Five Dining Room Design Tips
Dining rooms are generally straightforward when it comes to furniture and layout: table, chairs and then storage pieces if you have space. I love designing them, however, because the fun and creativity comes into play when you’re selecting the furniture pieces, pairing them and then bringing it all together with the finishes and accessories throughout the space.
Today, I’m sharing 5 essential tips for designing and decorating a dining room.
Round and oval tables offer more flexibility in seating numbers
The curves allow you to spread out your seating if you have smaller numbers day-to-day or for a more intimate gathering, or you can utilize them to accommodate more seating should you need it. This is great if you don’t want to deal with leaves or extending tables OR if you have a larger space that calls for a larger table, but don’t want it to feel enormous for smaller gatherings.
Your chandelier should be 2/3 to 3/4 the width and length of the dining table, and should hang 30”-36” off the table
When you do the math, the result might surprise you - as an interior designer I see a lot of chandeliers that are too small for the space and furniture arrangement that they are above. Aside from visually balancing the room, having a chandelier that is large enough also means it will likely have enough lamps and spread to provide enough light across the table for dining. This is also the reason that it should drop lower than it would in another space - it needs to relate directly to and provide light to the table below. Don’t be afraid to go big, it will be worth it! Bonus tip - put that chandelier on a dimmer! It’s an easy upgrade and can be done after the fact as well.
You DON’T have to do the matching set… I prefer to mix and match
This might be my favorite tip! I would recommend starting with the table, which will be determined by the shape of the room, your needs and then, style-wise your decor and how formal your dining room will be. I love mixing in upholstered chairs as a way to bring in elements of color, pattern and texture with the fabric or leather. Lastly, any serving pieces should coordinate but can be a different finish or even pop! Those items are a great option to make a statement.
Give the rug 3’ around the table … and do a flat pile rather than a fluffy
We’re going to want a rug in the dining room, and there are a few rules of thumb to follow. The three feet around the perimeter of the table allows for all 4 chair legs to remain on the rug when the chair gets pulled out. You can, of course, go larger, but that is the minimum amount of space needed. Secondly, due to all the food in the space, the less pile and fiber for the crumbs and mess to get stuck in, the better. A flat pile is best. Is there a better material? Lots of people swear by synthetics, which are easy to clean. Wool, however is also easy to clean and will stand up over the course of time, meaning that you can remove the rug for professional cleanings and worry less about wear.
Vary your lighting
We chatted about a chandelier, but what else? I love to add another layer of lighting “below” the chandelier. Whether it’s sconces, buffet lamps or art lights you’ll be able to add the the ambiance immediately by dimming the overhead lights and turning on the secondary lighting. These can even be on timers and come on daily, giving some soft illumination to your space without having the entire space lit up.
Bonus - make it a fun room - especially if you have a traditional dining room. You’re likely not walking through it constantly and its adjacent to the main living spaces in your home, so that lends itself to being a room you can have more fun with the design in. But, I also hope that you’ll make it so fun that you’ll use it.
Love these tips but do you feel like you still need help with your dining room? Or, is there another room in your home that has you stumped? We’d love to help with your next interior design project!
