Customisable Emma Dining Chair
Dining rooms are no longer formal areas reserved for special occasions. They are spaces we use daily to gather as a family at the end of the day, to spread out our newspaper on a Sunday morning or to help our kids labour over their homework.
While they may have become family-friendly informal spaces, the desire for a stylish dining room remains. A dining room doesn’t have to be a plain and simple multifunctional space. There’s still ways you can inject personality and create interest.
Here are some fail proof tips for a non-boring dining room:
Mix and match your dining chairs
We’ve moved beyond dining sets and embraced the concept of using different materials, styles and colours with our dining room furniture. To make your dining room stand out, play around with the chairs you have selected for your table. Perhaps upholster the seat cushion in a different fabric, select chairs of a black frame against a lighter timber table or use a few entirely different style of chair.
Interesting interiors no longer strive for the matchy-matchy look. A little bit of contrast adds personality and makes a space stand out.
Hang impressive lighting
Source: Design-milk, Photo by Sharyn Cairns
An impressive pendant light over the dining table is an easy way to add wow-factor to your space and enhance the atmosphere. It’s also helps successfully define the dining room if you’re working with an open plan interior. If you’re wanting to retain a minimal style, look for a pendant which has scale over sparkle or group a few simple fittings together.
If you’re unable to install a pendant, a large floor lamp call also add impact and help illuminate the room.
Add strength with a buffet
Source: Driven by Decor
Buffets not only add functionality, but they also can help to strength the design of your space. Place one at the end of your room against a bland wall and you can then inject interest through accents, a table light, a vase and a mirror above.
If your short of space, consider one that’s raised off the ground like our Jervis or Malmo. Larger dining rooms can handle the solid and robust design of buffets like or Orbost.
Dress your walls
Source: Jillian Harris
Whether it’s through paint colour, wallpaper or artwork, dressing your walls can lift your dining room and help you create a desired feel. If you’re wanting to create a luxurious moody space, opt for a dark, rich colour palette. For coastal dining rooms, stick with lighter tones and add interest through natural woven wallpapers, timbers and reflective materials.
An oversized piece of art or a mirror can not only add interest, but also make the space feel larger and more decadent. To make a real impact, as a rule of thumb 70 percent of your wall should be covered by art so you see more than just a white space.
Add layers of texture
Perfect for a small room, Urban Rhythm's Otway round dining table with Dane carver chairs
Layers of texture adds depth and personality to your style and it’s easy to add in a dining room. Think a timber table with its knots and grooves, the fabric of your dining chairs or a rug underfoot. Curtains in luxurious fabric or wallpaper that begs you to touch it are great ways to finish your room. If your room is small, incorporate textures that reflect the light to intensify the perception of space.
Include a handmade piece
Source: Apartment Therapy
Interesting interiors are those that house pieces with personality and meaning. Styling your space with off the shelf items from your favourite department store can often leave your dining room looking generic and more like a catalogue rather than a home.
Search for one or two handmade pieces that aren’t mass produced and found everywhere. It could be a collection of candle sticks that reside in the middle of your table or a beautiful vase on your consol. A beautiful handmade item becomes a conversational piece at any dinner party.
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