Get Your Dining Room Ready to (Dinner) Party
Make this gathering spot ready for guests with a few ambience-enhancing tweaks
With the holidays coming, you might be starting to think about hosting a gathering or two. If so, make sure your dining room is company-ready by making a few tweaks ahead of time. From simple additions (putting a throw on every chair) to bigger changes (installing new lighting), here are some simple ways to make your dining room the place to be.
Add cushions or throws to chairs
Make your guests want to linger at the table well into the evening with the addition of soft throws or seat cushions. Try faux sheepskins, plaid blankets, or felt or velvet cushions.
Make your guests want to linger at the table well into the evening with the addition of soft throws or seat cushions. Try faux sheepskins, plaid blankets, or felt or velvet cushions.
Get a right-size area rug
At least 60 centimetres of overhang on each side of the table is what you should aim for when sizing a rug for under your dining table. Anything less and chairs can catch when pulled out, and the space will look smaller.
A properly sized rug can bring warmth and comfort to a dining room like nothing else. A flat-weave rug, like the kilim shown here, will be easier to keep clean than one with a thick pile.
Finding the right size rug for any room
At least 60 centimetres of overhang on each side of the table is what you should aim for when sizing a rug for under your dining table. Anything less and chairs can catch when pulled out, and the space will look smaller.
A properly sized rug can bring warmth and comfort to a dining room like nothing else. A flat-weave rug, like the kilim shown here, will be easier to keep clean than one with a thick pile.
Finding the right size rug for any room
Paint the walls a rich colour
Since you probably spend less time in the dining room than in the kitchen or living room, it makes sense to go a little bolder with your colour choice here. Look for a colour that’s strong but not overpowering, like deep green, mocha or espresso. A more subtle hue can feel rich too – for a less-is-more look, try cappuccino or warm white.
Boost ambiance with extra lighting
A single overhead fixture isn’t enough to create well-balanced light. To take your dining room lighting from good to amazing, put the overhead fixture on a dimmer switch and add sconce lighting or table lamps on a buffet.
Since you probably spend less time in the dining room than in the kitchen or living room, it makes sense to go a little bolder with your colour choice here. Look for a colour that’s strong but not overpowering, like deep green, mocha or espresso. A more subtle hue can feel rich too – for a less-is-more look, try cappuccino or warm white.
Boost ambiance with extra lighting
A single overhead fixture isn’t enough to create well-balanced light. To take your dining room lighting from good to amazing, put the overhead fixture on a dimmer switch and add sconce lighting or table lamps on a buffet.
Put up a blackboard
Whether it’s schoolhouse green or classic black, framed or painted directly on the wall, you really can’t miss with a blackboard in the dining room. Use it to post the dinner menu for a party, customise it with inspiring quotes and poems, or let the little ones go to town with chalk when they finish their meal.
How to make a country-style blackboard
Whether it’s schoolhouse green or classic black, framed or painted directly on the wall, you really can’t miss with a blackboard in the dining room. Use it to post the dinner menu for a party, customise it with inspiring quotes and poems, or let the little ones go to town with chalk when they finish their meal.
How to make a country-style blackboard
Create a black-and-white photo wall
A neat grid of photos always looks good, and it’s even better in black and white. For the most impact, choose frames with a generous white mat and hang them on a wall with a rich colour. Precision does matter here, so get a friend to help you, and use a level to be sure you’re getting the grid straight.
How to create a gallery wall of your own
A neat grid of photos always looks good, and it’s even better in black and white. For the most impact, choose frames with a generous white mat and hang them on a wall with a rich colour. Precision does matter here, so get a friend to help you, and use a level to be sure you’re getting the grid straight.
How to create a gallery wall of your own
Layer artwork on a shelf
Not ready to commit to a permanent art display? An art shelf is casual and easily changed, making it perfect for tweaking a collection with the seasons. Start with a few larger pieces in the back row, layer in medium-size frames, and finish by tucking in a few small pieces at the front. To focus attention on the art, hang gallery lighting on the wall above the shelf.
TELL US
If you could wave a magic wand and change anything about your current dining room, what would it be? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Not ready to commit to a permanent art display? An art shelf is casual and easily changed, making it perfect for tweaking a collection with the seasons. Start with a few larger pieces in the back row, layer in medium-size frames, and finish by tucking in a few small pieces at the front. To focus attention on the art, hang gallery lighting on the wall above the shelf.
TELL US
If you could wave a magic wand and change anything about your current dining room, what would it be? Let us know in the Comments section.
MORE
Decidedly Different Dining Rooms
How to Make a Formal Dining Room Feel Welcoming
9 Instant Dining Room Updates Anyone Can Do
A bench, especially a cushy upholstered version like the one shown here, provides more comfort and room for sitting than a pair of chairs. If you’ve been wanting to break up a matched dining set, this is one simple way to do it.
Add a big potted plant
Fresh greenery is a wonderful way to revive the dining room. A large potted plant like a ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) or fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) cleans the air, adds height and drama and can make your space feel bigger to boot.
8 ways house plants can improve your health