Your dining room is one of the most important entertaining spaces in your home where you gather with family and friends to enjoy delicious meals and meaningful conversations. Improving the design of your dining room can foster a deeper connection and elevate the special experience of coming together around sustaining food and fellowship.
After building luxury custom homes for over 40 years across Southeast Michigan, the expert designers and artisans at Cambridge Homes have discovered the top methods for transforming an average dining room into an exceptional gathering place full of style, function, and lasting memories.
1. Invest in a Showstopping Dining Table as Your Foundation
As the central focus that everything else plays off of, your dining table should captivate guests while serving as a durable workhorse through years of family meals. Optimally choose solid hardwood construction featuring quality joinery and hand-rubbed finishes that promise durability and everyday elegance that ages gracefully over decades of use.
Determine a size that allows for comfortable conversation flow while accommodating gatherings with your regular guests. From smooth modern minimalism to ornately hand-carved traditional pedestal bases, your dining table design sets the decorative tone for the whole room.
2. Complement with Statement Chairs
Balance form and prolonged comfort with dining chairs that perfectly flank your table. Consider supple upholstered chairs that provide plush seating comfort yet resist signs of wear. Carved hardwood chairs and tufted leather options add striking visual appeal.
Seek out ergonomic designs with contoured backs, padded seats, and smooth recline mechanisms that prevent strain during lingering feasts. Design uniform chairs for a clean, coordinated aesthetic or boldly mix varying complementary silhouettes for an eclectic yet curated vibe.
3. Illuminate with a Chandelier
Wallpaper delivers serious style, but don’t let it overpower a space. Carefully choose placement for optimal impact. Draw focus upward with a stunning chandelier hung strategically above, washing the space in a welcoming ambiance. For traditional refinement with ethereal sparkle, choose a crystal style with strands of glass baubles, beads, and prisms that refract light elegantly.
Wrought iron fixtures offer vintage industrial charm while sleek modern chrome makes a contemporary statement with clean-lined elegance. Allow ample vertical space so the fixture aligns harmoniously with other horizontals like chair rails or wainscoting without competing with or overwhelming the intimacy below.
4. Build a Striking Backdrop with Wallpaper
From organic botanical trails to vivid abstract geometrics, statement wallpaper delivers serious style to your dining room. As a bold artistic focal point, it adds dimensional texture by visually expanding the canvas you have to work within the space. But don’t let it overpower the room completely.
Consider framing just one accent wall with eye-catching wallpaper instead of floor-to-ceiling installations for a versatile style that você can refresh with the seasons or special occasions. Limit competing patterns on surrounding furnishings and tableware elements so the wallpaper can truly shine.
5. Expand Small Spaces with Mirrored Elements
Visually double the dimensions of tighter dining rooms through reflection. Integrate mirrors strategically as buffets, hutches, or bar carts that mingle storage solutions with light-enhancing radiance.
Alternatively, dominate an entire wall with a bold mirrored display for nearly limitless depth and brilliance. Avoid going overboard into funhouse territory by balancing mirrored finishes amongst wood, leather, and velvet textures.
6. Integrate Built-In Cabinetry for Streamlined Storage
Maximize form and concealed function by installing built-in cabinetry solutions along the perimeter of your dining space. In addition to keeping serving essentials and table settings organized yet out of sight, they provide beautiful architectural interest with their elevated custom designs complementing any decor era from traditional to contemporary.
Opt for glass-front cabinetry to display cherished dishware collections while discreetly concealing less attractive items. For a seamlessly coordinated aesthetic, select cabinetry trim and hardware finishes that complement existing wood furnishings.
7. Layer Rugs for Cozy Definition
An area rug adds comfort underfoot, defines the seating zone, and infuses visual interest through color, texture, and pattern. Ensure the size allows all chair legs to fit atop the rug so it grounds the table arrangement.
Plush and subtly patterned machine-made rugs offer versatile neutrals to complement most color schemes. For more artistry, hand-knotted wool rugs boast intricate geometrics and vibrant colors. Layer smaller cowhide and Persian rugs atop neutral broadloom carpeting for luxe texture and flair.
8. Showcase Cherished Artwork
Infuse personality and visual intrigue while spotlighting meaningful artwork you’ve collected through the years. Harmonize a salon-style gallery wall with varied frames and prints for a lively contrast. Or opt for coordinating collections and symmetrical arrangements for polished sophistication.
Black and white photography elicits modern elegance while Impressionist artwork channels breezy color. For familial finds like wedding portraits or your child’s art, sweep them into gilded frames placing them at eye level on the gallery wall or within a shadow box display case.
9. Add Architectural Interest with Trimwork
Trim and moldings provide more than just beauty. Strategically employ these architectural elements to add function. Beyond aesthetic polish, architectural moldings, and trim work incorporate important detail lending refinement.
Chair rail and picture rail moldings elegantly divide walls horizontally while providing perfect display shelves to exhibit treasured wares. Crown molding detailing the ceiling imparts stately elegance paired with substantial base molding wrapping the floor.
Add panel wainscoting on the lower half of the walls for gorgeous texture and balance. Trimwork bridges eras from the Old World to contemporary with timeless grace.
10. Incorporate Lively Greenery
Bringing slices of nature indoors through lovely plants immediately enlivens any interior. Statement palms and flowering orchids captivate attention from their stately planters while trailing ivy creates an artistic backdrop, the dangling strands almost replacing a textured wallpaper.
For easier care, mini succulents and air plants provide modern organic texture without demanding special conditions. Greenery interjects freshness, nurturing a welcoming oasis for you to gather with your favorite people over wonderful food and conversation.
With vision and planning, transform lackluster dining rooms into beautiful spaces for memory-making. Our designers understand the architecture and aesthetics of phenomenal homes. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the hottest dining room design trends right now?
Clean, bright spaces with lots of natural light are hugely popular. Statement lighting pieces, abstract wallpaper prints, gold metal finishes, and greenery continue trending too.
Which dining room color schemes boast timeless style?
Crisp whites, warm grays, and deep navy hues adapt beautifully across eras from traditional to modern. They pair elegantly with wood furnishings for eternally stylish backdrops.
What’s the ideal dining room size per person?
Generously allot 10-12 square feet per typical dinner guest at your table to allow ample elbow room and space to slide chairs back without bumping walls.
What common mistakes should you avoid when designing a dining area?
Awkward table proportions overwhelm or look dwarfed by surrounding scale. Insufficient lighting creates a dreary, lifeless atmosphere. Cluttered storage corners with messy piles feel chaotic rather than orderly and welcoming.
Need Design Help?
Architect your dream home and dining space by collaborating with the custom design maestros at Cambridge Homes. Our personalized process adeptly delivers comfort, elegance, and timeless style throughout your new luxury residence. Call (248) 348-3800 or visit our website now to schedule your initial design consultation.
