light to pass through.

Best Dining Room Table Sets For Your Space

When looking for dining room decorating ideas for large spaces, a popular seating choice is a rectangular table with leaves. Although square dining room tables (as in the photo below) may work better for entertaining by allowing your guests easier eye contact.

A square dining room table that seats up to four works well for decorating small kitchen spaces. The example above seats eight is perfect for formal dining rooms.

A Pub style dining room table is typically square, seating 4-8 people, and has a height of 36” (counter height) to 42” (bar height).

You can pack more people into a smaller space with this type of seating but be aware that pub chairs are also taller. With a 30” to 36” seat height, most people’s feet won’t touch the ground. The height, along with the lack of arms, can pose a challenge for small children or those with certain medical conditions.

Round dining room tables are great for small square rooms because there are no corners to get stuck on and the design gives everyone equal eye contact.

Oval dining room tables are a great way to get the best of both worlds, giving you rounded corners and a longer design. If you think these are too traditional, try a long tapered oval or look for designs with sleek legs. If you're a Retro Girl, you can pick up a 1950's style oval dining table and metal chairs with red vinyl seats.

Dining Room Table Pads protect your wood from heat, spills, and scratches. Custom made dining room table pads can cost $400. and up, but look amazing even without a table cloth, plus they'll last a lifetime.

Are You In Need Of A Dining Room Redesign?

All the dining room decorating ideas in the world won't help you if you're space doesn't fit your needs, and why have a formal dining room if you're never going to use it? Maybe you need an office, den, or guest room more?

It's your house, so why not change the room interior design to fit your lifestyle?

My mom is one such example. Both her dining room and kitchen were so small, that all she talked about was knocking the wall down in between the two creating a "great room". She stated this wish one too many times in front of my friends who were working their way through college framing houses.

Needless to say, my mom came home one day to find her wall GONE, and a note attached to a giant stuffed pink elephant, hanging from the ceiling that said "Be Careful What You Wish For".

Lucky for me and my friends she was very happy with the results (after she got over the initial shock). She then turned the "formal" living room she never liked or used, into the new, much larger, dining room.

We hope you enjoyed exploring dining room decorating ideas, but wait ~ don't go, because there's a another page on cheap dining room makeovers, plus more room interior design ideas in the links below, and don't miss these buffet table decorating ideas.