7 Elements for a Warm + Welcoming Dining Room

Oct 29

Is your dining room ready for guests? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking for a refresh, here are the things I recommend you include.

The holidays are just around the corner, and that means many of us are reevaluating our dining rooms to get ready for hosting. When our team is designing a dining room, we spend a lot of time learning from our clients on how they prefer to use their dining rooms. How often do you like to entertain? Do you host more casual or formal parties? How many people do you usually have over? All this information impacts what we choose. With lots of room for fluctuation depending on your style and lifestyle, here are some things we love to include to create a dining room that’s ready for hosting.

**1.Sophisticated Layers**

From the walls and the windows to the artwork and accessories, every design choice is an opportunity to add depth to your dining room. Wall coverings really elevate a dining room and can be formal or playful depending on your style. Try something textured for even more warmth! Window treatments add softness and visual interest to the room in a vertical sense. Artwork and mirrors bring personality into the room. I especially love how antique glass mirrors reflect soft light back into the space.

2.Stylish Tabletops

Your tabletop is an excellent opportunity to add more personality to your dining room. A big vase filled with branches lasts a long time and can be switched out seasonally. If you’d prefer to forgo flora altogether, a collection of vessels in varying heights looks super chic. For a party, I like to break up the tabletop with a table runner that spans about two-thirds the length of the table. Then, I add votives and low floral arrangements for beauty that’s not in the way of guests seeing and talking to one another.

**3. Upholstered Dining Chairs**

This is an area where people have strong preferences, but I love the look and comfort of fabric-covered dining chairs. Their softness helps balance out all the other harder elements in the room and invites guests to linger at the table. If you’re stressed about messes, we are always considerate about the types of fabrics we use.

4. Versatile Extendable Tables

Even if a table can technically seat a certain number of people, it’s nice to have more breathing room for your normal day-to-day. Extension tables give you the option to expand your table size with leaves.

**5. Useful Serving Pieces**

Some people prefer to serve their meals from the kitchen, but if you like bring food into the dining room, a sideboard or buffet is an essential piece. Likewise, if drinks are part of your typical hosting, it’s handy to include a bar area or cocktail cart.

6. Levels of Lighting

Nothing sets the mood in a dining room better than the right lighting—and I believe variety is the key. I love to go all out with chandeliers on dimmers; sconces; buffet lamps; and then, of course, candlelight. Tea lights scattered down the length of a table add so much atmosphere.

7.Variety of Finishes

Today, there are an assortment of finishes to choose from when selecting a dining table. If you’re partial to wood, you can get a traditional or modern look (and everything in between) by playing around with the wood species and table shape. Try mixing in a metal base, matte wood, or a gray finish. For a more personalized look, switch up the finishes on your sideboard or bar cart (lacquer is fun!) so everything doesn’t feel matchy-matchy.