Whether you have a small or large dining room, it’s a space that’s bursting with design potential. All you need is a spark of inspiration to set your plan in motion. The dining room is the perfect spot to play with designs, test out adventurous ideas, and create visual interest. Whether you want to show off treasured family heirlooms or DIY wall art, the goal is to bring your dining space to life, making it feel like its own distinct area.
Learn how to step up your dining room wall decor, furniture, and accents. From large, formal dining spaces to a casual spot shared with the living room, any dining room can benefit from a bit of targeted styling — no interior designer required.
Decorating your dining room
Dining rooms come in different shapes, sizes, and locations within the home. You might be working with a small space shared with another room like the entryway or home office. Or you might be lucky enough to have a spacious room. Whatever the case, dining rooms are perfect for displaying eye-catching home decor.
The key to dining room interior design is confidence and planning. Once you know what type of home decor style you’d like, you can boldly bring it to life. To get the creative ideas flowing, take a look at the following guides for some inspiration:
When decorating your dining room, look for items that set the tone for the room. Dining room wall decor is an excellent way to add to (or reinforce) your color palette and overall aesthetic. Whether you want to use a single piece of art or make a gallery wall, you can easily infuse the space with character.
5 tips for dining room wall decor and interior design
Your dining room is the social center of your household. Whether your dining table is used for holiday meals or family game night, how you decorate your dining area should reflect the many ways that you use it.
When considering your home decor choices, make the most of the size and shape of your dining space. This helps you create an inviting area for your friends and family to share memories around the dining table.
You don’t have to be an interior designer to pull off beautiful interior design. You just need to put some thought and planning into your space. The five tips below will give you trendy and classic ideas alike so that you can design the dining room of your dreams.
1. Pick a style
Having a specific style in mind can make it easier to choose wall art, lighting, and other dining room wall decor. Think outside the box here, and don’t limit yourself based on how things are currently decorated. Your dining space doesn’t need to exactly match the rest of your home. For example, if your home has a transitional or boho look but you’ve always wanted a farmhouse-style dining room, go for it!
Of course, if your dining area shares a living room wall or kitchen wall, it helps to select a style that works well with both spaces. Once you’ve chosen a style, you’re ready to shop for dining room furniture, wall art, and accents.
2. Follow a color scheme
Setting a color scheme will help you decorate your dining room. Since dining areas are often updated seasonally, picking a neutral color palette can make the space more versatile. For example, a color palette of white, grey, tan, and brown is warm and earthy but still neutral enough to look great with a full spectrum of seasonal decorations.
If you own your home and can paint your walls (without renegotiating your lease), try adding an accent wall that complements your color scheme. An accent wall adds visual interest and can highlight special wall hangings. You can also use accent colors to draw attention to built-in shelving or a blank wall that you’d like to turn into a gallery wall.
3. Introduce good lighting
Lighting can make or break your dining room decor. If you have windows in your dining area, opt for light or sheer curtains. These provide privacy without blocking out the natural light. And if you’d like to create the illusion of bigger windows, hang your curtains higher and wider than the windows.
You’ll also want lighting throughout your dining space, whether or not it receives plenty of natural light. For example, a chandelier or pair of accent lights over the dining table, or a floor lamp beside it, can serve as the focal point of the room while providing a cheerful glow. Sconces along the walls can also offer lovely mood lighting for formal dining spaces.
If you plan to mount art prints or wall hangings in your dining space, think about lighting your artwork itself. You can do this with traditional gallery-style lighting or by installing LEDs behind a picture frame. Either option will help brighten the dining area, particularly if you have white walls to reflect the light.
4. Decorate the walls
Dining room wall decor is one of the best ways to bring your dining area to life. And the options are limited only by your imagination. For example, you might showcase your collection of canvas wall art with a floor-to-ceiling gallery wall. Or, if you prefer a more minimalist approach, consider hanging one large canvas print as the focal point.
Dining room wall decor ideas don’t have to stop there, either. You might opt for a bit of DIY farmhouse wall decor by making a dried flower rack or add a pop of color with a brightly painted metal wall decoration. You could even play with (almost) all of the ideas above in one dining area!
No matter what form of dining room wall art you decide on, remember to use carefully mounted, high-quality hangers. This reduces the risk of any artwork falling off your walls and injuring someone or breaking something.
5. Work with what you have
Let’s face it. We don’t all have the time, money, or leasing agreement to allow us to change our dining rooms completely. This is where you have to think like an interior designer and work with what you have. For example, if you’re not ready to replace your dining table set, pick decor that will work well with it. If you’re stuck with plain white walls, add a pop of color with watercolor artwork. And if you can’t or don’t want to put holes in your walls, consider wall decals or strong stick-on hooks instead.
Even if you’re not “stuck” with anything, it pays to consider the existing features in your dining room. A curved wall, for example, might call for a round table and artwork that showcases beautiful curvature to create a cohesive design. A matte accent wall invites you to play with other matte colors throughout the space. A rustic window might come to life with a display of wood-framed family photos in front of it. Try to see the potential in your dining area and tap into it.
Fall in love with your dining area
Whether you want to uplevel your dining room wall decor or redo the entire dining space, keep these tips in mind to help create a design you’ll love. Remember, it’s all about putting your style, color palette, lighting, and decor together with intention. And if you’re still shopping for the perfect furniture, check out Coaster Furniture’s selection of dining furniture and store locator to find the perfect fit for your home.
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