Dining Rooms Decorating ideas

Oriental-style dining room
A low table with floor cushions in vibrant prints creates a relaxed dining area. Used on a small scale, different fabric patters can be mixed to great effect.

Relaxed dining
Choose natural materials where possible for a more relaxed mood. Refectory-style dining tables and a mix of seating, including a bench and dining chairs, are ideal.

Modern oriental
A chinoiserie-inspired wallpaper is the starting point for this vibrant scheme. Benches in turquoise linen and a sleek table act as a foil to the flamboyant pattern and encapsulate this modern take on a classic style.

Sophisticated shades
Keep the look elegant by choosing accessories in shades of moss green, lime and deep purple. This harmonious palette brings a sense of intimacy to the table, which is reinforce by the detail in the place settings. Here, cutlery has been decorated with berry sprigs and tied with ribbon, while beautifully scripted place cards add a welcoming touch.

Nordic elegance
Sleek, light-reflecting mirrored furniture, combined with warming berry hues, gives this Swedish-style scheme a contemporary feel. Delicate floral wallpaper adds further interest and helps soften the look.

Smart dining
Lacquer has a rich, indulgent feel and sets off elaborately patterned damask perfectly.

Afternoon tea
Choose favourite pieces of tableware and linen in a palette inspired by the soft pastels of sugar candy. Mix old and new styles of china to give afternoon tea a more informal and relaxed feel. To compliment the tablecloth design, use small-scale ginghams in matching colours for the seat cushions.

Fresh and functional
Keep the dining and study zones together to create additional workspace. For a cohesive look, use one accent colour.

Grey stripes
Panels of wallpaper in contrasting tones create a strikingly graphic effect in this contemporary dining room. The mixture of subtle stripes adds definition to the room and can be seen in the simple upholstery of the dining chairs and the colourful tableware. An elegant pendant light completes the look.

Seaside colours
Seaside coloursNautical stripes in blues and greens give this Suffolk dining room a suitably coastal look

Light and bright
Here, tablecloths from Greece and vintage crockery create an inviting dining area. An adjustable rise-and-fall lamp

Perfect symmetry
Use architectural details, such as the strong lines of these windows, to accentuate a vertical symmetrical theme, mirroring the scale with a chunky table. Pretty glassware and lighting softens the effect. Lundy table and benches, The Conran Shop. Jeanette chandelier, Laura Ashley. Vases, Carden Cunietti. Paint on window frames, Down Pipe by Farrow & BallMARCH 2005

Plain and simple
Soft tailoring and understated accessories combine to create a chic, easy feel. Experiment with different weights of linen for a more textured, layered look and choose muted colours for a contemporary feel.

French-style kitchen-diner
Create a relaxed French-style kitchen with open shelving and freestanding furniture. Wirework chairs and overhead lamps for the dining table are authentic French touches.

Dining Rooms Decorating Gallery

Though this kitchen is fairly neutral, the banquette makes a color statement in a mix of blue vinyl (for kid-friendly clean up) and a coordinating fabric on the backrest. The view is dominant so window treatments were eliminated and the chandelier was kept out of the way.

Turn the tables in a dining room by blending designer goods with items from discount stores. In this splashy dining room, a flea market table teams with pricey Louis XVI-inspired armchairs. Bargain-priced accessories justify a few splurges, including a focal-point rug.

This room is a fiesta of color! The blending of styles includes retro, modern, country, and even a little tropical (notice the hint of a pineapple motif in the chandelier), based on the look of Fiesta pottery.

In a small room, space planning is the key to success. To make the most of this diminutive dining room, which shares some of its 200 square feet with the front entryway, an efficient butler's pantry with a glass counter hugs the wall adjoining the kitchen.

Bare wood floors gleam under the 1940s Heywood-Wakefield table and modern designer chairs. Overhead, a trio of pendant lights serves to illuminate the length of the table and supplies a touch of tailored and striped pattern to the otherwise plain scheme.

In this vibrant dining room, a curvy valance adds height and impact to the arched windows. Instead of an expensive arched rod or curved board, the valance is secured directly to the wall by hooks. The fabric is pulled into casual pleats and "horns," then tied with a rope trim that runs the length of the treatment.

A formal dining room is all about entertaining. This dining table seats six for an intimate affair or can expand to accommodate a party of 12. French doors around the room allow dinner parties to spill out onto an adjoining patio. A traditional sideboard, which stores extra linens and dinnerware, can serve as a buffet.

A simple banquet is the perfect solution for a small space dining room. To add a bit of cottage flair, this room pairs a mix of antique inspired chairs with an oak table.

Choose casual fabric like this simple stripe to add to the cottage feel.
Mix and match wood types in the room for a more rustic approach.
Search flea markets for antique chandeliers like this one or your local home improvement stores for a replica.

Drenched in red and gold, this dining room looks like a million bucks. Tinted plaster mixed with marble dust coats the walls, buffed to produce a soft sheen. Dining chairs upholstered in gold damask are a soft touch against the wood table. A large area rug brings color underfoot and gold drapes tie the palette together.

A blue Asian-style rug contributes fresh color to an otherwise neutral dining room. Though all of the room's woodwork was painted white, none of its linear quality or substance has been lost.

Family-friendly wicker chairs surround this homeowner-crafted farmhouse-style dining room table. Nearby sits a 400-year-old carved chest with hand-forged hardware.

The neutral floor and area rug duplicate tones of the wood and wicker.
Loosely fitted chair cushions can be cleaned or updated as needed.
Touches of iron are repeated in the wall sconces and chandelier.

A dramatic painting gives this sunny dining room its punch. The other elements in the room are kept clean-lined and neutral to balance the powerful focal point. Chairs covered in washable white duck surround the simple farm table. The light-tone wood floors are left bare.