Your dining room is a space that’s right at the heart of your home. This is where your family gathers together for mealtimes, and it’s where they share good food and tidbits about their day. Shared meals and warm conversations nurture comfort, and as such this room is very important to your family togetherness.
Most home owners pay a lot of attention to the design of their kitchen spaces, and the dining room often becomes an afterthought. But there’s a lot to be said for the magic of family dinners, which is why it’s very important to design your dining room with care! Here are some pointers and charmingly simple dining room ideas to help you get it right the first time!
The Ergonomics of a Dining Table
Let’s begin with the ergonomics of your dining space! The design of your dining table and chairs should be highly efficient, allowing you to be as comfortable as possible. Here are some dimensions that you should keep in mind:
The optimal height of a dining tabletop is between 70 to 75 centimetres from the ground.
Your chairs should have a seat height of 45 to 50 centimetres. Mealtimes are usually short, which means that you won’t be seated for long periods of time— and so the design of the back support is less important than it would be for an office chair. This means that you can even have a bench as a seat, to mix up the aesthetics if you so wish!
Make sure that the distance between the seat of the chair and the bottom of the table is 25 centimetres for comfort, so that your legs don’t bunch up against the table when you’re seated.
Dining Room Space Considerations
If your room is rectangular, then a circular table may not be the right fit. A square or round table will fit well in a space that has squarish proportions.
When the chairs are all pulled out and in use, there should be at least 90 centimetres of free circulation space all around, for easy movement and service.
A rectangular table of 150 centimetres by 120 centimetres, or 5 feet by 3 feet, is the right size to seat 4 to 6 people. Similarly, a round table of 120 centimetres or 4 feet diameter can comfortably seat 4 to 6 people.
Ten Ways to Design the Ideal Dining Room
1. Choose Ergonomic Furniture
We’ve already mentioned the importance of space planning, and the right way to start is by picking furniture of the right size that will comfortably fit in your room. If your room is too small, you can always consider getting expandable furniture—a table with extra leaves that can be unfolded when unexpected guests arrive, and nesting stools or side tables that could be pulled out for extra seating.
2. Pick a Theme
Is pared-down minimalism your style, or do you like to go big with vivid splashes of colour? Do you want a rustic farmhouse-style dining space that’s full of hearty warmth, or does cool, contemporary chic feel more your style?
Pick dining room designs with your chosen décor theme, and the rest will follow suit. Here, the Scandinavian theme takes centre stage, with white and wood being the go-to colours of choice.
3. Frame a View
Always maximise lighting and go big with the views in your dining room. If you’ve got a lovely view outdoors, open up your dining space and frame the view with large glass windows.
We love the way this formal, yet warm dining space invites in glimpses of the gorgeous garden outside. By placing the table just right, you can enjoy the greenery even as you eat.
4. Add a Rug
A rug below your dining table will centre the space and add definition to the dining area, even if your home follows an open-plan concept. Do make sure that the rug is inexpensive and washable, as you can expect plenty of spills!
Here, a lovely woven cream, brown and black handloom rug ties up the colours in the room and adds layers of depth to the décor.
5. Choose Colours You Love
This goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. You should always work with colours that you love, as you’ll be living with them for quite a while! Whether your go-to colour is blue, green or red, make sure that you have plenty of it in your dining nook.
Avoid using more than three complementary colours in any space. If the look gets too busy, it might distract you from your food!
6. Create Lighting Magic
It’s always your choice of lighting that makes any space come alive! A pendant lamp or a lighting grid that throws light on the dining table is a must, and you should take care to pick unique light fixtures that merge beautifully well with your décor theme.
Here, the lovely dome lamp, crafted out of jute fibre, is simple to DIY but a stunning value-add to the space.
7. Pick Some Pretty Artwork
A dining room with all four walls bare and blank is not always inspiring. Hang some pretty artwork on at least one of the walls, to act as a focal point and create visual interest.
In this dining nook, the black and white theme is carried forward in the artwork on the walls. Two-tone prints of city maps are framed in simple black and accentuate the monochromatic colour palette.
8. Design a Centre Piece
Even the most simple dining room ideas call for a dining table centre piece that’s interesting and eye-catching. It can be functional, too, but what’s most important is that it should be unique!
Here, this spectacular granite bowl is guaranteed to spark interesting conversations across the dining table. With its misshapen, incomplete silhouette, it speaks to Wabi-sabi design sensibilities, and embraces the perfection in imperfection.
9. Create a Focal Point
When your family and friends are gathered around the table, remember that you’ve got a captive audience! And so, you can get them to admire the focal décor pieces you’ve carefully picked out for the better space of an hour or so.
This homeowner has created dramatic focal interest with a stunning black accent wall, and curated simple, monochromatic Picasso-style prints mounted without frames. The stylised chandelier is the perfect pick for this space.
10. Mix and Match
Last, but not least, remember that you can always mix and match elements and styles to suit your personality and make your décor unique. You don’t want to end up with something that looks like it’s straight out of a design catalogue; your home should have heart and soul!
For instance, all your chairs don’t need to match, and you can pick and choose furniture, tableware and accessories that don’t necessarily fall into the same theme. This lovely dining table is put together with love, and features chairs of different kinds that don’t match the table at all.
Last Words
Especially if your dining room is on the smaller side, it takes just a bit of decorating finesse to make it efficient, comfortable and stylish. And the simplest of upgrades can help to elevate the aesthetics, even if you’re on a shoestring budget.
Loved our simple dining room ideas, but not too sure how to implement them in your own home? The HomeLane team is always happy to help. We’ll help you create a dining space that’s spacious, beautifully laid out and filled with the warmth of your personality. Now all that’s left is to cook that delicious meal!
FAQs
1. How do you build a minimalist dining room?
If you’re looking for simple dining room ideas, then a minimalistic theme should definitely be on your list!
Minimalism is a lifestyle movement that shuns excess of any kind. Minimalists believe that you should always focus on only what’s important, and must only use things that serve a purpose. By detaching ourselves from excess, we will have a sense of freedom, happiness and fulfillment.
A minimalistic interior, therefore, is one that uses only the bare essentials for any space. This is why it works so well as a simple, small dining room idea, as it opens up compact spaces and makes them appear less cluttered. Prioritize only what you need, and no more! Do you really require three sets of crockery and ten table cloths in your dining room, for instance?
A minimalistic dining room would be stripped to its basic functionality, and achieve elegance of form and function through simplicity. When you opt for simple dining room ideas, your choice of materials and colours is limited, and there is no ornamentation of any sort. Using sleek, streamlined lines and paring down furniture and furnishings to their simplest form are key to achieving a minimalistic dining space.
2. How do you create an ideal dining room? Discuss some simple dining room ideas.
An ideal dining room is one that is comfortable, ergonomically designed, has plenty of light and ventilation, and is easy to clean. Everything you need is at hand, and the colours, décor theme and accessories are cheerful and pleasing.
Here are some simple dining room ideas and steps to create the perfect dining room:
- Decide the function of your dining room. How large should the table be? Will you be entertaining often or is it just for family?
- Pick the décor theme and colour palette that suits your taste and lifestyle.
- Choose ergonomic furniture that is comfortable to use, and is well designed and sturdy. What size and shape will suit your needs? Do you need expandable furniture that can be pulled out when extra guests arrive?
- Decide on the storage you need, and keep it simple. How much tableware should you store near the dining table? If you have extra sets of crockery, will you be storing them elsewhere to keep your dining room clutter-free?
- Choose colours of paint and wallpaper that you love.
- Decide on the style and kind of ambient lighting (ceiling lights or wall lights) and accent lighting (a lighting grid above the table) that suit your room and style.
- Add personality with the right accessories and furnishings—a warm rug, lovely artwork on the walls, and lush greenery in large pots.
As with the rest of your home, your dining room will always evolve over the years. And that’s the way it should be!
3. What should simple dining room ideas contain?
Your dining room should always contain these essentials:
- A dining table and chairs
- A crockery unit
- A tablecloth, table mats and napkins
- Glassware, crockery and cutlery
- A centre piece, which can be a bowl of fruit, flowers in a vase, candles and so on
- Serving utensils
- Artwork, lighting fixtures, rugs and curtains
4. How do you fill empty space in a dining room?
First of all, empty space is not a bad thing at all! A bare blank wall can help to focus on a piece of art nearby, or it can even give the eye much-needed pause in a room that has a lot of other elements. A well-thought-out interior always has the right blend of empty space, also called white space, which separates and emphasizes the other décor elements in the room.
But having said that, there are many ways to fill empty space in your dining room. Here are some simple dining room ideas you can steal!
- Add carefully curated pieces of art on the walls. A painting of food, for instance, would be a lovely addition to your dining room.
- Posters and framed prints give a more contemporary café-style look.
- A gallery wall with framed or mounted pictures of family and friends is also a great idea.
- A China cabinet can hold crockery and display collectibles.
- An empty white wall could be painted with textured paint to create focus and add depth.
- A large carpet below the table adds pattern and colour, and can make the room look less empty.
- Indoor plants are a great addition to any space. In a dining room, plants help to keep the air fresh and free of pollutants.
