Having trouble decorating your dining room? That’s all right – many people do!
Today, we’re here to help you figure out how to fix that problem. Luckily for you, our designers have worked on their share of dining spaces and pieces. In this guide, we’ll share their top tips from experience.
From using sculptural lighting to custom rugs in your interior decor, you’ll discover more about smart design ideas for dining rooms below.
1. Think about using sculptural lighting
Lighting is critical in all decorative projects. We’d even say all interior design styles are dependent on it for proper execution.
You have a clear practical purpose for it in dining rooms – to establish a specific atmosphere as well as focus the eye on central pieces like your dining table.
But you shouldn’t forget to think about the opportunity to use the source of light itself as a decorative piece. Sculptural lighting fixtures add an element of drama as well as interest to a dining room.
However, try not to overdo it. Using too many bold sculptural lighting fixtures can fracture the room’s focus.
In the same way, getting the scale of the fixture wrong can ruin the balance of your room. This is one of the design ideas where finding the Goldilocks point is crucial.
2. Add some flora
Flora can do a lot to breathe life into a room.
For one, plants often serve as spots of colour and interest. For another, there’s something naturally refreshing about greenery!
It tends to relax most of us, which probably explains why companies investing in next-level workplace ergonomics and design have added greenery to their offices for some time now. It’s a common request even from residential clients of interior decor pros.
Start by adding a potted plant or vase of flowers to your dining room. Some flowers may even improve the room’s scent with their fragrance.
We’d recommend against picking ones with overly strong scents, though – you don’t want them to overwhelm the scent of the food itself!
Consider safety as well. Pick ones that are known to be suitable for the kitchen, like common herbs you use in your cooking. Steer clear of others like lilies, which may be beautiful but are toxic.
Choose plants that are easy to care for, such as spider-leaf plants, ZZ plants, and ficus plants. These are mainstays of interior design styles that bring greenery into the home while requiring barely any attention!
We’d recommend not having too many plants on the dining table itself. Flora shouldn’t take up so much space that it becomes hard for you to pass dishes or see each other at the table.
3. Add art to the equation
This is another tip that can really liven up a room. Paintings on the wall, for instance, can brighten up an otherwise plain space.
They can serve as points of contrast or complementary style for your other decor. Or can even help establish the ambience you want, such as by providing a serene landscape or an impression of plenty through a still-life cornucopia.
Of course, this isn’t restricted to paintings! You can explore wall rugs, photographs, and even sculptures. All of these can be used to add further style to your dining room.
You may even consider a full-on wall display of art that acts as your own private gallery. Showcase your interests, design ideas, souvenirs, and favourite colours.
Since nobody will end up with the same curated collection, you can show off your own unique style this way too. Try to keep it organised by using the biggest piece to set the tone.
4. Don’t be afraid to mix and match some elements
Assuming you’re not decorating in an eclectic interior decor style from the get-go, you’re probably wondering if you can do something like mix and match chairs at the dining table. You can, actually!
To make it work, you just need to keep the overall result cohesive.
For example, even if you’re using chairs of different styles and materials, try to match their colours to the rest of your decor and each other. Or use chairs with different types of wood for the legs but the same shade of upholstery or fabric for the seat.
You can even try to do something like establish regularity through irregular setups like these by pairing chairs on opposite sides of the dining table.
For example, the chairs on the long sides of a rectangular table could all be black, rounded-back chairs. Then the ones on the short sides could all be white, square-backed chairs instead.
This mix-and-match approach has been getting more popular – it’s even one of the trending home design ideas for 2025. In particular, we’re seeing a lot of vintage pieces being mixed with modern ones.
Try it by putting an ornate vintage table with modern minimalist chairs, or vice versa. You can even shore up your decoration courage and try going very bold with the pieces’ colours. Sometimes, you hit on something magical that almost has the effect of a home renovation!
5. Use a rug for the focal point of your room
A good rug can really establish the focal point of your room.
It underlines the table visually, pointing the eye towards it in tandem with the lighting.
It can also add an element of comfort to the setting.
Just bear in mind that you do have to take care when picking a rug for dining rooms.
For one, this is a high-traffic and high-spill area. It’s therefore best to get an easy-to-clean rug.
You should also make sure the design complements the rest of the decor and doesn’t clash with the table. If you need help finding a rug for your own dining room that ticks the right boxes, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
We can create a bespoke rug that fits the bill perfectly. Simply contact us for an assessment of your dining room plus a consultation on your preferences. We’ll come up with the perfect custom rug for you from there!
