Dining room inspiration

It doesn’t matter whether you have a dining room, a dining nook or a kitchen table – it is always wonderful to be seated amongst family and friends and wine & dine. Having an adequate space, a space to really enjoy, is worth a lot. And what does one typically need? A table and some chairs, light and and and … but there are just too many options and styles to chose from. What style to go with? Go with your gut instinct and take into account the rest of your apartment / house. So enjoy my dining room inspiration and decor ideas.

So today I am sharing 12 of my favourite dining room inspirations and styles so you can chose and apply what most resonates with you.

1. Organic modern

Basically chose a wooden dining table, no chi chi, clean lines and some gorgeous wooden chairs. You want a tranquil atmosphere, use earthy colours. Chose natural and eco-friendly wood for a healthier home. Rattan elements as well as matte pottery decor can also be incorporated, and chose some plants which add some warmth into the space.

2. Minimalist

It really depends on the rest of your furniture but material wise you can go for wood, marble, resin, glass or even metal (I dare you; fabulous choice the latter one). In order to get that sleek finish, hold back on decoration – keep it as minimalist as the furniture itself. Don’t forget that some materials are higher maintenance than others. Glass and metal tables only look nice when squeaky clean (you may want to have a glass cleaner nearby all the time).

3. Extending dining table

Great choice if your space is a tad too small for hosting – yet you love to host. You live with the small version of the table and only extend it when necessary. Make sure the table is easy to extend though and ideally with a built-in table leaf (referred to as drop leaf tables), otherwise you’ll need additional storage for that table leaf too. You can mainly find square, rectangle and round / oval extendable dining tables, so basically for every space – and in many sizes too. A great dining room inspiration.

4. Feng Shui anyone?

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy. It enables us to amplify the serenity and harmony we all seek in our homes. Furniture shall be places in a way enabling for energy to flow freely, for a home to be welcoming and to provide calmness. In relation to dining, to allow chi (energy) to circulate freely during meals and gatherings, round or oval tables are preferred in Feng Shui. Wooden tables are the best choice material wise in Feng Shui, providing positive energy. Feng Shui also prefers an even number of dining chairs and for no-one’s back to be facing a door.

5. Japandi style

Japandi is a combination of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics, Japandi style is calm, casual, and organic. Simplicity combined with nature is what this style mediates. Furniture should be wooden based and the decor simple and cozy.

6. Bold colour

You want a centrepiece? Go for a bold statement colour. You can either just get a bold dining table, or just bold coloured dining chairs and a less stand out dining table or go for bold colours all round. I personally love this style and recently got a pink dining table by HK Living, which I combined with some classic Wishbone chairs (designed by Hans J. Wegner). Another great dining room inspiration.

7. Farmhouse style

You don’t need to live in a farmhouse or cottage to like that style and recreate it at home. One can blend tradition with modernity – nothing wrong with that. Even though more rustic, a farmhouse style dining table can be combined with modern decor and other furniture – and it looks great. Usually farmhouse style dining tables are most commonly large, rectangular shaped, sturdy and an all rounder family table (not just for meals). And as an extra bonus – they become more beautiful with patina over the years.

8. To bench or not to bench?

To bench of course. Also, a great space saver; the bench can be stored below the dining table when not in use.

9. Mix and match chairs

Opt for a mix of design classics and some regular chairs. Splurge on some one or more investment pieces and save on others. I feel like splurging on chairs (I am obsessed with chairs) is so easy – it deserves a separate blog post. And for the save part, even Ikea has great options nowadays, look at Krylbo and Odger for example (depending if you prefer a cushioned or not cushioned chair).

10. Built-in banquette

This is also a fabulous dining room inspiration and really utilises space very well. This can be in your living room or even kitchen as a nook. Chairs can be unified or mix and match (depending of the style you go for) and the base of the bench can even be used for storage (think pull-out cupboard / drawer).

11. Kitchen table

You don’t have a designated dining room / dining space but use your kitchen (open plan or not) for dining and wining, why not make it a statement piece? Again, go for a bold colour, or use your kitchen island with high chairs, get an extension to your kitchen work space, or a nook with banquette option – options are endless.

12. Rugs

Rugs are a great way to outline your dining space within another room – or in its own room of course. And there are great washable options which isn’t a bad idea below a dining table. I am a fan of Ruggable. They have super interesting cooperations with designers and others (such as Iris Apfel, Jonathan Adler, AD, Pantone, Disney, etc.) and they offer so many designs. The majority of their rugs come in two parts, a base referred to as pad – one can chose between a standard and cushioned pad and the rug, referred to as cover, where again two different standards can be chosen from – standard and cushioned – depending on traffic, use and the positioning of the rug. The cover can be exchanged easily. All of their rugs come in many sizes and shapes. Genius!

Most important is that you really love spending time in your dining area, be it alone, with your family and / or friends. The space can be utilised in so many different ways – hello home office. Make sure the space is welcoming, your dining table big enough for your wants and needs -yet not oversized in relation to the subject space- and think about nice lighting which can have a huge effect on the ambience and vibe.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, ask questions, add links, share my post …

And if you have a little more time, why not read another one of my posts, like the one about baby’s and kid’s bedroom ideas.