Paint Your Walls
Add interest and pattern to your walls with a striped paint treatment. For this dining room, designer fan creatively dreaming uses leftover paint from her living room makeover to take her dining room walls from boring to beautiful.
Decorate a Shade
Dress up a plain drum shade with ribbon. A subtle gray-blue ribbon accents the shade in this dining room, complementing the wall color. Choose a bolder hue, such as turquoise or fuchsia, to create more contrast and add a pop of color.
Update Lighting
Modernize your dining room with industrial-style lighting. Balance their streamlined look by combining the lighting with natural furnishings, like distressed wood tables and wicker chairs.
Add Slipcovers
Tired of your chairs? Slipcovers are an easy solution for changing the look of any upholstered chair. For added sophistication, have slipcovers made with your monogram.
Display a Collection
Make a style statement by displaying a favorite collection of dishes. Designer paints the hallway leading up to the dining room a deep blue, perfectly accenting her vintage Stafford shire dish grouping.
Create a Stunning Ceiling
Don’t forget the fifth wall – the ceiling. Add architectural details, paint a unique design or do both, like designers, who create an Old World-inspired ceiling with rustic beams and custom artwork in muted primary hues.
Go all out With Lighting
Eye-catching chandeliers are the hallmark of a well-designed dining room. Designer dresses up this contemporary space with a glamorous chandelier.
Eclectic Seating
Mix and match your seating. Turn a nook into a cozy, casual dining area with banquette seating and even a wing-back chair.
Be Creative
Make a statement in your dining room with bold, complementary colors like pink and green. In this dining room designed by Shelly Riehl David, the bright, patterned draperies, contrasted with an enameled walnut credenza and gilded buffet lamps celebrate a creative style.
Update With Wallpaper
It’s not your grandmother’s wallpaper anymore. Today’s wallpaper options range from updated florals to cool graphics, like the geometric print designer Brian Patrick Flynn used in this dining room.
Combine Patterns
Ikat chairs and modern floral wallpaper live harmoniously in this contemporary dining room. Designer Kate Ridder combined the loud patterns with robin’s egg blue to ground the space.
Add Coziness
Bring elegance and warmth to your dining room with an ornate area rug. Designer Ron Nathan incorporated hand-painted wallpaper, floor-to-ceiling draperies and an intricate China cabinet for an extra luxurious touch.
Personalize Your Space
Find something that’s uniquely you and display front and center like designer Jennifer Dyer did with the horse mural. A transitional buffet has a high-contrast finish that fits with the room’s crisp, up-to-date aesthetic, and a comfy upholstered arm chair is an unexpected touch at the head of the table.
Add Natural Elements
Bring life to your dining area with houseplants. Succulents are easy to care for and make the perfect centerpiece year-round.
Wine Storage
Let the wine do the decorating. Whether you have a large built-in storage unit or a small storage option, displaying your wine bottles gives your space a sophisticated, Old-World feel.