Elegant Dining Room Design Ideas – Each item on this page has been carefully selected by the editors of House Beautiful. We may earn a commission from some of the products you choose to purchase.
The dining room is one of the most special areas in your home where you can create beautiful memories with the people you love. A luxurious alternative to a cozy breakfast nook, kitchen island, or pull-out couch. After all, some dishes deserve to be raised and appreciated in style. But the dining room should not look or feel stuffy. If you’re long overdue for a refresh, check out these amazing designer dining room ideas. They’ll give you all the inspiration you need to tackle projects like a pro.
Elegant Dining Room Design Ideas
Whether you’re hoping to impress your relatives or invite friends and family over for a dinner party, they’ll be impressed by the ideas you get from this designer-approved dining room. Replace a faded light fixture with an intricate pendant light that brings charm, or cover the walls with scene-stealing, repeat wallpaper that will transport you to your dream vacation destination. You will find a dining room suitable for every design style: farmhouse, Japandi, modern, eclectic and more. We also include dining rooms of different sizes and dimensions; Because who says you can not have a dinner party in a studio apartment?
37 Designer-approved Formal Dining Room Ideas
Check out the top 95 dining room ideas below to create the perfect backdrop and ambiance for any occasion.
The top of your dining table may be where all the action happens, but on a pedestal-style table, the most interesting details are usually reserved for the base. Show off a unique silhouette by choosing a slim chair with lots of negative space, as designer Tina Ramchandani did with this metal-framed chair.
Your dining room doesn’t have to be directly off the kitchen. Take inspiration from this sun-filled space by Pfeffer Torode architects and redo your floor plan. A wall of windows also keeps this formal space from feeling too cramped.
A large dining room works well for those who like to host, while a large dining table can feel cold for a smaller group. Drawing inspiration from restaurant cabins and cruise ship interiors, designer Michael Ellison even chose two smaller cabins so that this family could dine with or without guests.
Dining Room Holiday Decor Ideas
Take a note from Rita Chan’s California home and incorporate your home bar into the dining room. In this way, guests do not have to go far to get rehydrated. This also provides valuable storage space for supplies and special event pieces that you may want to take away when the company is over.
By connecting the formal dining table to the living room, guests (and small children) are not forced to stay at the table to feel like they are still part of the conversation. If you’re lucky enough to have a great view (or a 100-year-old stained glass window!), choose simpler cutlery to make them stand out.
Instead of scattering all your dinner guests across the dining room across a large, rectangular table, choose a square table to bring them closer together. Designed by BHDM Desain, this version still seats eight, but now everyone is equidistant. And nothing is left of this heated conversation!
Color restrictions allow the architectural details in your space to shine. In this dining room, Magnolia style director Ashley Maddox and designer Hilary Walker used a subtle palette to keep the focus on the cantilevered soffit and clerestory windows.
78 Dining Room Decor Ideas For A Stylish Entertaining Space
Cut to the ultimate center of attention: this circular tête-à-tête for four between two dining tables. “Having two tables adds a little more comfort and intimacy,” says Jenna Gross of Colordrunk Designs, who designed this space for House Beautiful’s 2023 Whole Home project. “A room that size can go really fast.”
Jenn Feldman of Jenn Feldman Designs proves that a stripped-down look can make a big impact with sculptural shapes and cuts. This dining room idea makes a statement in every way, from geometric pendant lights to round tables and arched chairs.
Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon of the Brownstone Boys built a modern design into this 1899 brownstone in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The white dining room takes up a lot of space and allows the original molding to shine. “It has some of the most ornate, magnificent plaster medallions and moldings we have ever seen,” said Bordelon.
This dining room idea looks like it’s straight out of a storybook! Designer Marshall Watson used traditional dish racks to display everyday dishes as wall art in this Swedish home. Vintage table and chairs with blue gingham seat cushions add rustic charm.
Contemporary Dining Rooms Ideas To Inspire You
In a light-filled West Hollywood townhouse, Tamara Honey, principal and creative director of House of Honey, designed a space that invites guests to hang out. This dining room is meant to be enjoyed not only at mealtimes, but at all times of the day. “This room is used more for game nights than formal dinner parties,” he explained. “We love how sophisticated it feels without being fussy.”
Designed by Gillian Segal of Gillian Segal Interior Design, this dining room’s soft color palette uses black accents and contrasting textures. Every detail, from the chain link chandelier to the vintage table legs made of solid coral, adds something unique to the space.
Next Wave designer Hilary Matt created a dining room that color-loving homeowners will love. Bold cobalt de Gournay wallpaper fills the space under the arch molding in this dining room. Paired with mustard velvet chairs, it creates a glamorous yet approachable invitation to sit at the table.
In an open-concept floor plan, a grass wallcovering “can help define the dining area as its own space,” says Julee Wray, principal designer and founder of Truss Interiors, which overhauled this Denver loft. This dining room idea is full of special touches like an Italian-made dining table and console with a hidden freezer drawer for food storage.
What Is A Transitional Dining Room: A Guide To Timeless Elegance
Jenna Gross of Colordrunk Designs decorated this dining room in House Beautiful’s 2023 Whole Home living room from head to toe in coral, blue, and green. A custom standing desk from Aronson Woodworks doubles as a gaming desk, home office, and dining room. Four Coley Home velvet swivel chairs can be hidden under the table when the party is over.
Brit Epperson, founder of the design firm Studio Plow, took on the task of furnishing this historic townhouse in San Francisco in just five weeks. With minimalist yet high-end touches of black art and sculpture, he designed a home that felt updated and elevated and easy to build. This dining room idea showcases a variety of surfaces and materials with a cool airy feel.
“My mother’s friend died,” said Phillip Smith, while looking for a dining table for his weekend home in Rhinebeck, New York. “I admired him, and when my friend went through his belongings he said: ‘There is a table here with your name on it!’ I almost cried. The gray-blue patina looks beautiful next to the chrome-grey wall paint. It also creates a soft contrast with the white ceiling.
This dining room is full of eye candy, starting with the centerpiece: the private library. “For this bookcase, we were careful to balance the style to move your eye, not just on each shelf, but along the entire bookshelf,” says designer Sarah Stacey. The result, he added, “shows refined taste and love for the chosen life.”
How To Create The Perfect Dining Space
This is a way to easily take the outdoors. The dark green walls of this dining room idea designed by Gillian Segal Interior Design create mystery and curiosity. A sculptural chandelier and mixed-material dining chairs add eclectic appeal.
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