Make Your Dining Room Look Better
On a scale of good, better and best, where does your dining room land? Like any room, it can always look better and since the dining room isn’t a spot that we tend to settle into for long periods of time, it can suffer from decorative neglect.
Whether your dining room needs a complete makeover or you want to liven up your table setting with a new modern cutlery set from our flatware collection, we’ve got tips to help make your dining room and table settings look their best.
Opt for a Better Color
Does the thought of choosing a new color to paint your dining room walls sends shivers of dread down your spine? Why not let your entertainment style make the decision for you.
Here are some other tips that will help you choose a new paint color:
Be a good neighbor. Consider the visual flow of your home by keeping the colors of adjacent rooms in mind. You don’t have to match colors exactly, but try using the same color in a different tone. It’s best to keep warm colors together and keep cool with cool.
Work with the space. Generally, warm colors (think sunshine!) seem to visually advance towards us (as do dark colors) which can make a room feel cozier. If your dining room is large, painting it a warm terracotta or brown will make family and guests feel cozy. Cool blues and greens will make a small space feel larger.
Create the mood. Warm colors like orange, red and yellow tend to put us in touch with our passionate, playful side while a cool blue, purple or green palette feels calm and refreshed.
Neutrals are anything but boring. White walls bring a modern expression and warm whites can help harmonize colors and add warmth to the room. Besides, neutral-hued walls free you to add pops of color in other ways with wall art, window treatments and seating cushions.
Hint: If new paint on the walls is not in the cards, adding some interesting decorative items goes a long way to creating a colorful space. You’ll find brightly colored glass candle holders and colorful vases for sale here on Letify.
Hit the Lights
Lighting is so important in any room, but especially in a dining room, where you want guests to be able to feel relaxed and comfortable while dining. A layered lighting approach is best, with a stylish pendant or chandelier combined with wall sconces, wall art lighting or table lamps for additional ambient light.
Here are some tips for selecting and hanging dining room lights:
Next to your dining table, your dining room light fixture is a focal point in the room. Opt for a sculptural chandelier in a modern space or hang a trio of pendant lights for a brilliant display.
Batisse Minimalist Pendant Light in Metal and Wood and the Stream Chandelier
Keep scale in mind. Chandeliers should be approximately one-half the width of your dining table.
When guests enter the room the light fixture should be at eye level. Center your chandelier or pendant lights above the table and never hang them so low that they block the view across the table.
Something as simple as adding a dimmer switch to your main light source can set the mood in your dining room as well as save on electricity.
Create Better Seating
One of the most inexpensive ways to elevate your dining room is to refresh your seating. Do your chairs all match? Change things up by adding colorful fabric slipcovers to just the two chairs at the end of the table. Even if your table is round, having a pair of slipcovered chairs adds interest without changing the symmetry. Remember to keep all your dining chairs at the same height so everyone sits at the same level.
Here are some other design ideas for your dining chairs:
Keep your traditional armchairs but change the fabric on the seats. Here’s your chance to really express yourself with something unexpected, like a wild leopard print or bright floral fabric.
For a more casual look, change the landscape by removing chairs on one end of the table and replacing them with a bench.
Swap out the two traditional end chairs and add some texture with two wicker wingback armchairs or a pair of cowhide dining chairs.
Seating tip: Do your guests have enough room when everyone gathers around? To make sure everyone has elbow room, there should be 24-30 inches between chairs. For formal dinner parties, aim for 30 inches.
Delightful Dining Room Table Décor
Round, square or rectangular, the dining table is the central piece of your dining room. Dressing up the dining room table with decorative accents and creating eye-catching centerpieces will make your dining room look its best.
Tabletop decor accents like elegant glass candle holders, floral arrangements or even bowls brimming with brightly colored fruit, switched out to suit the season are always stylish options. Some of the best colorful vases for sale look equally stunning with fresh-cut flowers or faux floral arrangements.
Tablescaping
Tablescaping is the art of dressing a table and something everyone can do. Whether you prefer dining with fine bone china and the best cutlery brands or love the modern rustic look of organic dishware paired with a modern cutlery set, this is your chance to bring your personal touch to the table.
Here are some tips for dressing your table:
Put the focus on your guests. A floral centerpiece can be beautiful or try a trendy new approach by creating a “living runner” with foliage and greens scattered over the center of the table. As the saying goes: “The conversation will flow if you keep things low.”
Don’t forget glassware and cutlery. Like your centerpiece, they can make a huge difference to the overall look of your table. Many of the luxury cutlery set brands are offering gold flatware, a great look when combined with colorful tinted glassware or glassware with metallic rims. And smoky tinted goblets with black flatware look stunning.
Hexagon Cocktail Glasses paired with our Duchess Stainless Steel Gold Flatware 20 Pc Set
A minimalist setting in a neutral color palette is both simple and elegant. Faux marble plates topped with a few sprigs of rosemary, flanked with a ceramic flatware set make a chic tablescape for a dinner party.
Silver & Marble Stainless Steel Luxury Flatware 5Pc Set
We hope these decorating ideas will inspire you to make your dining room look its best, ready for you, your family and guests to enjoy. Nothing left to do now but decide on what’s for dinner!