A well decorated dining room can really impress guests at a dinner party. It is a room that is always evolving to keep the pace with changing lifestyles. The current trend that will only grow in popularity is the return to a scaled-back, more simplified way of life. The demand for smaller scale furniture is on the rise driven by younger consumers, baby boomers and second home owners.
To create a more glamorous dining area, I would use an elongated chandelier, a lot of glass, and painted furniture embellished with gold. A mirror adds a nice touch and opens the room up. A plain glass table with white leather chairs creates a captivating room. For lighting, I would use ceiling down lights so that it focuses on the table. Don’t overdo the lighting because it can hurt the eyes.
For a modern dining room, I find that a simple metallic table with black chairs works wonderfully. Again, I would suggest using ceiling down lighting to focus on the table and soften the surrounding areas. A nice, delicate flower arrangement will complete the look.
Lighting is key in a dining area. It’s important to not only have carefully positioned down-lights to bathe the walls in light but also pieces like antique chandeliers or fiber optics set into the glass surface of the table. The background should match the rest of the home, so that it creates a nice flow and consistency.
If you have a small area to work with, there are several ways to give the illusion of a larger space. Large windows and doors allow a lot of sunlight, creating a brighter room. So your window glass now becomes a decorating material. Transparency creates the illusion, as the outer and inner space have no limits. So, the room which once felt cramped, now feels more spacious. Adding glass doors to the entrance way can allow for a larger, more open feel as well. I would use a neutral shade of paint in a smaller room, too.
I always start the decorating of a dining room with painting the walls and skirting boards the same color. Then I measure the room to see what size furniture will fit comfortably. After measuring, it’s important to reserve at least 2-2.5 feet of space between the walls and the edge of the table. A round shaped table may not always be suitable in a small space. For rooms that are awkwardly shaped or long and narrow, a bench-like table would be suitable. Also before adding furniture, the color scheme should be taken into consideration. I think of the rug as the first layer to consider, followed by the chair seat covers. When picking out furniture, I always advise people to go with something that is timeless looking.
Some of my favorite looks and pieces for a dining area include; a stone floor, steel banded chairs, a glass top table, a modern metal light fixture, and granite layering the curved buffet. All of the varying textures create a memorable room. For an interesting divider, in a room that’s large enough, a water wall fountain can be used.
The way the room and furniture is positioned is very important to its appeal. A dining area should not be adjacent to a bathroom. A console or buffet used for storage of crockery and utensils should be on the southern or western wall. Ideally, the room itself would be in the western corner of the house as morning sunshine is good for your health. Should you decide to place a refrigerator in the room, it should be facing southeast.
