Dining

Regardless of the size of your home, you can still enjoy a cozier and roomier dining area. By doing some of these tips, you will surely achieve a warmer, more relaxed look for your rather cramped dining room layout.

Tips in Making Your Dining Area Look More Spacious

Let light in. A small and narrow dining room can give it the dark and somewhat untidy feel.  To make it brighter, make sure that the sunlight can go through the room, which will greatly improve its appearance during the day. Alternatively, you may install track lighting and dimmers at the corners for the bright yet dramatic look.

Use light colors. Painting the dining room walls with light colors, such as cream, light tan, and yellow will definitely make it appear wider and brighter.

Add in mirrors. Mirrors always come in handy when it comes to making small spaces appear larger. This idea is also perfect for dining areas. Hang framed mirrors or use mirrored tiles on walls for added twist.

Consider using open shelves in place of wall cabinets. Wall cabinets can make a narrow room feel even narrower. Consider replacing your existing wall cabinets with shelves. The shelves will give the area a more spacious feel. Light colored shelves that blend well with the walls are mostly effective.

Be creative with storage. Finding innovative ways to store your dishes can be a lot of fun and gives you a chance to show off your creative side. Pull out storage units are a great way to save space, and rather than bringing decorative items into the kitchen, why not display stylish plates or utensils instead.

By doing this things, your rather cramped up dining area can have that homey yet spacious feel. Don’t be afraid to play with colors and decor. As long as they come together, the result will surely be perfect.

Dining rooms are one of the high-traffic areas in most homes. Hence, it is vital to choose the right flooring accordingly. So, how do you choose dining room floors?

There are different type of dining room floors. Carpets, laminated flooring, and vinyl flooring are some of the most common materials used for floors in the dining area. Carpets are great for adding a touch of luxury and comfort, as well as insulating the sound in the area. Laminated floor, on the other hand, gives your dining room the expensive look and feel of wood for a fraction of  the price. Laminated floors are ideal for busy dining areas because they are resistant to stain and easy to clean. For a greater impact to the dining room, use vinyl flooring or luxury vinyl tiles. This kind of flooring provides superb heat and sound insulation as well as elegance and style regardless of your dining room decor.

The kind of material you choose depends on the style or ambience you want to create for your dining room. You may choose a flooring that blends with the rest of your dining area or choose one that becomes the focal point of the room. Moreover, the material used must also depend of the kind of family you have. Do you have little children or are your kids all grown up? Carpeted floors may not be ideal for families with small children since there could be a lot of mess, especially in the dining room.

Keep in mind that carpeted floors may require a lot of care and maintenance. They can be cozy and classy, but if you think you are going to spend half of your life vacuuming the carpets or rubbing out the stains, then you ought to forget about it. Laminated floor is ideal if you want a warm and modern feel in your dining area. Added bonus in using laminated floors is that you can easily pop out your mop whenever spills happen. Vinyl floors are also low-maintenance materials that look great with any dining room design. Plus, vinyl floors are inexpensive, too.

So, have you already decided which flooring material to use in your dining room?

Despite its growing fame in the interior designing world, some people still flinch at the idea of having the color black as the main backdrop of their dining room. Can’t really blame them though , black has always been known as a very interesting color because it can make the space look smaller and at the same time it doesn’t really give off that cheerful vibe that most of us want. While others may go down the neutral color theme, they always prefer white or beige over black. But here’s the thing, black can really work well in dining rooms too. Having this as your primary palette can elevate the entire appeal of your dining room and make it look more elegant and sophisticated.  And contrary to the belief, it will actually make your dining look even more contemporary and modern. While we’re at it, I enlisted some of the reasons why Black is a very effective motif for a dining room.

You can do a monochromatic dining room – If you’re into monochromatic things, then you’ll surely love the idea of having a monochromatic dining room. You can use different contrasting shades of black and play them with each other, forming an elegant and edgy look for your dining area.

It’s easy to incorporate with other things – The great thing about black is that you don’t have to go full dark just for it to look awesome. You can incorporate it with literally almost anything and it will still give off that modern and sophisticated vibe.   For example, using black and white marble flooring or even black chairs can add a rich tone to the room.

It Never Goes Out Of Style – Black is a timeless color. It can make your dining room look classic.

It’s Unique – Just like what I previously mentioned, the trend of using black is still on the rise. Going for a black motif on your dining room will surely put you ahead and can be a great surprise for anyone who will visit your home.

It Can Make You Look Like A Professional – Aside from the elegance and the sophistication it brings, having black touches all over your dining room can also make you seem a professional when it comes to designing areas of your house.  It’s a mix of futuristic and contemporary design which will ultimately lead in people thinking you have a great style.

Small apartments and houses can sometimes come across as cute and chic. But admit it or not, we can’t deny that living in one is such a hassle. I don’t know about you, but one of the biggest problems I encountered while living in a small house is that there is little to no space for a dining room.  I know, if you’re living on your own or with your partner, you can just eat on the kitchen or even in bed while watching TV. But come on, that’s not the proper place to eat. Having a dining room or even just a dining table with chairs around it is important because you’ll get the right area where you can eat your heart out, entertain visitors, conduct dinner parties and even celebrate Holiday occasions.  Living in a small space can limit your options when it comes to this particular topic but it is not entirely impossible. Believe it or not, there are ways in order for you to have a dining room, even if you’re living in an apartment or a house that has a relatively small floor space.

Use A Round Table Instead Of Rectangle – Round tables can actually seat more people than rectangular ones.  Plus, rectangle tables also take up more space due to it being longer and wider. What’s also great about using a round table is that you can easily place it in a corner and it will still work the same without eating a lot of space or minimizing the amount of people that can sit around it.

Be Creative With Your Table And Chairs – Another good way to maximize the space is to be creative. There are a lot of options, especially when it comes to tables. The Foldable, Pull Out or even Built-In tables will do you great because you can just remove them after you’re done eating and you’ll have extra space that you can walk on. You can also use double purpose chairs that will work with the table.  Using bar stool is a great option because it’s an all around chair that doesn’t take up much space and you can easily carry them around and place them against the walls if they’re not needed.

Go Tiny – This can actually work a lot for you. Using a tiny table and chairs is very logical considering the amount of limited space you have. Just make sure they’re stylish enough so they can come off as chic.

Fall is always a great season, not only because the weather is much cooler, but also because it is the time of the year again for events such as Halloween dinner parties and thanksgiving. There’s just something about this pre-holiday season that makes you want to have people over for lunch or dinner and bond with them before you all get busy on winter. And one good way to impress your visitors is to make sure that the decors in your dining room mirror the cozy vibes of this season. The bright colored elements of summer should be removed and be replaced with fall-themed decorations that will surely elevate the atmosphere inside your home. Are you wondering how you’ll be able doing that? If you are, I listed some of the things you can apply to turn your normal dining room into a fall inspired one.

Choose Natural – Fall is all about nature and rustic feels. From having wooden dinner mats with printed leaves to dinnerware with nature inspired designs, going for the leafy-earthy route will surely blend well with the season.

Centerpiece – a centerpiece is very important since this is the first thing your visitors will most like see on your dining table. And since its fall, the best way to go is to have freshly harvested fruits and vegetables right in the middle. But if you don’t like that, you can also use plastic pumpkins and leafy ornaments to give your table an elegant look. Just make sure the display won’t big enough. It will block you and your visitor’s view and prevent you guys from seeing each other.

Go for warmer hues – Bright colored palettes were so last season. Fall is all about earthly tones such as orange, light beige, red orange and brown.  The option when it comes to the things you can incorporate these colors with is limitless. From table covers, napkins, paintings, walls, plate mats, glass holders and even chair cushion, you’ll surely find the perfect spot for them in your dining room.

Make It Smell Like It – The best dining room fall makeover won’t be complete without adding scents that will remind you or your visitors what the season is. Having a light aromatic candles or pumpkin spice scents in the air will surely give you the cozy fall atmosphere that we love.

Whenever we redecorate or re-design our dining room, we often spend a hefty amount of money in order to get the best results right? That’s very understandable though because you worked hard for it and you deserve nothing short of absolute best. But here’s the thing, not all of us have enough money to hire a designer that will give us the kind of outcome we want. Good thing the world invented the DIY scheme. Renovating the look yourself can already save a lot of money because there’s no need to pay for a designer, but that’s just a small fraction of the whole picture. There are a lot of things you need to consider: the color scheme, lighting and furniture among some. And most often than not, we always think that in order to get an elegant result we must invest on pricey things. But the truth is, we don’t have to break the bank in order to get a chic and modern looking dining room. All we need to do is be creative and resourceful.

Remove Excess Things – Some dining rooms are almost always stuffed with excess things that we don’t really need when we eat. What you can do is to remove unnecessary stuff such as extra chairs, work papers and notebook that you or your fellow members may have left around.

Go To A Thrift Store – Going to thrift stores, garage sales and even a flea market are a great option if you’re buying a dining room set. Aside from their uniqueness and the endless possibility of what you might get, they cost less than brand new ones.

Put A Chandelier – If you have an unused chandelier in your living room or in your hallway, you can transfer it to your dining room. Hang it directly above the center of the dining table in order to give it an elegant and intimate look.

Be Creative – If you have a knack on making things look more beautiful than they actually are then this is absolutely your time. You can do that by hand painting your chairs and even your table’s legs, making them look more personalized.

Use Aromatic Candles – Another effective way to elevate an entire dining room’s look is to use aromatic candles. Just make sure that their scents are not strong enough or else they’ll mix in with the smell of the food. What you need is an inviting smell in the air that will make the area look more pleasant.

The dining room is a very important room in your home. It's where the family should come together for dinner, to discuss one another's day, enjoy each other's company, and of course enjoy good food. Sadly many families these days seem to huddle around the television instead of a nice centerpiece. So you want your dining room to feel as comfortable as possible.

When it comes to your dining room set, your table and chairs that is, it is crucial that they not only serve a mere decorative purpose to your home but are also inviting to your family more then just dinner guests on special occasions.

There are plenty of different styles to choose from regarding dining rooms, so you want to match the flow, style, and comfort of your home. You need to determine how much space you have to work with, and exactly what layout your looking for. As for sizes the three basics are square, rectangular and of course circular. But your options don't end there by any stretch, if your into modern abstract decor then the sky is the limit. As for material, wood or glass seem to be the more popular choices, but again, the choice is yours. So don't make this choice too lightly, you want your family to want to sit at this table, and guests to enjoy themselves as well.

Your furniture can very well give people an insight to who you are. It can act as a representation or even extension of yourself. You want to choose pieces that tell your story. So when it comes to your dining room set, if you feel that you are a little more hip and chic then most, you may want to go with a unorthodox tall dining room set.

The heightened dining table and chairs gives you the feeling of a bistro, a fun loving environment, almost care free. This set is certainly more likely to find its way into the home of a contemporary couple or even a single man or women. It invites more of a party vibe then a traditional family feeling. It's amazing how much a foot or so in extra height can transform one's expectations of a room, or even a person.