10 Dining Room Ideas To Refresh Your Entertaining Space

The dining room is the heart of many homes. Whether you spend quality time with family around the table, gather with friends to dine and drink, or enjoy some alone time with your morning cup of coffee, the dining room should be a comfortable place for you and others. Take a look at these dining room ideas to refresh your space.

10 Dining Room Design Ideas

If you’re starting to decorate or redecorate your dining room, there are a few things to keep in mind. Sit down and take the time to make a plan for how you want the room to look. This way, you’ll save time and money by only doing the things that will work for you.

1. Channel A Tasting Room

You likely already drink in your dining room, so why not create your own tasting room? Whether it’s wine, liquor, beer or nonalcoholic cocktails, think about how you want to store your beverages. You could invest in a wine refrigerator, or just find a cool, dark, dry spot to control the climate. Add shelving to a closet, repurpose a hutch, stack wooden crates, create a wine wall or build a custom cabinet to match your dining room decor.

Once you have your storage set up, make your tasting room comfortable for yourself and for guests. Add a bar table, lounge chairs, soft lighting, a record player or soundbar – anything that makes you feel relaxed and ready to kick back. 

2. Design A Library Wall

If you’re trying to decide what to do with a whole wall or just a small corner of your dining room, consider creating a home library. A comfortable space where you can relax and enjoy a good book may be just what your dining room needs.

You’ll want to decide on an overall mood for your home library. Do you want it to be simple and cozy? Elegant and extravagant? Kitschy and eccentric? The mood will depend on how you combine smaller design elements into a cohesive whole. These elements include the material of your furniture, the design of your textiles and the color of your walls, as well as the art and plants you choose.

3. Get Inspired By Your Local Cafe

If a tasting room isn’t your style, create a cozy atmosphere with a coffee bar. It doesn’t matter if you’re a caffeine lover or you live a decaf lifestyle – it’s easy to bring the local cafe home.

Start by selecting a space for your beverage-making tools. Think about what tools you use when making coffee or tea and lay them out in a way that makes sense for your purposes. You may even want to include counter space for your toaster and blender to make it a full-service breakfast or snack area. Then, spruce up the area with cafe decor, such as coffee-related wall decorations or a chalkboard to write an inspiring quote of the day.

4. Open The Flow Into Neighboring Rooms

An open floor plan can create a welcoming and accessible dining space that’s great for entertaining groups of guests. This could mean something as simple as rearranging furniture so it’s out of the way or making a bigger decision to remove walls or other structural items. No matter what you do, this can open the flow to living rooms and other gathering rooms.

5. Build Banquette Seating

Banquette seating refers to built-in benches, often upholstered, similar to those found in restaurant seating. This seating is becoming more popular in homes, enabling homeowners to maximize the space in the dining room. With benches against the wall or in corners, you’ll have much more space for other seating, table settings and decor. It can also ensure your entertaining space is an open, cozy area for you and your guests.

6. Blend The Indoors And Outdoors

Indoor-outdoor living is a concept that creates a natural bridge between the interior of your home and the outside world. With an indoor-outdoor dining area, the space and opportunities are endless. Blend the indoors and outdoors with French doors or large windows that can be opened. Think about the best way to use this indoor-outdoor space. For instance, if your dining room opens to the patio, you could build an outdoor kitchen to make cooking and entertaining a breeze.

7. Make It Multipurpose

It’s possible you live in a home with a dedicated formal dining room but don’t want to use that space for eating. If you don’t have big meals or parties often, then a formal dining room might not be the right use of space for your family. Making a multi-purpose space by blending a home office or indoor plant room into a dining area can give you many options besides dining and gathering.

8. Create A Kid-Friendly Space

If you have kids, chances are you know you need to be a little creative when coming up with design and decor ideas. When thinking about how to create a kid-friendly space in your dining room, start out by choosing the right materials. You’ll want items that are durable and easy to clean, because you know something is bound to get knocked off a table or shelf.

You can also incorporate a kids table, so they can have their own “dinner parties” while you entertain your adult guests. And when the dining room isn’t being used to eat in, you could double that area as a home classroom or creative space for your kids to learn and grow.

9. Take Advantage Of Window Seating

If your dining area has a bay or picture window, utilize that space by adding extra seating. This can help with the open concept we talked about earlier with banquette seating, except this will be built right into your window. Use your existing windows and even think about adding new window types to maximize space and incorporate more light in your dining room.

10. Choose A Historical Time Period

Pull dining room design inspiration from a specific time period in history. You may enjoy midcentury modern, Victorian, modern, antique, farmhouse – no matter your preference, you can turn your dining room into a small taste of history. Even if it’s different from the decor in the rest of your house, choosing specific colors, textures, lighting and furniture can really set your dining room apart as something special.

8 More Dining Room Decor And Accent Ideas

Dining rooms can be very overwhelming to decorate. They’re often one of the first rooms guests see when they enter your home and you want it to make the right statement. Decorating your dining room so you are proud of it is a good idea, and we have some more ideas to help you polish the look of your room.  

1. Display A Gallery Wall

Creating a gallery wall of art or photography that you love can be a great way to express your personality in your dining room. You can group similar items – such as all photography or all pieces with a similar color scheme – or hang the very unique items in similar frames to give a sense of cohesiveness. You can hang your art as formally as in a grid design or in a completely loose and unstructured random-style gallery wall. The less structured, the less formal the wall will feel.

2. Mismatch Chair Colors

Mixing the colors and styles of dining chairs can be a unique and whimsical way to enhance a dining space. Choose chairs that are around the same height to make them look cohesive. You can also experiment with different textures and styles, such as a wooden bench on one side and velvet armchairs on the other. Choose several different chairs of the same color to add some intrigue to the room.

3. Incorporate Vintage Decor

Vintage decor is making a comeback. Many homeowners are choosing to take style guidelines from the past by using or repurposing vintage and antique items. In fact, according to a 2022 survey conducted by Chairish, an online marketplace for vintage furniture, 90% of interior designers now turn to vintage furniture before newly bought pieces because vintage “makes a space more multidimensional and dynamic.”

4. Embrace Wallpaper

Speaking of vintage decor, wallpaper can enhance a dining space. Whether you choose to put wallpaper throughout the room or on just one accent wall, it can really breathe some life into the area. Stores are even selling special wallpaper that’s easy to install and remove, in case you’re a renter or you want the option of making changes in the future.

5. Use Built-Ins

Built-in cabinets are a great storage solution that add to the aesthetic of your dining room while also creating more storage space. The nice thing about built-ins is they don’t take up extra space, leaving you plenty of options for other decor. These cabinets will help keep your home organized and ready for your next gathering. 

6. Feature Mirrors

To increase the amount of natural light cast around your dining room, you can place mirrors across from or next to a window. Even on cloudy days, the mirrors will reflect any available daylight. Mirrors are an easy way to create a brighter and larger feel anywhere in your home. They can be expensive though, so keep an eye out for good deals on used mirrors.

7. Use Art As A Focal Point

Installing a piece of art can act as a focal point for guests to enjoy in your dining area. Choose something that works with the rest of your decor or something from your favorite local artist. You can increase the focus by adding a frame or lighting to showcase the piece. It also helps to keep your artwork separated from other items in the room to create a focal point.

8. Select A Circular Table

Round tables are great space-saving alternatives to square or rectangular tables, especially if they come with a leaf that can be removed after guests leave. They can also give even larger spaces better flow for you and your guests to move around easier. Lastly, they can help with conversation. With a circular table, everyone is seated at an equal distance from each other, making it easier to talk with everyone around the table.  

4 Dining Room Lighting Ideas

Lighting is an incredibly important, yet often overlooked, aspect of decorating any space. Your dining room can have a drastically different atmosphere simply by switching out the lighting. Here are some of the different options homeowners can incorporate with these dining room lighting ideas.

1. Add A Unique Chandelier

Chandeliers are the traditional dining room lighting option. Most of the time, they are large and statement-making, centered over your dining room table. But your chandelier doesn’t have to be extravagant. More informal options – such as lanterns, orb-style lights, or even modern sputnik lights – are a great way to show off your personal style.

2. Install Recessed Lights

Recessed lights are one of many lighting trends that can enhance a dining room space. While recessed can lights are usually added when a home is built or remodeled, an electrician can add them after the fact, too. These lights are great because they disappear when turned off but offer a ton of light when they’re on. And remember, if your dining room has recessed lighting, you can still add additional lighting to brighten the space even more.

3. Consider Pendant Lights

If you have a long dining room table or just prefer multiple light sources, pendant lights might be for you. Pendant lights generally look best in odd numbers – one, three or five – because odd numbers are most pleasing to the eye. If you don’t have multiple electrical hookups in your ceiling, look for light fixtures that look like a cluster or line of pendant lighting but are actually just a singular light fixture. These types of lights often look great over a long rectangular table.

4. Add Lamps For Extra Lighting

If you need an additional light source in your dining room, you can always add lamps. You can add table lamps to a buffet or hutch. Floor lamps can be used in dark corners to help brighten the space. You can also add plug-in or hardwired sconces on the wall for an extra bit of lighting when you need it. If you decide not to add a chandelier, this can be a great opportunity to add some color and flair to your dining space, as there are many lamp options out there.

Tips For Making Your Dining Room Decorating Ideas A Reality

• Use current trends as inspiration. Current interior design trends can help you get started when deciding on dining room decor. Some of the current trends are rounded and curved edges, nature-inspired features, sculptural furniture, monochromatic color schemes, eco-friendly designs, multipurpose rooms, bold art pieces, accent ceilings and the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year – Viva Magenta.
• Apply these ideas to an eat-in kitchen. All the ideas we’ve discussed in this article can also be used in smaller spaces, such as a kitchen, if you don’t have a formal dining room. You may need to do a little extra planning to save on space, but you can always refer to our storage solutions and ideas for banquette seating.
• Take advantage of secondhand items. Shopping secondhand and thrifting for furniture and decorations is a great way to find unique pieces for your home without breaking the bank. Besides being less expensive, secondhand items have a lower environmental impact than new items, and they can add to an overall vintage aesthetic.
• Don’t be afraid to DIY. DIY home projects can save money on a dining room remodel. If you have the time to do something yourself, it can also add to the pride you feel about that room. Not only will you have chosen the decor, you will have put your own handywork and love into the project. And DIY projects don’t have to be incredibly difficult and time consuming. There are plenty of easy, quick things you can do to spruce up your dining room.

The Bottom Line

A dining room is a space in your home with enormous potential. Whether you use it for formal dining or something else, it can blend in cohesively with the rest of your home or stand out as a statement room.

Your dining room is full of endless possibilities. If you don’t need a formal space, repurposing a formal dining room is a great way to add style to your home and be able to get use out of your space as well.

If you’re looking to renovate your dining room, apply for a personal loan today with Rocket LoansSM to finance the remodel.