Last week I was the guest presenter at an Urban Barn Design Workshop. The theme was how to host your best holiday ever, and the focus was on the Dining Room.
In my presentation, I shared some tips and tricks on how to design a Dining Room. The secret to a well styled room is to layer thoughtfully selected elements together into a cohesive collection of furniture and accessories. How many layers you add is a personal preference and is related to your style. In the design world we talk about minimalism and maximalism. I personally fall into the middle of this spectrum because I prefer casual and simple rooms with enough detail to create visual interest without being too busy. In my Urban Barn presentation I talked about layering the following design elements:
furniture
area rugs
window treatments
wall treatments
lighting
functional styling decor
In this post I am going to go into a bit more detail about each design element and share some ideas for adding these layers to your own Dining Space.
Furniture Pieces
The foundational layer for any room would be the furniture pieces that you select. In the Dining Room, the basics are obviously a table and dining chairs. Depending on the size of the room, you typically also have a storage piece of some sort like a sideboard or a cabinet. Sometimes knowing what pieces to select can be a little overwhelming because there are so many different options to choose from. For example, dining tables come in many shapes and sizes. And don't get me started on dining chair options! Here are some things to take into consideration when you are selecting dining room furniture for your dining room:
How many seats do you need?
Is an expandable dining table a practical choice for your family?
Do you have kids, what are their ages? Do you need something wipeable like leather or wood?
Is storage important in your dining room? Do you have an extensive china collection or serving pieces?
Does the dining room serve a purpose beyond hosting meals?
Area Rugs
An area rug is a gorgeous layer to incorporate into your dining room design. The type of rug you use in your dining room is once again dependent on your season of life and who you share your home with. In a family with pets and kids, I always recommend a rug that is easy to clean. Patterns will hide stains, and performance rugs are always a good option. I like something with a low pile so food and spills are easy to clean. Size is key: make sure the rug extends the dining table by about 8inches on each side and that the dining chairs are all on the rug.
Window Treatments
Hanging curtains in your dining room is a way to add softness and make the room feel pulled together. In some cases, curtains are essential for filtering light or providing privacy. They can be soft and neutral like the curtains pictured above, or you can use curtains to add color and pattern to the room, depending on your style and preference.
I love the subtle grid pattern of these curtains from Crate & Barrel. While still quite neutral and subtle, they add a small dose of pattern to a room.
Walls
In my opinion, dining room walls are a place to get a little creative and have some fun. There are several ways that you can create a stylish statement with your dining room walls. The first way is to have a little fun with paint. Introduce a paint color that is a bit saturated or moody. I love this Dining Room with dark charcoal walls - talk about a wow factor!
Wallpaper is another way to make a big statement in a dining room. I adore wallpaper and was contemplating using it in our dining room. I fell in love with this pattern from North & Finch and had it pinned up on the wall forever.
In the end, it was beyond my budget and I had come up with an alternative. Wallpaper is expensive to purchase and if you need to pay someone to install it (like I do) that can double the cost. If you have the resources to hang wallpaper in your dining room, it is truly a wow factor! Below is the Dining Room from my Design Idol Shea McGee, who recently added this gorgeous botanical print to her space.
Another element you can consider adding to your walls is some kind of wood detail. Whether it's shiplap, bead board, picture molding or wainscoting, there are lots of options available and this is typically way more affordable to install. It is also very "DIY-able" and there are tons of tutorials out there. After I had to cut wallpaper from my design plan, I decided to go with picture molding, which is currently being installed in my Dining Room. Here is one of the inspiration photos I used to guide my picture molding design:
Another important detail to consider in your dining room is what to hang on the walls. Artwork is an obvious choice, but if you have four walls to style, you might also consider wall sconces, a mirror, a wall shelf or a wall-mounted wine rack. I don't recommend you fill every wall, and I love the simplicity of using a beautiful art piece on one wall and a mirror on another.
I also love a gallery wall in a dining room. Here is a gorgeous dining room from Chris Loves Julia which combines several of the elements I have covered here - wallpaper, wood detailing and a gallery wall.
Lighting
There are 2 different types of lighting to consider for a dining room: hardwired fixtures and plug-in lighting. Hardwired fixtures are chandeliers and wall sconces. A chandelier should be centered over the dining table and there are so many gorgeous light fixtures options out there.
I love wall sconces in a dining room, it makes the space feel elevated.
Something relatively new on the scene are battery-operated sconces and picture lights! These are fixtures that look hardwired and are screwed into the wall but they are controlled with a little remote control. These are extremely cost effective because you don't need to hire an electrician to have them installed. I just bought these battery operated wall sconces for my dining room makeover.
The other type of lighting that you should consider adding to a dining space are table and floor lamps. These decorative elements add style and interest to a room and provide soft cozy lighting. When hosting a dinner party, I love to have softer lighting because it provides such a relaxed atmosphere. A set of table lamps on either side of a sideboard or a floor lamp tucked into a corner are both easy ways to add lighting to your dining room.
Functional Decor
"Functional Decor" is a term I use to describe items that serve a purpose and look good while doing it! My favourite functional decor items for the dining room are trays, lamps, stemware, table linens, dishes, candles and cookbooks.
I purchased this table runner and these napkins while preparing for my presentation and plan on incorporating them into my festive decor, although they are neutral enough to use all year.
Tying it all together...
I hope you have gathered some inspiration on how to decorate and add layers of style to your Dining Room. I am currently giving my dining room a glow up and am putting many of these principles into practice myself! One last image to leave you with, the mood board collage I created combining all of these elements using items from Urban Barn:
If you need some help pulling any of the styling layers together in your own space, book one of our convenient Styling Consultations! We offer both in-person and virtual consults, and you can book them by reaching out to info@homestyled.ca
Thanks for reading!
Kerri
Opmerkingen