Decorating A Dining/living Room

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65 Dining Room Ideas So Good, You Won't Need to Hire a Designer

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Kendall McCaugherty © Hall+Merr

If you're anything like us, you love to eat and spend time with your friends and family, preferably against a stylish backdrop. Translation: Your happy place is probably the dining room. To make sure it's in tip-top shape for dinner parties and everyday use, we scoured the archives and rounded up over 65 of the chicest dining room decor examples in a variety of styles, from modern to industrial, traditional to eclectic, shabby chic, and more. Whether you want to redecorate or you simply need a little inspiration, we've got a designer-approved blueprint for you to recreate at home. Get ready to take notes on the stunning dining room decorating ideas that are sure to impress both you and your dinner guests (no matter how inedible the pot roast is—kidding!).

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Use Durable Fabric

Interior designer Welsey Moon clustered some lucite tulip chairs with upholstered seats around a casual Corian-topped table base. These pieces lighten the more formal mood of the deep blue velvet banquette, parquet floors, and antique mirror. And while that blue velvet may look fancy-schmancy, it's actually upholstered in outdoor-friendly fabric so it's super durable.

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Spotlight a Fireplace

Designed by Studio DB, this dinning room is such a nice blend of warm and cool tones. The pale blue-gray and crisp white walls and light fixture as well as the color-block marble table are energizing while the artwork, chairs, and sconces bring in warmth. The fireplace itself also delivers, creating a cozier environment.

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Create an Eat-In Kitchen

Tamsin Johnson used sleek stainless steel and striking marble in this kitchen, giving the eating area a glamorous and modern backdrop to compliment the dining room decor. It feels more formal than a typical kitchen nook, allowing the homeowners to use it as a proper place to entertain.

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Create Flow Between Spaces

The open floor plan in this Chicago family apartment designed by Bruce Fox called for cohesion between the dining and living room areas. That soft peachy paint and deep pink sofa are reflected in the printed armchair at the head of the dining table and also mimic the rosy glow of the pendant light. The color scheme was inspired by a photograph taken of the familay in London during spring, when the city was veiledin

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Create High Contrast

In this dining room by Raji RM, the large-scale mural anchors the room and sets the tone. While it speaks to the classic dining set and sconces, it feels fresh against the crisp white coat of paint, blond wood flooring, and pair of contemporary pendants.

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Rework Vintage Items

Though contemporary in look and feel, this dining room designed by Heidi Caillier also boasts a lived-in, historied character. That's thanks to the vintage pieces, from the carpet to the light fixture, as well as the nods to farmhouse style, like the display of decorative plates and wooden table.

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Put Your Best Work On Display

If you throw a lot of dinner parties, your dining room is the perfect place to put your best artwork on display. The striking Kehinde Wiley painting defines the color scheme in this dining room designed by Miles Redd, from the reupholstered lime green chairs to the wallpaper and moldings.

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Don't Be Too Precious s

New York City-based architect and designer Anik Pearson gave this remote Utah dining room a perfectly balanced personality. The polished details and fine craftsmanship along with bold pops of color, and beautiful artwork elevate the more rustic qualities without looking out of place or too precious. The end result is a refined ranch style.

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Set a Mood

Designer Keesha Franklin of Halden Interiors was tasked with redecorating this home of a recent widow, so she took advantage of every opportunity possible to brighten up and make a place that inspired healing and hope. "She needed it to be a happy place," says the designer. This included the dining room, where a yellow ceiling energizes and lights up the room like sunshine.

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Rehab Your Basement

Designer Jae Joo gave this cellar in a Boston rowhouse a sleek upgrade with polished dark gray and black dining chairs and floral vases atop a nondescript table. She also painted the exposed brick and concrete floors a light gray and added a laid-back, neutral-hued striped rug. Rather than fighting with the bones, like the exposed stone, the new pieces complement them.

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Sneak In Storage

The playful pendant and colorful wallpaper set the tone for this fun-filled family dining room designed by Rayman Boozer. A built-in drawer under the banquette serves as hidden storage, too.

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Reflect the Location

This Malibu dining room by Romanek Design Studio is a lesson in stylish restraint. The firm honored the SoCal backdrop with modern staples, industrial elements, a neutral color palette, and nature-inspired materials.

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Use Unexpected Paint

Consider painting your walls a unique shade in a high gloss sheen for a more formal, and intimate atmosphere, that's also exciting and cheerful. "What makes this color happy is how saturated it is," says decorator Suzanne Kasler of these walls (painted in Seven Lakes by Glidden). Surrounded by eclectic yet traditional decor, the room also has a dignified European air to it.

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Go Monochrome

Alternate seating between benches and chairs but use the same finishes and upholstery for a consistent, clean look, as Nicole Hollis Studio did here. For a similarly modern and monochromatic dining room, arrange black and white art asymmetrically to give the eye a break from the geometric symmetric of the rest of the space.

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Hand-Paint Your Floors

In the breakfast room of a 1930s home, floors were painted with an octagonal honeycomb pattern. The bold color and eye-catching graphic make a modern statement in this otherwise traditional dining room. Floral curtains and walls add to the lighthearted feel.

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Enhance Your Space

Unlike most dining rooms, this one by Leanne Ford Interiors doesn't use a large pendant light as the focal point. Instead, the focus is on the space itself. To enhance the beauty of a space like this one, work with raw materials like concrete, jute, and wood, and keep those beams exposed. An abstract painting in light clay tones elevates the dining nook even more.

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Try Lacquer

This dining room in a family home designed by Cameron Ruppert Interiors gets a dose of glam from lacquered blue paint. The upholstered chairs and beige and cream carpet lighten the mood.

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Perch by a Window

This dining room designed by Arent & Pyke is absolute goals. From the mix of dining chair styles to the colored glass vases, architectural framework, and that expansive view, it's a special backdrop for casual family meals and formal dinner parties alike.

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Make Multi-Use

Designer and homeowner Fitz Pullins opted for a bold blue that's perfect for both daytime fun and dressier evenings, the ideal balance for a bonus dining space. A stool is great for extending mealtime into game night.

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Add Some Shine

In this modern dining room by NICOLEHOLLIS, the bronze accents catch our eye and keep things interesting without creating visual chaos. So if you want to experiment with metallic accents, take note.

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Make It Moody

This moody dining room designed by Anne Pyne proves that formal doesn't necessarily mean fussy. Rich jewel one fabrics and lush layers of patterns bring the room to life, but they're used with restraint so the modern art gallery-esque table and light fixture can also assert a more edgy and serious tone.

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Mirror the Walls

Leanne Ford Interiors amplified this room with mirrored walls and then added texture with a vintage chairs, a rustic dining table, an oversized paper pendant, and a shag rug. For a similarly laidback look, lean eclectic artwork against the walls instead of hanging them.

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Embrace Pastel Pink

In the dining room of this Cape Cod estate, a sea-grass rug covers the floor. The pink chairs add a gentle color to the neutral space, and that stunning artwork really pops.

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Don't Be Afraid of Color

A statement wall or ceiling in a fun, on-trend color is a great way to keep things fresh and interesting. We're loving the way this lavender hue contrasts with the rustic turquoise pieces and traditional red barrel chairs in this cozy dining room.

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Match the Kitchen

If you have an open floor plan in which the dining room and kitchen share a space, take note of this one designed by Jean Liu. The cabinets are super sleek and understated and the hardware complements the pendants over the dining table perfectly.

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Show Off a View

Corey Damen Jenkins created a versatile family dining room with all the right staples. The rounded edges of the dining chairs, table, pendant, and planter work together to soften the angular shape of the windows and room itself. Yet, the bare windows and the surrounding view still set the overall tone.

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Arrange Around the Art

Ample storage space is key to both the form and function of any dining room. Opt for a spacious buffet that will give you extra surface room for serving and decor display as well as internal drawers for plating and silverware. Here, Tamsin Johnson matches it to the dining table and draws our focus to the artwork above.

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Make It Multi-Purpose

To truly get the most out of a room, it's best to invest in multi-functional pieces that enhance the space's versatility. So Kentucky-based interior designer Chenault James opted for a table that converts from a coffee table to a dining table to a ping-pong table.

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Opt for Minimalism

Clutter is kept to a minimum in this dining room designed by Elizabeth Roberts Architects, and the soothing color scheme ensures a grounded atmosphere. Bring in earthy colors and materials for a similar feel. Then add contrast with sculptural lighting, large-scale abstract art, and clean-lined furniture.

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Make Everything Count

When all you have room for is a small dining nook, make sure each piece carries its weight. Designed by 2LG Studios, this space definitely meets that mark. From the curved chrome frame of the dining chairs to the round pedestal table, square sconce, and geometric candleholder, it's a gorgeous exploration of shape and design.

Hadley Mendelsohn Senior Editor Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior editor, and when she's not busy obsessing over all things decor-related, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again.

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