Throughout my years in the interior design world, I have learned a number of techniques and small dining room ideas that can make any size space appear grand and stylish. If you are working with a more limited square footage, you must simply make calculated design decisions that deliver that maximum amount of style in the fewest (or smallest) pieces. One of the easiest ways to do this is through dining room table decor pieces because they are displayed on a unit that is must already be incorporated in the space. Pieces that play double duty like this are great for small rooms because they kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. The dining table is utilized for entertaining (and obviously eating) but is also a great medium to bring some artistic flair and pops of color to the space. For this table I chose elements like beautiful rich magenta orchids and a luxe crystal bowl that would contrast nicely against the neutral dining room colors used throughout the rest of the space.

I am constantly on the look out for cool dining room decor ideas because that is the one room in our house that I am not sure what to do with. I really like how this designer created a very simple yet elegant look without a lot of art and knick knacks like most homes I see. Instead, they utilized dining room paint colors to make most of the bolder design statementsin the space. I love the subtle beige wall color contrasting against the rich stained wood of the trim, windows and floor. I think this is a great way to liven up a space without adding too many distracting elements. Not to mention, it is a quite inexpensive technique that results in great style. With the dining room colors as the foundation of the design, they added small pops of decor through the gorgeous glass chandelier, area rug and monochrome curtains. I am also a big fan of this dining set and coordinating side board because, again, it features simple lines and also coordinates perfectly with the trim and floor color. The whole space is very subtle yet stylish.

So many homeowners tend to forget about dining room decor because it is one of those spaces that is rarely used. Maybe with some fun updated styles, we can make this room the most popular in the home. The first area that clients seem to struggle with is selecting appropriate dining room colors. My advice is to always look to the color palette of the adjoining rooms (such as a kitchen or den) for inspiration. For example, this home has a beautiful white kitchen with pops of sunny yellow accent colors. For this reason, I decided to use a stunning golden shade for the walls and crisp white on the existing paneling and trim. Because this is not a high traffic room, you can also have run with dining room wall decor. Add some unexpected pieces or unique decor techniques that you would be afraid to incorporate into other areas of the home. To finish off this clients space we added large pieces of gorgeous art and installed museum-style spotlights to showcase each piece. Now it is a fun room for friends and family to enjoy.

Rather than using a white color for the trim, we selected a darker taupe than the walls. Not only did the technique add an unexpected design twist, but it is very reminiscent of colonial home paint techniques. This brings in the traditional elements that the homeowner requested and perfectly contrasts the boldly modern dining room paintings that we chose. Another key decision was the dining set. In order to mix the two styles, we selected a very contemporary looking table with sharp straight lines. Then, to soften the look, I chose these beautiful classic upholstered chairs with a bit more curvy design. The final touch to this stunning room was the dining table decor. I wanted something simple and bold, so we went with this whimsical chrome fish sculpture.We recently finished this gorgeous contemporary home remodel, and this room is my favorite of the project. Our client requested a modern feel with a traditional foundation. This may seem like a challenge; however, once we settled on a few key details like dining room colors and furniture, the rest just flowed. We went with a neutral color palette, but with a twist.

We are updating the entire first floor of our home and are stumped on what to do with our contemporary dining room design. Throughout the rest of the house we have an eclectic mix of traditional elements with modern touches. I would like to bring that same feeling to our new dining room ideas. Currently we have a cool grey color palette, hardwood plank flooring, and a large dining set from restoration hardware. There are coordinating draperies but I am not in love with them. I think it would be fun to liven up the space by adding some accent shades to our dining room colors. I have always been partial to the combination of grey and navy blue so I think that is the direction we should go. My vision is to add rich navy drapes with gorgeous modern art on the wall, then decorate with classic ginger jars throughout the room. I think it would be the perfect combination of that modern style that we enjoy alongside the more traditional elements of our home. What are your dining room ideas for our home?

We recently finished decorating this gorgeous traditional dining room and absolutely love how it turned out. It is not often that you find a room like this with stunning floor to ceiling windows and French doors. We knew that we wanted this to be the focal point of the design. For this reason, our first step was narrowing down dining room curtain ideas that would provide great style but that would not take away from the views outside. I think that these plush jacquard drapes with a very neutral pattern were the perfect choice. Once we had decided on that element, the rest of the decor just flowed. The addition of this contemporary style area rug, added another layer to the decor and really softened the space. The final piece of the makeover was dining room pictures for walls. We wanted to keep it simple, and added pieces that would add subtle pops of color without distracting from the rest of the room.We kept with the neutral theme for the rest of the dining room colors, selecting a subtle taupe for the walls and crisp white for the trim. I love the contrast between the lighter paint and curtains and the rich espresso brown plank flooring.