In many ways, dining rooms take on the personalities of their owners. You may favor a dining room that stays connected to the kitchen and living room, making it a bit more casual and family-friendly. On the other hand, you may want your dinner party to be a moody and intimate affair set apart from the main areas of the house but still within reach of the kitchen.
No matter the setting, our favorite dining rooms function for small family meals but can handle the needs of larger entertaining.
Here are few tips to consider when designing your dining room:
- Plan the size of the room around the furniture you have. Consider that you will have not only a dining table but also serving counters and bars. Try to include 4-1/2 feet of space between these.
- We love to give one wall of the dining room a sliding glass door to give it access to the outside. Bonus points for putting furniture outdoors to create even more space to entertain.
- We like to pump up the volume on ceiling height. Creating more volume here makes the space feel lighter, even when it’s packed with guests.
- Try to have at least three lighting combinations. This can be accomplished by installing recessed lights on a dimmer and a chandelier. So many lighting combinations can come from this.
- Consider if your dining room can serve other functions when not serving food. Maybe it’s a workspace during the day, maybe it’s a place for drinks at night.