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My Houzz: Modern Simplicity in Dallas

579,976 Dining Room Ideas

Pendant 07807

Discover Your Dining Table Style

To pick the right dining table, you need to match it to your personality as well as the look of your dining room. These identifiers can help

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Dining Room Ideas

The opposite of bustling, multifunctional rooms like the kitchen, the dining room is a simple space devoted solely to hosting and feasting. While it’s a room that may be used infrequently, it is ideal for large get-togethers, family dinners and celebrations. When perusing dining room ideas, consider what kind of furniture and decorative accents will transform the space into an entertaining mecca.

Achieving an effective dining room design can be a little tricky. However, one of the easiest changes you can make is swapping out your furniture; as the focal point of the room, your table should be your biggest investment. Take time to consider various furniture pieces and what works best for your needs. Don’t be afraid to splurge — a good table can last you decades! Once you have this cornerstone piece figured out, you can then focus on implementing your favorite dining room decorating ideas and storage options.

What kind of dining room furniture should I get?


Dining areas come in all shapes and sizes, as do their accompanying tables. As you browse dining room ideas, consider a few things. What is your dining room layout? How often do you entertain? How many people usually attend? What kind of events do you like organizing - big dinners or intimate gatherings? What kind of dining rooms are you personally drawn to at other homes? If you don’t host anything because you are hindered by your current dining room design, consider what kind of soirees you would ideally throw and work from there.

If you want a dining table with options, purchase one with a leaf so you can accommodate varying numbers of guests. Keep in mind that to ensure visitors won’t be bumping elbows with their fellow dinner guests, each person needs about two feet of eating space (typically the table manufacturer will be able to recommend the amount of people that can comfortably sit at the table).

In terms of shapes, round tables are optimal for achieving some of the smaller dining room design ideas you might see. They fit into tight areas and have no sharp corners to bump into when you’re serving a hot casserole or pouring a glass of water. Round pedestal tables are also useful alternatives - they offer more legroom than conventional designs. For a larger space, a square table works well, and a rectangular table is ideal for a long, narrow room.

No matter shape, size or material, make sure you measure table-to-wall clearance. To do this, measure the space around the room. Try to leave 42-48" between your table and the walls so diners can sit down and get up easily from their chairs. If there is furniture in the dining space, begin your 42-48” measurement from the edge of the furniture instead of the wall.

What kind of dining room decor should I have?


When looking for dining room decorating ideas, remember that you don’t want to overwhelm this refined space with too much clutter. However, simple does not mean plain, and this is a room where you can take some stylistic liberties. When decorating dining rooms, think about color schemes (after choosing your table, of course!). Usage of color can really make or break dining room designs, and the cohesion of a matching furniture set allows for colorful decor choices. Try light blue or gray walls for an elegant look, or go timeless with a black and white theme. If you want to stick to white paint, throw in some gold or copper accents, or splashes of bright colors to keep it interesting; geometric patterns, custom-painted ceilings and unique wallpapers are also effective at livening up a dining area.

Top off your dining room remodel with a statement light fixture, some inspirational artwork and a large mirror to reflect more light throughout the room. Lastly, don’t forget the dining room table decor! A seasonal centerpiece, table runner or plant arrangement can immediately brighten up the entire space.

How do I add storage to my dining room?


When choosing storage for dining rooms, focus on functionality. Do you want to have a place to lay out food? Do you want more storage? Do you want to showcase any items? Take a look at various dining room pictures to see how others have incorporated storage and pull the ideas you like for your own.

A china cabinet or hutch is a great way to store and display dishes or art pieces. If you need storage as well as a place to lay out food, sideboards - a long, low storage piece with short legs (also known as a “buffet”) - typically are your best bets as they have cabinets. “Servers” tend to be smaller, more formal and lighter in scale than sideboards; they can have drawers and an open bottom on taller legs, or they may have cabinets. Credenzas tend to be long, low cabinets on slender legs, often with sliding doors. Lastly, if you’re going to be using your dining area primarily for cocktail hour (or even if you’re not), consider investing in a rolling bar cart or a permanent wet bar. The dining room ideas you can choose from are really endless, so try not to get overwhelmed and remember you can always change the design down the road!
Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts medium tone wood floor and beige floor enclosed dining room design in Seattle with multicolored walls and no fireplace

Haris Kenjar Photography and Design
Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts medium tone wood floor and beige floor enclosed dining room design in Seattle with multicolored walls and no fireplace
French doors on both sides, large dining area, high ceiling - cynthia_hudson79

Inspiration for a large rustic dark wood floor and black floor great room remodel in Seattle with no fireplace

Mid Century Dining Set Floats in Open Floor Plan. Nanawall System connects inside to outdoors.
Inspiration for a large rustic dark wood floor and black floor great room remodel in Seattle with no fireplace
The architecture, including the ceiling beams and another set of steps, guides people down from the compressed entry to a long, open space that opens up completely to the views down the great lawn to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The beams are Douglas fir. Several of them were milled from trees on the property that were taken down during construction. “The landscape is stunning and the climate is temperate, so a connection between indoors and outdoors was really important,” Donovan says. “Large w - yeeca

Example of a large transitional dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Minneapolis with white walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Sharratt Design & Company, John Kraemer & Sons, Inc., Landmark Photography, Topo LLC Landscaping, Engler Studio Interior Design
Example of a large transitional dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Minneapolis with white walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace
Wow it’s beautiful and I want a dining room like that - webuser_702403509

Inspiration for a timeless medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed dining room remodel in Jacksonville with gray walls

Inspiration for a timeless medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed dining room remodel in Jacksonville with gray walls
The wall details contrast and pop out from the rest of the walls. - kamran_khan43

Kitchen/dining room combo - midcentury modern ceramic floor and beige floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in San Francisco with white walls

We placed reclaimed Douglas fir beams on the ceiling to add warmth. Photo: Helynn Ospina
Kitchen/dining room combo - midcentury modern ceramic floor and beige floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in San Francisco with white walls
Concrete-looking tiles for studio? - matt_kellogg

Example of a mid-sized 1950s light wood floor and beige floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Austin with white walls and no fireplace

Example of a mid-sized 1950s light wood floor and beige floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Austin with white walls and no fireplace
Open Concept/eat in dining room - kimyoder88

Country light wood floor and beige floor dining room photo in Boston with beige walls

Custom kitchen with Danby Marble and Pietra Cardosa Counters - Breakfast nook with built in banquette
Country light wood floor and beige floor dining room photo in Boston with beige walls
Dinging room -- I like this dinging room because the color blue and the wood brown are very harmonious. the color can consider as the complementary color Blue and Orange, it make the are vivid, clean and warm. I also like the booth seat around the window. the color are match the curtains and the kitchen cabinets. and by the booth people can sit as close as they want, it is very flexible. and the drop light has been repetition by the kitchen decoration. - kattie53

Example of a huge country dark wood floor and brown floor dining room design in Other with gray walls and a stone fireplace

Hand-hewn timber “bents” or trusses iconic in provincial French barns establish the great room in concert with purlins, common rafters, dormers, oak ceilings, and stucco-infill walls of the post-and-beam architecture. Ample space for seating or dining is surrounded by French doors and casement windows enjoying wide views of the landscape. Woodruff Brown Photography
Ha Ha! Though you would enjoy looking at this. What I like about it is that the boards are various widths and butted together. This is oak. House is in NY. I cant imagine where these beams came from. - danabrunson

Inspiration for a transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Albuquerque with gray walls

Marc Sowers Bespoke Woodwork. Photos by Talitha Tarro
Inspiration for a transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Albuquerque with gray walls
Table for workspace, natural light, drawers for storage, overhead light for evening - marnyblaire

Inspiration for a large contemporary porcelain floor and beige floor dining room remodel in Austin with beige walls and no fireplace

Wallpaper: York 63353 Estuary Paint: Egret White Sw 7570 Tile: AMT Treverk White- all 3 sizes- Staggered. Grout: Mapei 93 Warm Gray Wine Room: See detail C3 Cabinet: Clear Alder- Ebony- Slab Door Wood top Tile: AMT Lounge Spritzer 12 x24 Deco Inlay – Horizontal stacked Grout: Mapei 93 Warm Gray Photography: Steve Chenn
love the overall style of the room. love the warmth, the light fixtures, like the wallpaper, like the cabinet , like the style of the squares on the left but not a fan of these specific squares - alina_vidoser

Dining room - contemporary medium tone wood floor and brown floor dining room idea in Austin with gray walls

Siggi Ragnar SRagnar Fotografi
Dining room - contemporary medium tone wood floor and brown floor dining room idea in Austin with gray walls
sleek lines, not cluttered - webuser_575661291

Farmhouse laminate floor and brown floor dining room photo in Salt Lake City with beige walls

Farmhouse laminate floor and brown floor dining room photo in Salt Lake City with beige walls
Letters for dining room - berelain72

Example of a mid-sized cottage brown floor and dark wood floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Other with white walls

A traditional farmhouse kitchen with bead board cabinets, black leather finished counters and a blackened steel hood surround flows into the bright and open dining area. The farmhouse table is custom made by Vermont Barns.
love the table and one bench, chairs on other side. - katie_wood26

Example of a small trendy dark wood floor enclosed dining room design in New York with blue walls and no fireplace

New Yorkers are always on the prowl for innovative ways to make the most of the space they have. An upper east side couple, challenged with a slightly narrow L shaped apartment sought out Decor Aid’s help to make the most of their Manhattan condo. Paired with one of our senior designer, Kimberly P., we learned that the clients wanted a space that looked beautiful, comfortable and also packed with functionality for everyday living. “Immediately upon seeing the space, I knew that we needed to create a narrative that allowed the design to control how you moved through the space,” reports Kimberly, senior interior designer. After surveying each room and learning a bit more about their personal style, we started with the living room remodel. It was clear that the couple wanted to infuse mid-century modern into the design plan. Sourcing the Room & Board Jasper Sofa with its narrow arms and tapered legs, it offered the mid-century look, with the modern comfort the clients are used to. Velvet accent pillows from West Elm and Crate & Barrel add pops of colors but also a subtle touch of luxury, while framed pictures from the couple’s honeymoon personalize the space. Moving to the dining room next, Kimberly decided to add a blue accent wall to emphasize the Horchow two piece Percussion framed art that was to be the focal point of the dining area. The Seno sideboard from Article perfectly accentuated the mid-century style the clients loved while providing much-needed storage space. The palette used throughout both rooms were very New York style, grays, blues, beiges, and whites, to add depth, Kimberly sourced decorative pieces in a mixture of different metals. “The artwork above their bureau in the bedroom is photographs that her father took,” Moving into the bedroom renovation, our designer made sure to continue to stick to the client’s style preference while once again creating a personalized, warm and comforting space by including the photographs taken by the client’s father. The Avery bed added texture and complimented the other colors in the room, while a hidden drawer at the foot pulls out for attached storage, which thrilled the clients. A deco-inspired Faceted mirror from West Elm was a perfect addition to the bedroom due to the illusion of space it provides. The result was a bedroom that was full of mid-century design, personality, and area so they can freely move around. The project resulted in the form of a layered mid-century modern design with touches of luxury but a space that can not only be lived in but serves as an extension of the people who live there. Our designer was able to take a very narrowly shaped Manhattan apartment and revamp it into a spacious home that is great for sophisticated entertaining or comfortably lazy nights in.
I like the symmetry and sasymmetry going on - cameron_manore

Inspiration for a large contemporary dark wood floor and brown floor great room remodel in Phoenix with white walls, a stone fireplace and a ribbon fireplace

Inspiration for a large contemporary dark wood floor and brown floor great room remodel in Phoenix with white walls, a stone fireplace and a ribbon fireplace
floor - jsaltzg

Dining room - beach style medium tone wood floor and brown floor dining room idea in Miami with white walls

Dining room - beach style medium tone wood floor and brown floor dining room idea in Miami with white walls
Lorem ipsum dolor sit er elit lamet, consectetaur cillium adipisicing pecu, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim. - noa2003

Kitchen/dining room combo - large midcentury modern medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Denver with green walls

This bright dining room features a monumental wooden dining table with green leather dining chairs with black legs. The wall is covered in green grass cloth wallpaper. Close up photographs of wood sections create a dramatic artistic focal point on the dining area wall. Wooden accents throughout.
Green chairs - jinny_nadeau

Dining room - beach style beige floor dining room idea in Miami with blue walls

Sargent Photography
Dining room - beach style beige floor dining room idea in Miami with blue walls
Wall treatment— also good for office - cplange

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