80 Stylish Dining Room Ideas

Designer Kara Miller opted for a banquette to make the most of her small dining space. She paired shades of greens with pops of coral and a few grounding neutrals to give the room a cheery and tropical feel. 

This delicately patterned Idarica Gazzoni wallpaper with a trompe l'oeil chair rail frames the preppy, coral-hued dining room.

Visually expand a small dining room by keeping the palette monochromatic and adding height with large art or plants. Furnish with a narrow table and armless dining chairs to maximize space. All of these elements help this light-filled dining room feel airy and open.

"To give Country French my minimalist spin, I avoid the expected ruffles and plaids and keep it about the painted antiques and white linens," says homeowner and designer Regina Lynch. She, along with her daughter, designer Destiny Lynch, came together to create this "less-is more" style.

Encourage conversation with a round table. To keep things intimate, your table shouldn't exceed 40-inches in diameter. With multiple doorways, using a round table in this dining room helps open up space as well. 

Even small spaces need a designated dining area. Designer Matthew Bees used the nook below the stairs of this Charleston loft to create the perfect space. The addition of a small chandelier ties the nook together.

This space serves as a library and dining area. The room is casually arranged with a mismatched table and chairs and filled with brightly painted bookshelves, which bring light to the space. 

The homeowners wanted to have a fresh-feeling dining room, so designer Ashley Whittaker helped them pick a show-stopping lettuce green shade finished in a shiny lacquer for the walls. She complemented the walls with bright coral upholstered dining chairs. Painted lantern sconces on the chandelier play into the welcoming atmosphere established by the color scheme, while the antiques help ground the space. 

You can incorporate a mix of furniture styles if you keep color a constant.  These red lacquer bamboo-style side chairs add a bold punch of color that coordinates with the cabinet interiors and drapery and upholstery fabrics. 

Simple details like the fabric of your linens help set the tone of your dining space. This round table and antique chairs are covered in simple linen and checked fabrics to create a friendly space. A dainty scalloped edge on the chairs and table topper adds a decorative, layered touch.

• See this Cape Cod Cottage Makeover

Designer Lauren Liess kept it simple in our 2020 Idea House dining room, framing the windows with a pop of color and installing a farm table with casual high-back chairs to complement it. 

For a small space, add a built-in china cabinet for both decorative and practical storage. You'll not only save floorspace, but you'll also create an element that adds depth and character to a wall. 

Interior designer Leta Foster and her daughter, Sallie Giordano, decorated this breakfast room of an early-1900s Richmond, Virginia, home. It is designed to fit a young family while honoring the original architecture and character of the space. 

Get the free traffic flow of an open plan and the intimacy of a closed dining room by using sliding pocket doors. On the left side of this room, reclaimed heart-pine pocket doors can be closed to hide the kitchen.

Tour this Georgia Row House

Walls covered in a subtle blue grass cloth create a serene space, while the blush window treatments and slipcovered chairs bring warmth.

See more of this classic Birmingham home.

Prioritize your spending. When the homeowners renovated this 1,500-square-foot cottage, they used secondhand and bargain-store pieces to complete their desired look on a budget.

Designer Alexis Simpson didn't shy away from making a statement in her dining room, which opens to the patio through the French doors. She used a leafy Cole & Son wallpaper and a botanical-inspired chandelier by Julie Neill to bring the outside in, creating a playful yet elegant space.

White paint and natural lighting can make a dining room feel bright and inviting, but be sure to use your furniture and accessories to add warmth. This homeowner used books in the built-ins and a mix of vintage chairs upholstered in canvas to bring character to the room. 

Add textural depth by mixing upholstery fabrics. These dining chairs sport patterned upholstery cushions while the backs are covered in a coordinating solid.

Reflecting its mountainous location, this house is decked out in a variety of natural materials—from rough-hewn beams to rustic furniture made from branches.

Dining rooms can easily be made into multi-use spaces. This cozy room with a large dining table work surface makes this room a perfect place to double as the homeowner's design office. Just be sure to have a space to stow away your work when needed.

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Emphasize the height of your dining room with vertical stripes. Floor-to-ceiling windows also help this space feel lofty and light, even with dark furnishings. 

In this Nashville home, the dining room serves as a pass-through between the living room and the kitchen, so designer Ashley Gilbreath decorated the space to complement both. She used a playful, soft wallpaper with traditional furnishings that will feel stylish forever. 

Built-in banquette seating is a great option if you're short on space. It not only adds seating, but the space beneath the seat can also be used for storage. Using the same upholstery fabric helps tie together the bench and chairs.

Make sure all of your dining room materials and surfaces are spill-proof or easy to clean. These chairs, designed in a modified Parsons style, are upholstered in durable outdoor fabric to withstand upset cups and plates.

Punch up the energy in your dining room with colored furniture. In this renovated 1960s rancher, Designer Meg Kelly brightened up the dark paneled room with a coat of white paint and added a bright pop of color with a blue painted vintage rattan table. 

Set the mood with lush window treatments. Luxurious curtains hung near the ceiling give grand scale to this smaller dining room.

Even if you're not a fan of bright colors, you can still create a striking dining room. This mostly neutral dining room is anything but boring. A variety of fabrics and rich browns punctuated by small colorful accents gives a warm and inviting look to the room. The natural light keeps the dark brown walls from visually closing in the space.

Use mixed finishes for a casual look. These painted chairs are paired with a round mahogany dining table. The mix of finishes on the room's various furnishings provides a collected yet casual appeal.

• See this 1920s Home Makeover

Designer Sarah Bartholomew used the same fabric for the wallcovering and window treatments to create a cohesive space. 

If you have the space, use the layout of a formal dining room. This room highlights the homeowner's preference for symmetry and clean lines. An added built-in china cabinet is designed to look original to the circa-1920s house, adding to the traditional feel. 

When selecting your finishes, think about the wear and tear that your dining room may experience beyond spills. The white oak plank flooring with a limed finish in this coastal cottage dining room is perfect for disguising sand tracked in from the beach. A clear wax on top keeps it sealed and hardy.

• See this Pre-fab Coastal Cottage

If you want to highlight the view outside of your dining space, keep your furnishings and accessories minimal. This dining table is centered in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with simple curtains to soften and frame the space.

Add shelves for greater flexibility. A wall of library shelves in this dining room enhances the cozy cabin feel and offers homeowners the option of converting the space into an office or snug reading nook.

• Tour this Mountain Getaway

Tell a cohesive color story in connected spaces. The wall color in this dining room was custom mixed to match the blue undertones of curtains in the adjoining living room.

Add an unexpected touch to an elegant space by including playful patterns. The jazzy zebra upholstery on these dining chairs keeps the otherwise subdued room from feeling stuffy.

• See this Calm, Classic Southern Home

Instead of refinishing antique pieces, let the natural character shine. Antique iron chairs surround a rustic table in this dining room to lend stylish history to the newly constructed space.

Formal dining rooms are the perfect place to display family heirlooms and make fantastic conversation pieces when you entertain. A portrait of the homeowner's late mother, who taught her how to entertain, properly presides over this elegant dining room.

• Tour this Charming Southern Home

Try a nontraditional color scheme. This formal dining room jazzes up a traditional foundation with unexpected color combinations. The graphic green upholstered chairs play off of the distinctive orange-and-gold wallpaper while gilded accents compliment the metallics in the pattern.

If you don't have the space for a formal dining room, look for opportunities to leverage another space to do double duty. This center entry hall also multifunctions as the dining room with built-in seating for added storage and a narrow table ensuring ample traffic flow.

Whether you need a primary dining room or just looking for a second entertaining area, turn your glassed- or screened-in porch into a multipurpose room. This one has a cozy appeal with the natural brick of the home's exterior and fireplace with warm wood tones. 

A window-filled alcove in this beach house functions like a dining room with a casual table, two slipcovered end chairs, and a pillow-topped banquette. The built-in bench and wall of windows make this small space seem much larger while vintage light fixtures hung with nautical rope instead of standard chains illuminate and ground the space.

Create a laid-back layered look by mixing and matching patterns - from the linens to the stemware.

Highlight architectural features with paint. The pastel green of the walls draws your attention to the design elements of the woodwork. 

Small spaces are often the perfect place to install built-in storage. An awkward corner becomes a built-in buffet or bar in this dining room.

Rows of books in built-in shelves make a beautiful patterned backdrop for the dining table in this space. The repetitive shape of the arches can tie together the room.

Sloshing and splashing are inevitable in a family dining room. A small print rug is a forgiving choice in this kid-friendly space, as it's perfect for camouflaging spills.

Establish a historic style. These homeowners took inspiration from British colonial style, and they limited their color palette to crisp white and ebony. The furnishings in this dining space are classic American or English shapes.

• See this High Style Lowcountry Home

Just because the dining room is traditionally a formal space doesn't mean you can't try a more casual feel. Mixing high-back upholstered seating with low, slipcovered chairs avoids the predictable formula of a table with matching chairs in this room.

• Tour this Texas Lake House

Just as gold accessories can complete an outfit, the warm tones of brushed gold flatware and embellished glasses add a layer of warmth to a casual table and cheery room. 

Salvaged wood offers a distinctive warmth and texture that can't be replicated with new wood. The wood floors in this dining room were salvaged locally.

• See this Naturally Inspired Georgia Lake House

Surrounded by a set of Queen Anne chairs scooped up at a secondhand shop in Charleston, this iron-and-wood dining room table crafted by Charles Calhoun creates a relaxed, rustic room.

Neutral dining spaces are perfect for highlighting seasonal decor. This dining room picks up the personality of seasonal florals and accents.

Create some rhythm in your space by repeating the shape of your table in the rug. This rectangular rug is large enough that all four legs of pulled-back chairs remain on the rug.

Separate spaces by using a portier. This dining and living room are adjoined by a large cased opening. Curtain panels make the space more versatile, add softness to the dining room, and provide privacy when necessary.

Highlight a grand focal piece by pairing it with neutral accents. A shell-encrusted china cabinet is the star of this dining space; the neutral furnishings don't compete for attention.

Use draperies to bring texture to your dining room. Sheer curtain panels along the wall allow natural light to filter into the space.

Don't feel tied to one style. Modern black dining chairs mixed with traditional armchairs make this dining space eclectic yet elegant.

Supplement your family pieces with furniture found at antique and secondhand stores. For a modern contrast, this homeowner used flea-market-found barrel chairs in white to contrast the dark oak of his great-grandfather's dining table and sideboard.

• See this Chattanooga Bungalow

Choose a lantern fixture for a more casual look. A standard chandelier would overwhelm this laid-back space, but a wrought-iron lantern fixture is just right.

Sure, you've seen plates hung on a wall before, but these rectangular beauties take the concept to the next level. The collection of 10 colorful plates acts as artwork in this dining room.

Turn an infrequently used space into a dining room. This conservatory is part dining room, part greenhouse. The open and airy space boasts spectacular views and plenty of natural light.

This dining room fireplace is raised to table height so it can be enjoyed by everyone in the room.

Have at least one unique conversation piece in your dining room. A whimsical light fixture becomes a focal point over this dining table and speaks to the design sense of the homeowner.

Mix your window treatments for flexibility. Matchstick blinds with curtain panels control the level of light and privacy in this dining room.

A built-in shelf breaks up this very vertical space and offers a place to display plates and other accents.

Select a light fixture that fits the scale of your space. A large rustic chandelier fits both the personality and size of this lofty dining space.

An oval table is the perfect companion for this curved banquette.

Not only do slipcovers lend a casual cottage look to a space, but they also make a dining room more user-friendly. These monogrammed covers can easily be tossed in the wash in case of spills.