What is the perfect dining room?
For many people, the dining room is their centrepiece—the place that they entertain guests and share family meals. Because of its importance to the home, it’s important to get the design of any dining room exactly right. All well designed dining rooms pay close attention to the space available. When you are trying to place tables and chairs, lighting, and storage cabinets, space is a major consideration. Good designs also show impeccable harmony. Everything works together, from the ceiling lighting to the flooring, to the walls and the table. However, it’s important to note that everyone’s tastes will differ. There is no one perfect dining room, just an endless variety of interior designs that fit the passions of the people they serve.
Dining room ideas & inspiration
You might be passionate about designing a brand new dining room, but where should you look for information and inspiration? Kinzaa offers a new way to discover the latest interior design trends, allowing anyone to select the right dining room style. Browse through the Kinzaa online catalogue, which is grouped around different styles and the rooms of the home. When you find a design which inspires you, simply record it in the easy to use Ideabook and save it for later consideration when you come to finalize your design. The Ideabook also allows you to make notes as you go along, so that no moments of inspiration are lost along the way. With Kinzaa, anyone can assemble the various elements that go into creating the ideal dining room.
How do I design my dining room
Designing your dining room begins with the basics. Who will be using the room, and how large is the space? If you need to maximize the amount of people seated at one time, then go for benches along the walls (or consider a fold down table in very small spaces). Think about colour as well. A dining room needs to be inviting, relaxing, and as delicious to look at and spend time in as the food being served. Bold, rich colours can work well, but lighter, more subdued tones are equally suitable, depending on the mood to be created. Try to make the dining room accessible as well. Dishes need to be brought in and taken out, while guests will need to move around. The ideal design will be a seductive blend of comfort and style.
What to watch out for when designing my dining room?
One thing to watch out for when designing any dining room is lighting. The table needs to be lit properly to show off food and dinner placings in their best light, but it might not be so important to illuminate sideboards or walls, so consider using specially placed lamps that focus on the table. Materials are also important. Dining furniture needs to look good, but it should also be long lasting. Children can easily damage your beautiful upholstery, and red wine can stain fabrics irretrievably. So consider using materials like wood or composites to ensure durability. Little touches can also make the difference between a bland space and a spectacular design. So think about curtains, flowers and ornaments, but don’t go over the top. Restraint is important in choosing dining room décor as well.
Which colours for my dining room?
Contrasts seem to work well in the most successful dining room designs. Classy blues and reds combine neatly with white ceilings, particularly when used in conjunction with features like wainscoting or dado rails. Pure white or cream white walls can be perfect for minimalist or modern dining rooms, although they risk blandness as well, so if you choose lighter tones, colourful additions like floral arrangements are a good idea. Try to steer clear of colours that are too brash and overwhelming. Eating is a relaxed pleasure that requires an elegant setting. A well designed dining room relaxes guests and allows them to enjoy the setting at their leisure.
Tips for decorating my dining room
Decorations can be the difference between an anonymous space and a fully-formed, beautiful dining room, so take the effort to assemble the right collection of ornaments for your room. If you have gorgeous porcelain and plate sets, display them in your cabinets, and be sure to add the right mix of colours through flowers, curtains and artworks. Wallpaper is a fantastic way to create a more nuanced, interesting appearance, while lampshades can also become an integral part of the dining room design. It also helps to have a range of table decorations to hand. Hand crafted table settings and candles can be swapped around to change the mood from family meals to romantic dinners.
What to watch out for when buying dining room furniture
Your dining furniture will be a crucial part of the finished design, so pick wisely. You will need comfortable, sturdy chairs that last a long time and can withstand whatever food or drink is spilled on them. But they also need to be attractive and in keeping with the dining room design. For rustic designs, rugged wooden chairs make great sense, as do carved wooden benches, but for modern styles, metal is often the material of choice. The table will generally be wooden or glass-topped, and has to have the elegance to act as the focal point of the room. That doesn’t mean that fold-down tables or winged tables are inappropriate. Anyone who lacks space should think about including them.
Decorating ideas for small dining rooms
As with any room in the house, a small dining room space presents some challenges. However, these can be easily overcome, and with some handy small dining room ideas, you should be able to create a wonderful space to use. Colour is the place to start. Use lighter tones and ensure that the room is well lit. This will create an airy, spacious feel even when this is partly an illusion. Arrange your seating cleverly to create space as well. Benches around the walls can add space and include extra storage space, while fold down tables can be used to provide maximum room when meals are not being served. You can also use features like dado rails to create the sense of height, as a wall made from contrasting blocks of colour looks taller than one of the same colour.
Which style for my dining room?
- How to: Country style dining rooms
If you adore the countryside and rustic charm, then the Country style could be the ideal way to design your dining room. Country style dining rooms generally create a traditional feel via sturdy hardwood tables, chairs and flooring. Whitewashed walls and ceilings contrast with the richly coloured wood to create a fine effect, while wooden beams add extra historical authenticity,and hand made white cabinets and plush carpets add extra elegance.
- How to: Modern dining rooms
Modern rooms are all about keeping in tune with the most up to date trends in interior design. Modern dining rooms will therefore often be easy to reshape and renovate, so that they keep up with style developments. Expect to use glass-topped tables, sleek metal chairs and plenty of natural light provided by large windows. The energy of the best modern dining rooms is also generally complemented by clever use of décor like modern artworks.
- How to: Eclectic style dining rooms
The eclectic style is the most creative of all. Essentially, eclectic dining rooms are ones that combine all other styles in a wild, imaginative fusion of dining room elements. This means that colourful walls jostle with wooden floors, metal chairs and luxurious rugs. It also means that eclectic dining rooms can be huge successes, or spectacular failures, so be careful to strike the right balance.
- How to: Scandinavian style dining rooms
Scandinavian design is internationally famous for combining the use of natural materials and modern design techniques. Scandinavian dining rooms are generally reliant upon heavy use of richly toned hardwoods—from the tables to the floors and cabinets. Wood is complemented by pure white walls and plenty of sunlight, with a minimum of decoration. Purity, elegance and restraint are the keywords for a Scandinavian designer.
- How to: Minimalist dining rooms
Minimalism is the art of achieving as much as possible, with minimal apparent effort. This means picking exactly the right style of tables and chairs, so that there are no rough edges. Minimalist dining rooms rarely include soft furnishings or bright colours. They tend to include features like cabinets so that they blend into the walls, seeking to reduce the appearance of the room to an exquisite harmony.
