The Dining Room Decorating Guide

The dining room is one of the easier rooms in the house to decorate. It’s generally a straightforward design process with fewer pieces of furniture needed. We all know the purpose of a dining room so as long as you have some chairs and a table, it’s hard to screw up your dining room design!

In any case, if you want to make sure everyone is comfortable in your dining room space, then keep reading to learn about the essentials when it comes to dining room decorating, styling, and design.

Dining Room Furniture

Your first consideration will likely be the furniture. Here are the main pieces of furniture most often found in dining rooms:

• Dining Table – Can’t dine without the table, right?
• Dining Chairs – Can be as simple or stylish as you want
• Buffet – A low to the ground piece of furniture used for storage
• Hutch – A large, tall piece of furniture with open shelves or cabinets for storing china

Not too much, right? At a minimum, the first two pieces of furniture are clearly necessary, but the last two are optional depending on the size of your space. Buffets and hutches are great for storing additional plates and cutlery. You can also keep extra food on top of a buffet if you’re hosting a large dinner party. Never underestimate the benefits of having extra storage in any room of your house!

Decor Tips

Decorating your dining room doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. With a few simple touches, you can quickly transform your dining room into a cozy place for dinner parties and delicious meals at home. Here are a few ideas to consider to give your dining room some personality:

• Hang art on the wall
• Display china in a hutch
• Keep extra utensils in the buffet cabinets
• Place a centerpiece or seasonal flowers on dining room table
• Add a dining table runner or tablecloth
• Put twin table lamps on the buffet

The decorations you choose should express your personality, and the theme you choose should be consistent throughout your home. That being said, don’t be afraid to play around and give the room a unique twist.

Design Tips

Try to leave at least 2 feet of space between your dining chairs (pushed out of course) and the walls of your dining room.

2 feet is also the amount of table space needed (lengthwise) per guest to ensure everyone will have enough room to eat at the table comfortably!

If you have dining chairs with arms, the arms should fit easily under the dining table itself when the chairs are pushed in. This will ensure your guests can rest their arms comfortably and ensure that your dining chairs can be properly stored under the table when not in use.

Dining room rugs should be large enough to rest under all the chairs’ feet when the chairs are occupied or pulled out. You don’t want guests to be partially on the rug while sitting in their chairs. A good rule of thumb is to allow at least 3 feet between the edge of your dining table and the edge of your rug.

Go for a thin, easy to clean rug in the dining room. Stay away from thick or shag rugs which may hide anything that falls from the table.

Pay attention to proportions. Your dining chairs should be proportional to your dining table. Nothing too large or too small. Your dining room chandelier should not be more than half the width of your dining table. The larger the table, the larger the light fixture!

Art in the dining room should never be larger than the dining room table. We all know why we’re in this room to begin with, so don’t distract from the main attraction with a too-large piece of art on the wall!

Dining Room Decor By Style

Do you already have a particular decor theme you’d like to stick to? Don’t miss our dining room decorating guides by style here:

Other Rooms in the House

Now that you know how to design and decorate a dreamy dining room, why not continue with the other rooms in your house? Check out our guides room by room below!

I hope this post helped you design, plan, and decorate the dining room of your dreams!

Large Windows in a Modern Country House

How large windows helped integrate the country house into the natural surroundings. We get rid of borders due to panoramic panoramic glazing. 15 photos

large glass windows

Panoramic glazing is one of the main architectural techniques in modern suburban construction. Glasses on the floor seem to blur the boundaries between internal and external space. Large panoramic windows in the project of the Lichtstad Architecten architectural bureau have become an example of how a large glazing area affects the species characteristics and insolation of housing.

large sliding windows large casement windows

house with big windows – spectacular surroundings due to large windows

The presented cottage is located in a picturesque area, on an island near the grow in the Netherlands. Here, in any direction, an impressive landscape opens up, and architects took advantage of this. Large windows in the country house are provided in social areas and in bedrooms. Due to the remoteness and location in the natural environment, there was practically no need to care about privacy, so the housing was made almost transparent.

The environment looks even more spectacular due to panoramic glazing. The interior space of the first floor smoothly flows into the terrace, and longer – the shore of the lake. Sitting at the dining table, you get the impression of being surrounded by nature, but at the same time you are in a comfortable, modern house.

house with large windows

big windows – maximum light all day long

The living space remains open and bright. The house is not closed neither by trees, nor by fences or other buildings. The rays of the sun pierce it from dawn to the last minutes of sunset. From the rooms you can watch a picturesque sunrise and watch a beautiful evening against the backdrop of the lake.

large fixed windows

All functional rooms in the house, including the dining area, places for cooking, relaxing, working and playing, are located so that they open out through large panoramic windows.

huge windows – lack of barriers

The house terrace around the house and the interior space are on the same level – a practically barrier-free environment is created. Visually, this space is also practically not divided – the only element designating the borders is sliding large windows.

large upvc window

At each level of the house there is a close connection with the outside world. Each functional area has a unique look due to the fact that they all go in different directions. Inside, the space is visually divided. Due to the delimitation by vertical zoning, it was possible not only to achieve an interesting reception in the interior, but also to emphasize the species characteristics. For example, due to the location of the cooking zone on the podium, an even more impressive view opens up from it. And from the bedrooms located on the top floor, the panorama is visible to the horizon.

extra large windows

large home windows – unification with nature

The integration of housing in a beautiful natural environment is a trend in modern suburban housing construction. In the presented facility, it turned out to be implemented at the highest level. Moreover, a connection with nature can be traced at every level of the building – from social zones on the ground floor to private rooms, bedrooms upstairs.

Large windows for a country house have become the main tool for integrating housing into the natural environment. Panoramic glazing not only provided an impressive view, but made it possible to literally connect the internal and external space into a single whole. It seems that the view landscapes are not just nature outside, but part of the house. It does not matter if the tenant is resting in the living room, bedroom or on the terrace – he is surrounded by wildlife.

The Dining Room Decorating Guide

The dining room is one of the easier rooms in the house to decorate. It’s generally a straightforward design process with fewer pieces of furniture needed. We all know the purpose of a dining room so as long as you have some chairs and a table, it’s hard to screw up your dining room design!

In any case, if you want to make sure everyone is comfortable in your dining room space, then keep reading to learn about the essentials when it comes to dining room decorating, styling, and design.

Dining Room Furniture

Your first consideration will likely be the furniture. Here are the main pieces of furniture most often found in dining rooms:

• Dining Table – Can’t dine without the table, right?
• Dining Chairs – Can be as simple or stylish as you want
• Buffet – A low to the ground piece of furniture used for storage
• Hutch – A large, tall piece of furniture with open shelves or cabinets for storing china

Not too much, right? At a minimum, the first two pieces of furniture are clearly necessary, but the last two are optional depending on the size of your space. Buffets and hutches are great for storing additional plates and cutlery. You can also keep extra food on top of a buffet if you’re hosting a large dinner party. Never underestimate the benefits of having extra storage in any room of your house!

Decor Tips

Decorating your dining room doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. With a few simple touches, you can quickly transform your dining room into a cozy place for dinner parties and delicious meals at home. Here are a few ideas to consider to give your dining room some personality:

• Hang art on the wall
• Display china in a hutch
• Keep extra utensils in the buffet cabinets
• Place a centerpiece or seasonal flowers on dining room table
• Add a dining table runner or tablecloth
• Put twin table lamps on the buffet

The decorations you choose should express your personality, and the theme you choose should be consistent throughout your home. That being said, don’t be afraid to play around and give the room a unique twist.

Design Tips

Try to leave at least 2 feet of space between your dining chairs (pushed out of course) and the walls of your dining room.

2 feet is also the amount of table space needed (lengthwise) per guest to ensure everyone will have enough room to eat at the table comfortably!

If you have dining chairs with arms, the arms should fit easily under the dining table itself when the chairs are pushed in. This will ensure your guests can rest their arms comfortably and ensure that your dining chairs can be properly stored under the table when not in use.

Dining room rugs should be large enough to rest under all the chairs’ feet when the chairs are occupied or pulled out. You don’t want guests to be partially on the rug while sitting in their chairs. A good rule of thumb is to allow at least 3 feet between the edge of your dining table and the edge of your rug.

Go for a thin, easy to clean rug in the dining room. Stay away from thick or shag rugs which may hide anything that falls from the table.

Pay attention to proportions. Your dining chairs should be proportional to your dining table. Nothing too large or too small. Your dining room chandelier should not be more than half the width of your dining table. The larger the table, the larger the light fixture!

Art in the dining room should never be larger than the dining room table. We all know why we’re in this room to begin with, so don’t distract from the main attraction with a too-large piece of art on the wall!

Dining Room Decor By Style

Do you already have a particular decor theme you’d like to stick to? Don’t miss our dining room decorating guides by style here:

Other Rooms in the House

Now that you know how to design and decorate a dreamy dining room, why not continue with the other rooms in your house? Check out our guides room by room below!

I hope this post helped you design, plan, and decorate the dining room of your dreams!

Dining Room Size

When you’re looking at dining room size you might be starting with a dining room that you need to furnish, or you might be starting with a dining table that you love and want to design a dining room for it, or you might be starting with a blank slate with an idea of how many people you want to be able to seat in your dining room.

This page explores these three situations, explains how to work out dining room size and gives some example layouts for different dining room sizes.

This page is part of the dining room design series.

How many people can you seat?

To find out how many people you can seat check out the page on dining table size which covers different shapes and sizes of dining tables.

Already have a dining table or working with a dining room to furnish?

If you already have a table, or you have a room you want to furnish, the key is to know how much space needs to be left around a dining room table.

Dining Table Clearance

No matter what shape your table is, leave at least 30 inches (76cm) between the edge of the table and an obstruction (wall or sideboard – or anything else) to allow people to take their seats. With 30 inches it will still be very tight if people get up in the middle of the meal.

The ideal distance for dining table clearance is 48 inches (122cm).В This allows people to come and go from the table comfortably and the proportions of the room will look more elegant.В To make sure the table isn’t too small for the room, make sure that there isn’t more than about 6ft (183cm) from the edge of the table to the nearest wall, window or piece of furniture on at least one side of the table.

Dining room rug size

If you want to put a rug under your dining table make sure it’s 30 inches larger than the table on each side that you want to have chairs.В

Table of dining table clearances

Here’s an example of some table sizes and clearances.

People

Table shape and size

Square / Circle
3′ (91cm)

Ideal table clearance

Square / Circle
11′ (335cm)

Rectangle / Oval
2’6″ x 5′ (76 x 152cm)

Rectangle / Oval
10’6″ x 13′ (320 x 396cm)

Rectangle / Oval
3′ x 6′ (91 x 183cm)

Rectangle / Oval
11′ x 14′ (335 x 427cm)

Rectangle / Oval
4’6″ x 10′ (137 x 305cm)

Rectangle / Oval
12’6″x 18′ (381 x 549cm)

Working Out Dining Room Size

Now that we’ve looked at the space the dining table needs, to work out dining room size, let’s assume that there’s a table and a sideboard in the room.

A useful sideboard is at least 12 inches (30cm) deep and is more likely to be 18 inches deep (45cm) so this needs to be taken into account when working out your dining room dimensions.

Other things that have an impact on dining room size and layout are circulation — the location of the door can have an impact on where your dining room table will fit in the room.В Design elements like windows and fireplaces also have an impact on how the room is centered.

So here’s a few dining room sizes with different layouts.В There’s always a bit of flexibility in how many people can fit round a table and what size dining table can fit into a room.В Hopefully these layouts will get you thinking about how your dining room will work.

Small dining room for 4

In this dining room for 4 there are dumb waiters rather than a side board.

Circular dumb waiters are a really useful addition or alternative to a conventional side board.

The door in the dining room layout above opens across the 48 inch dining table clearance but opening the door won’t disturb anyone sitting at the table near the door.

The dining room size required is reduced if it’s part of an open plan space.В In the dining room layout above there is a bit less than the recommended 48 inches behind the chair in front of the wall and the chair in front of the sideboard.В This isn’t problematic because there shouldn’t be too much circulation behind those chairs when people are seated.В The other chairs have plenty of room.В The table could also be pulled further out into the open plan space depending on what is going on in the surrounding space.

Dining nook for 4 or 6

You need 6ft x 5ft to fit in a dining nook.В This nook layout has windows on 3 sides.В If your dining room size is a bit smaller than you’d like using a bench or banquette instead of chairs on one or more sides can be a great way to solve your dining room size problem.

Medium dining room for 6

Here a rectangular dining table for 6 sits in an 11ft x 14ft 6inches dining room.В There’s ample space all around the table and no door to swing into the dining space.В This leaves (no pun intended!) some wriggle room to add some leaves to the table to sit 8.

In this dining room there are built in side boards (maybe with shelving above) on both sides of the dining room.В There’s ample room so a leaves could be added to the table to seat 8.

Large dining room for 8

Here’s two 12ft x 16ft dining rooms with tables for 8.В Let’s compare the two layouts.

The top dining room layout is open at one end and has a sideboard.В Notice how the fireplace and windows have been designed slightly off center so that they are centered with where the table sits.

If we look at the dining room with the double doors, the fireplace and windows are central in the room — again matching where the table will sit given the location of the doors and the sideboard.

Making things feel centered can be tricky in dining rooms.В If you’re designing a room from scratch think carefully about how the room will be centered.

Here’s the same 12 x 16ft dining room for 8 with a circular table.В This room is fine for a rectangular table but it’s a squeeze in some parts of the room with a circular table.В

Here’s a dining room where the side board has been placed in an alcove.В This helps keep the room centered and saves on square footage.В The indents resulting from the alcove could be used for niche seating or built in shelving in the room next door.

Large dining room for 12

You need about 16ft x 17ft 6″ of dining room space to fit in a dining table for 12, a sideboard and a few plants or dumb waiters.