Stylish Dining Room Ideas To Impress Your Dinner Guests

Dining rooms are often neglected in our homes – especially where homes have seating in the kitchen, and where family members are working to different schedules, it can be hard to make the most of sitting down and eating together. But when you’re socialising with friends and family, that’s when your dining room really comes into its own. Cosy Friday dinners for two, Saturday evening dinner parties with friends, Sunday lunches – and not to mention Christmas dinners – they are all times when you want your dining room to look fantastic, even when it is just two of you! Taking time to create a stylish dining room ahead of socialising with friends is something you’ll thank yourself for – and is definitely a feature of your home that your guests will envy, and enjoy coming back to. 

But exactly where do you get started when you’re styling a dining room? There’s a lot to consider, from your taste in interior design, your budget, and how much use your dining room will actually get. In this post, we’ll be taking a look at how to get the furniture in your dining room right, which accessories you might want to consider, and thedifferent styles of dining rooms. 

 

Furniture In Dining Rooms 

Your dining room furniture is going to be the focus of your room, so whatever your budget, be sure to choose what you love. While you can opt for a matching set, this isn’t a necessity, and you certainly don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds or more to make your dining room furniture look wonderful. There is an absolute ton of inspiration from designers that are creating fabulous looks with vintage pieces that you can easily replicate. Your local charity shops and flea markets are likely to be full of pieces that, with a bit of TLC (and maybe some spray paint or a new wood finish) can look just as stylish as a brand new set that costs hundreds of pounds.  

 

Table

Your dining room table is the main piece in the room, and it is essential to get right – and yet, there are many people that struggle to get it right, often because they rush into making their purchase. A great dining table should last you a minimum of five to ten years, and that is something you need to bear in mind – there are a lot of trends that will come and go during that time! While you might choose a modern shape, if you are spending a lot on your table, and you’re anticipating that it will last you a long time (as most of us do!) then opting for a more classic look – sleek and simple – means you’re more likely to be happy with it for longer. 

 

How Much Use Will Your Dining Table Get?

In addition to choosing your dining table based on style, and what you like the look of, there are other things to consider. You’ll need to consider how much use the table will get – daily, or occasional, as well as who will be using the table – homes with children will want a harder-wearing table to those without. When you’re looking at dining tables, that means you’ll need to think carefully about which material you want to invest in. 

 

What Material Is Right For Your Dining Table?

There’s a surprising number of materials to make a dining table from, but there are pros and cons to consider for all of them. Although you might love the look of some types, bear these things in mind before you buy – if you hate cleaning, you won’t want a table that shows up every mark, and if you want to avoid the need for using table cloths, then be sure your table isn’t likely to chip or scratch easily. 

Wood is a traditional material, can be relatively inexpensive (although not all types are!) and is usually pretty easy to repair. However, wood dining tables can expand and contract with the heat, and they can show scratches pretty easily too, depending on the type of wood you choose. In addition to that, certain finishes need to be redone periodically – beeswax finishes need another coat every six months or so, for example. 

Veneer is a great option if your budget is tight. Veneers are made from a very thin layer of wood, or a plastic that is designed to look like wood, stuck on top of plywood, or chipboard. If you’re hoping for a table made from veneer to last a long time, then look at the label – ideally, it will tell you what it is made of, and that will give you an idea how sturdy it is. If you can’t establish it, and the salesperson doesn’t know, then you might end up with a cheap option that won’t last as long as you might like. 

Stone and stone-effect are incredibly stylish options that can look fantastic, but there are issues to be aware of. Many types of stone are porous, which means that stains are absorbed into your table – which is not ideal when you want to be able to show off your purchase! On top of that, stone tables can be prone to cracking and chipping, and when that has happened, it can be really difficult, or impossible to repair. This type of table is often really expensive too, so bear that in mind when you’re deciding.

 

Glass is a great option in small dining rooms, since it can help the space to feel more open. They are generally relatively inexpensive – although like everything, you can find plenty of more costly options! Glass isn’t porous, and not susceptible to moisture, it can chip, scratch and crack, and it is really high maintenance – you’ll need to clean it pretty regularly, as it will show every smudge and fingerprint.  

Metals can be a really durable option, and last a long time because they’re not easy to damage. However, much like glass, they are really high maintenance in terms of cleaning as they will show up every dirty mark.  

Plastics can be a good material for a dining table; however, they aren’t always considered the best from a design perspective – they are inexpensive to buy, which can be a good thing, but they can also look cheap. We’re sure we don’t need to tell you that quality doesn’t have to be expensive, but cheap isn’t a good look. 

 

What Shape Table Is Right For Your Needs?

Generally, there are two main types of shape when it comes to dining rooms: square or rectangular ones, and round or oval ones. Which one is right for you will depend on your needs, and the space you have available in your dining room. If space is tight, then a round or oval shaped table will allow you to move around the outside more easily. 

If you’re still unsure, think back to how you’re going to use the dining room. Rectangular tables are usually considered a much more formal option, so if you’re hosting formal dinners, then this is likely to be the right choice for you, while for more casual dining arrangements, where a ‘head of the table’ isn’t required, then an oval table is likely to be a good choice. If you’re likely to need to squeeze an extra chair in from time to time, then a round, or oval table may be a better option too. 

 

What About The Table Legs? 

There are three main types of table supports – legs, trestle, and pedestals. If you need to be able to add additional places at the table from time to time, then you’ll need to think about how easy it is to get those places in. Table legs, and trestle braces are uncomfortable to sit at – most of us can attest to that, from one occasion or another! That’s OK every now and again, but it isn’t ideal in the longer term. Be certain to think about the way you want people to be able to sit at the table you’re thinking about buying, and if it is comfortably possible. 

 

Be Sure To Measure Carefully

When choosing your dining table, you’ll need to be careful to measure accurately. Dining tables are deceptively large, and when choosing one for the first time, many people make the mistake of not allowing enough space around the outside of the table. Ideally, there should be at least a metre around the outside of the table, in order that chairs can move in and out, and that there is room for people to move around the outside. 

With that in mind, before you make a purchase decision, be sure to measure the space properly, and if you’re not sure, block out the space that the table will take up with masking tape on the floor before you make your purchase. Considering that many dining tables are particularly heavy to move, doing this is likely to save you significant time and effort!  

When you’re deciding on how many places can fit around a table, bear in mind that each place setting needs at least 60 cm, and if you have large chairs, you will need to allow more space. Not only that, but you’ll also need to leave at least 15 cm between spaces – since very few people enjoy feeling squashed in at a dinner table, after all! 

 

Dining tables for small dining rooms

In small dining rooms that only require a large table with lots of seats on occasion, it is well worth looking at dining tables that can be extended. However, be aware that where leaves are difficult to put in, or there are mechanisms that could go wrong, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up not using it – so if there’s a choice, it is worth going for the simpler one. If you can, get the salesperson to demonstrate how to extend the table – if they struggle to do it, chances are you will too.  

 

Chairs 

When you’re settling into a dining room for a long evening of dining, drinking and discussions, you need to be comfortable – and that means finding the best dining chairs possible. Comfortable and stylish are not mutually exclusive though, as long as you choose well. 

As we’ve already mentioned when picking your table, when you are buying your dining chairs, be sure that you know how much space you have to work with – and measure carefully. You need ample space for moving out of, and around the chairs when people are seated, and so it is well worth taking the time to tape out the space before you buy. 

 

Before you decide how many chairs you need, think about how many will be used regularly. If you’re a family of four, you might buy a couple more chairs, for when family visit, and in this case, six chairs are likely to be plenty. If you need additional chairs occasionally, inexpensive folding chairs can supplement just fine on special occasions like Christmas where you have more family than usual visiting.

 

Which Is The Right Style Of Dining Chair?

The right style of dining chair that you choose will depend on the aesthetic you have chosen for the room, the size of the room, how often the room will be used, as well as the size of the people sitting in the chairs regularly. If you have young children in the house, then the style of chair you will choose is likely to be quite different to the ones you might choose if you are an all-adult household – and not just because of the size! Intricate designs are much more difficult to clean, and if you have small children, look for simpler, easy to wipe surfaces.  

If you have a small dining room, or you want to create an airy look, then simpler wooden chairs are also more likely to suit – as are Perspex chairs, because they allow the light to pass through. If you’re not using the space very often, adding simple cushions may be all you need for the sake of comfort. 

In contrast, if you’re expecting to use your dining room a lot, and to have those dinner parties that linger into the small hours, you might want to consider upholstered, or padded chairs – they’re much more comfortable for longer periods. If your dining room will act as an occasional office, then you’ll almost certainly want padding, especially if you work all day! 

 

Which Material Is Right For Dining Chairs?

When you’ve decided on the style of dining chairs that you want to invest in, the next decision is how to choose a fabric for the padding on your chairs. There are plenty of fabrics to make use of, and can provide visual interest in terms of texture and print. However, if you have children (or are clumsy – we make no judgements!) then you’ll need to consider how easy it might be to keep them clean and free from stains. In this situation, leather may be an option, since it is easy to wipe clean, and is hard wearing – and in many cases, looks even better as it gets older and worn in.  

If you decide on chairs without padding, for ease of keeping clean, then adding coordinated cushions to them will help to keep you and your guests comfortable. If you like to swap the look of your dining room with the seasons, then switching the cushion covers is an easy way to do that – so you can think of them as part of your seasonal décor. 

 

Choosing Unusual Dining Chairs

Particularly if you have invested in a very traditional, solid table with the intention of keeping it forever, you might decide on chairs that are a little more on-trend, or that have specific features that your dinner party guests are likely to admire. 

Great features to look out for include: 

  • Wicker or rattan seats
  • Chair legs made from a contrasting material
  • Button details 
  • Unusual fabric patterns
  • Bucket seats
  • Chairs with arms, or without
  • Steel or wire mesh

 

Of course, not all these styles will suit all homes – these are just ideas that you can consider depending on the look you want to achieve in your dining room.

 

Mismatched Chairs

For a more eclectic look – and especially if your budget is a small one, you might decide to buy mismatched chairs for your dining room. Buying mismatched chairs might feel odd, but they can add a lot of character to a room, and there are so many options at flea markets and vintage stores. When you’re choosing mismatched chairs, be sure to follow our advice here:  

If you’re going to use mismatched chairs, be sure to keep seating at similar heights, otherwise some of your dinner guests will end up feeling uncomfortable – which will definitely not make for great conversation!

When you’re mismatching chairs, you need to find some unity – otherwise your mismatching can look too messy and undone. There are two ways you can do this: either choose the same style of chair in different colours, or have different types of chairs and use the same colour for all of them. If you’ve bought different types of chairs, it is relatively easy to paint them, or you can create consistency by using the same seat cushion for all of them. 

If you’re choosing chairs that are from different design eras, the look can still work as long as you ensure the shapes complement each other. Look for curves in similar shapes, or for rectangular tables, choose square-backed chairs – this will help your dining space look more thought out.

Finally, if you’re struggling to get the look right, if you are able to, find pairs of chairs to mismatch. This will help the dining space to feel more cohesive and put together. 

 

Storage

Storage is important in dining rooms – especially if you love fancy plates, cutlery, and the correct glass for your beverages. Keeping those items safe is a challenge in a busy working kitchen, which is why dressers are so popular – they not only give you a place to store your cherished pieces safely, but if they have glass fronts on them, they allow you to see your glassware, flatware, and silverware easily. 

Dressers aren’t the only solution though, and you can get creative with your dining room storage. Chests of drawers, storage built into window seating, even blanket boxes – if they suit the space, there’s nothing to say that your blanket box can’t contain plates, napkins, and tablecloths!

 

A Great Bar Area  

Cocktails always seem like an excellent idea, until you realise you don’t have one of the spirits that you need to mix your favourite – whether that’s an old fashioned, a cosmopolitan, a pina colada, or something else entirely. And when you’ve got to the time in the evening that you’re considering a nightcap, you probably don’t want to head to the kitchen and start rummaging for the bottle containing your favourite tipple either. That’s why a bar area in your dining room is a great idea – it not only provides proper storage for your collection of spirits, but it’ll also allow you to easily identify which ones you’re running low on when you’re ordering your groceries.  

The size of your dining room will depend on how you decide to create a bar area. If you’re lucky enough to have a grand dining room, with plenty of space – well, go ahead and build in a ‘proper’ bar, with spirits mounted on the wall with optics, a fridge and so on. Most of us, however, don’t have quite that luxury – so we’re looking for other ways to create that for ourselves. You might make use of a few shelves in an alcove, a cupboard, part of your dresser – or you might find a vintage trolley to create a bar cart for your dining room. 

 

Lighting For Dining Rooms 

Gorgeous dining rooms need great lighting – and never more than when you have dinner guests to impress! Lighting experts suggest using a combination of different lighting in a room, so that you can create exactly the right amount of light for the activity taking place. In dining rooms, that will look different depending on who your guests are – family dinners with children are likely to need much more light than a dinner for two, or an intimate soiree with friends.  

 

Ambient Lighting

The ambient lighting in a room is generally provided by the ceiling light, but can be added to with wall lights and other accent lights. There are so many different types of ceiling lights that can be suitable for dining rooms, from ceiling lights that sit flush against the ceiling, to individual pendant lights, bar pendants, and chandeliers. The type of ceiling light that is right for the room will depend on the size of the space, the height of the ceiling and the size of the furniture. 

 

Atmospheric Lighting

When you’re choosing lighting for your dining room – whether that is ceiling lights, wall lights or floor lamps – bear in mind that there’s a good chance you’ll want to adjust the lighting levels in your dining room. The easiest way to do this is with dimmable lights, and today there are light fittings that incorporate LEDs that can be controlled with an app on your phone, rather than with a traditional dimmer switch. In many cases, these will allow you to change the light settings from bright white (near-daylight) to warm white, through to other colours – whichever suits your needs best. 

 

Accent Lighting

We couldn’t possibly talk about dining rooms and dinner parties without mentioning candles – they are pretty traditional for dining tables, after all! Most often, white tapered candles in holders are traditional, but if you have guests, then mix things up. These tapered dinner candles are available in several colourways, and a gothic effect can be achieved with tall black candles and these black wood candle sticks

If tapered candles are a little precarious, or you fancy something different, a collection of pillar candles can look impressive, and tea lights can look fantastic dotted along the table too – clear glass tea light holders will keep them in place, or choose tea light holders to match your décor.  

Of course, if you’re concerned at all about your guests knocking candles over – if children are on the guest list, or you’re expecting more than a glass or two of wine to be enjoyed – then opt for LED candles. These will give you the effect of real candles, without any danger of injury or fire.  

 

Colour Palettes For Dining Rooms 

There are many colour palettes that will work in dining rooms, but if you want to be sure that your dinner guests are suitably hungry, then red is the perfect colour for dining rooms. That’s because according to colour psychology, red stimulates natural desires – including the appetite, which is the reason that so many fast food restaurants use red in their branding. 

If bright red is too much, try deeper burgundy shades, or if they’re not to your taste, you can achieve similar effects with orange hues – terracotta, apricots and corals have enough red in them to stimulate hunger – as well as pinks. The advantage of using shades of pink is that it is calming to the emotions, and so if your family are known to get a little spirited during discussions at dinner, pink will help to keep everyone feeling hungry, rather than spoiling for a fight! 

Although blues can look incredibly stylish in dining rooms, there is evidence to suggest that blue can suppress appetites. So, avoid using blue plates, and if you’re set on using shades of blue in your décor, add the colour using accessories rather than on walls and furniture.  

Of course, keeping your décor neutral, and using pops of colour – whichever colour palette you decide on – is absolutely acceptable! In fact, by choosing neutral walls, a table and chairs in a classic colour and style will allow you to change the look of the room relatively easily, since you can switch out accessories like chair cushions, lighting and curtains and create a completely different look to the room. 

 

Styling Your Dining Room 

Although formal dining, and formal dinner parties might not be as prevalent in society today as it once was, having a great dining room to use for formal dinners – even if your formal dinner is a Tuesday night with the family. Your dining room style should reflect your personal taste in interior design, whether you decide the space should complement the rest of your home, or be something a bit different. The dining table and chairs are essentials, but everything else? Well, here are some ideas to consider.  

 

Modern Dining Room Ideas

There is absolutely no shortage of ideas coming from interior designers if you want a modern look in your dining room. Painting the ceiling an unusual colour, adding modern art, choosing Scandinavian-inspired styling, or bringing in barely-there ‘ghost chairs’ made from clear Perspex – there are so many modern dining room ideas to find. 

 

Traditional Dining Room Ideas

A traditional, formal dining room tends to feature chairs with taller backs, and wood – often darker woods – generally feature heavily. A tablecloth, or table runner are usually involved, but they don’t have to. We love this minimalist all-white dining room, for a fresher take on the traditional dining room. Note how the pendant light, and the glossy finish of the table and the floor help the space feel even more bright and airy – this is undoubtedly a space for friends.

   

Small Dining Room Ideas 

If you’ve only got a small dining space, then you might have given up on the idea of making it look stylish – especially if you feel cramped in the space. But there are ways to create a beautiful, tiny dining space that is suitable for a grown-up dinner party with friends, from spaces that are adjacent to the kitchen, to intimate little corners of the sitting room.

If you’re using spaces that aren’t traditionally used for dining rooms – or are even rooms, for that matter – adding great lighting, such as the pendant lighting in both these examples, will ensure that your dinners will feel suitably formal. Depending on your budget, you might use a rug to help delineate the space too.  

 Whether your tiny dining room is an actual room, or you’re making the most of an awkward corner, a small dining table – ideally one that is extendable – will help you to host friends for those dinner parties. Add a piece of art as a focal point, and add a centrepiece on the table – it’ll clearly mark it as a dining table, as opposed to a workspace, even if it does get used as an office desk from time to time.

 

Rustic Dining Rooms

The rustic look is a much more relaxed way to decorate your dining room, and opens up possibilities of using different materials too. Stripped wooden floorboards, with or without rugs, and aged furniture made from wood is a lovely combination that can be achieved in most homes. Bare brick walls, stone floors and cottage-inspired furniture are a great place to start too, with antique-inspired and vintage accessories, or natural items to decorate with. If you’re looking to create an elevated, slightly more sophisticated version of the rustic dining room, incorporating materials such as leather can look right without polishing the look too much. 



Open Plan Dining Rooms

Open plan dining rooms have their own challenges – they aren’t exactly separate from other rooms in the home, after all. If your dining room is open to the kitchen, sitting room, or other area of the home, there are ways that you can work with the dining area – here are a few ideas to inspire you: 

  • Use paint to create different zones 
  • Continue the flow from each area using symmetry
  • Add glass doors or shutters to separate the areas
  • Use different textures to create separation between one zone to another
  • Use coloured accessories to create unity throughout  

The example below shows exactly how an open plan living and dining room space can work using colour to mark out different zones – and although the colours are complementary, the rug helps to bring additional warmth to the sitting area.

 

 

Our Final Thoughts

We often hear the kitchen being referred to as the centre of the home, and we might spend much of our time in the living room or our bedrooms. But we think there is an argument to be made that dining rooms are where we spend the most quality time with our families and friends – and quality definitely trumps quantity. With quality time in mind, it is well worth your time decorating your dining room with those special evenings and dinner parties in mind, as well as for regular weekday evenings where a simple pasta dish is on the menu. Style and comfort should go hand in hand in a great dining room, and it should be a flexible enough space to hold all types of meals perfectly.