How do I decorate my new dining room?
July 19, 2017 11:21 AM Subscribe
I'm really terrible at improvising decor stuff, so I'm hoping to work off an image. But I can't seem to find any images of dining rooms that match the mood and functionality I want mine to have. Can you help?
I'm going to put the tl;dr right here: I'd ultimately like a dining room that feels good to hang out in! And looks good because it's the first thing your eyes are drawn to when you walk in the house!
Basically, I do NOT want a formal dining room. It will be the default place to eat since all I can hope to fit in the kitchen is a tiny table (nook). What I'm hoping for is:
Functionality:
eat meals
do homework (daughter)
do crafts with daughter
hang out and read a book or whatever for when I want to be by myself and avoid the television
have tea/coffee with guests
Mood
casual
cozy
low brow (or at least not of high brow)
family
What I have so far:
So the dining room is super visible and open, since it's the front room on one side of the house. I guess it would actually be a front room if the kitchen were big enough to eat in... Basically, the house is split in two: if you come in the front door, the staircase upstairs is directly in front of you, you go left to enter the living room, and on the right is the dining room. It has no entrance, per se, it's just three walls formed by the front (outer) wall, side (outer) wall and the wall that divides the kitchen from the dining room. it's north facing. Has a huge window on the front-of-the-house side, low to the ground. I don't know the size of the room - neither tiny nor huge, and kinda square-shaped, not rectangular. The flooring will be a dark walnut coloured engineered hardwood. We haven't bought a table and chairs yet. I'm painting the walls white for now since I can't seem to make a color decision. I'm thinking feature wall - maybe wallpaper? I bought a navy and white rug I thought I might put down under the table. I seem to be drawn to navy, ultramarine and teal? I have a handy husband and am enthusiastic about DIY.
Any help with ideas, pictures and search terms that would help with colour palette, wall and other decor and furniture would be hugely appreciated! Googling "cozy dining room" isn't working; it give me rooms that are still too fancied up.
I'm going to put the tl;dr right here: I'd ultimately like a dining room that feels good to hang out in! And looks good because it's the first thing your eyes are drawn to when you walk in the house!
Basically, I do NOT want a formal dining room. It will be the default place to eat since all I can hope to fit in the kitchen is a tiny table (nook). What I'm hoping for is:
Functionality:
eat meals
do homework (daughter)
do crafts with daughter
hang out and read a book or whatever for when I want to be by myself and avoid the television
have tea/coffee with guests
Mood
casual
cozy
low brow (or at least not of high brow)
family
What I have so far:
So the dining room is super visible and open, since it's the front room on one side of the house. I guess it would actually be a front room if the kitchen were big enough to eat in... Basically, the house is split in two: if you come in the front door, the staircase upstairs is directly in front of you, you go left to enter the living room, and on the right is the dining room. It has no entrance, per se, it's just three walls formed by the front (outer) wall, side (outer) wall and the wall that divides the kitchen from the dining room. it's north facing. Has a huge window on the front-of-the-house side, low to the ground. I don't know the size of the room - neither tiny nor huge, and kinda square-shaped, not rectangular. The flooring will be a dark walnut coloured engineered hardwood. We haven't bought a table and chairs yet. I'm painting the walls white for now since I can't seem to make a color decision. I'm thinking feature wall - maybe wallpaper? I bought a navy and white rug I thought I might put down under the table. I seem to be drawn to navy, ultramarine and teal? I have a handy husband and am enthusiastic about DIY.
Any help with ideas, pictures and search terms that would help with colour palette, wall and other decor and furniture would be hugely appreciated! Googling "cozy dining room" isn't working; it give me rooms that are still too fancied up.
Is there room for more than a table setup? I would put a reading nook under that front window, maybe an upholstered bench with storage underneath for craft/school supplies.
A big potted plant or two too - most indoor plants like indirect light and north-facing is perfect (northern hemispherically speaking).
Frame 3 pieces of your kid's best art in real matted nice frames, at least 14x18 or so, and hang in a triptych on the internal wall. Adds a nice finished look to homey stuff.
posted by headnsouth at 11:39 AM on July 19, 2017
A big potted plant or two too - most indoor plants like indirect light and north-facing is perfect (northern hemispherically speaking).
Frame 3 pieces of your kid's best art in real matted nice frames, at least 14x18 or so, and hang in a triptych on the internal wall. Adds a nice finished look to homey stuff.
posted by headnsouth at 11:39 AM on July 19, 2017
A couple things that make a dining room feel comfortable, IMHO:
Enough space around the table. So many people have a table and furniture that nearly fills the room, and you have to squeeze past others to get in or out when people are seated. A comfortable dining room leaves enough space for people to get in and out of their seats while others are seated.
Comfy chairs. Made for sitting in for an hour or more. The only real thing to do is try the chairs out.
A table that isn't too precious. If people are afraid of spilling a drink because it will ruin your table or table cloth, they won't relax.
I stayed with friends last week, they had an IKEA table and wooden chairs in their dining room. They also have a set of record shelves, a record player, and some plants on a wall shelf. The amount of space, the music without a screen, and informality of furnishings made it a super comfortable place to hang out.
posted by Cranialtorque at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Enough space around the table. So many people have a table and furniture that nearly fills the room, and you have to squeeze past others to get in or out when people are seated. A comfortable dining room leaves enough space for people to get in and out of their seats while others are seated.
Comfy chairs. Made for sitting in for an hour or more. The only real thing to do is try the chairs out.
A table that isn't too precious. If people are afraid of spilling a drink because it will ruin your table or table cloth, they won't relax.
I stayed with friends last week, they had an IKEA table and wooden chairs in their dining room. They also have a set of record shelves, a record player, and some plants on a wall shelf. The amount of space, the music without a screen, and informality of furnishings made it a super comfortable place to hang out.
posted by Cranialtorque at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'd consider window seat cubbies like this if you could. Adds comfy seating and good storage to put the craft stuff away quickly.
posted by advicepig at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by advicepig at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
This sounds like every ikea ad I've seen. They show such great mixed-use spaces. Maybe you can look on line at some catalogs.
posted by beccaj at 11:41 AM on July 19, 2017
posted by beccaj at 11:41 AM on July 19, 2017
If you're looking for a dining room that actually functions as a hang-out spot for reading (aka, sitting longer-term, more casual), to me you're looking for a dining room with bench seating. This is an example with similar flooring and wall colors to you.You could custom build the bench so, instead of legs, it sits on storage where things for crafts can be held.
posted by notorious medium at 11:41 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notorious medium at 11:41 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe this is inspiring?
Because the plan is square, I'd look for a round or oval table, and I'd also look for comfortable dining chairs you can sit in for hours. In my dining room, I have floor to ceiling bookshelves, and I keep glasses and porcelain in some of them, though most are for books. IMO they give a cosy atmosphere and color!
If you can fit in a couple of lounge chairs near the window, they will be good for your reading and also for having drinks before dinner when you have friends over. Seeing you are in Canada, that North-facing window will have great light on summer nights.
posted by mumimor at 11:43 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Because the plan is square, I'd look for a round or oval table, and I'd also look for comfortable dining chairs you can sit in for hours. In my dining room, I have floor to ceiling bookshelves, and I keep glasses and porcelain in some of them, though most are for books. IMO they give a cosy atmosphere and color!
If you can fit in a couple of lounge chairs near the window, they will be good for your reading and also for having drinks before dinner when you have friends over. Seeing you are in Canada, that North-facing window will have great light on summer nights.
posted by mumimor at 11:43 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Decide if you want the table to be bare most of the time, or if your table will generally have a tablecloth on it. Neither is inherently more casual than the other, you can have a really fussy bare table or a really cozy tablecloth. Do a table that you're planning on beating up, or make it protected by a hard surface (like glass, plexi, table pads, etc - if you don't want to damage the wood with craft projects)?
As an overarching thing, does IKEA modern look comfortable to you, or when you say "cozy" do you mean rugged farmhouse?
posted by aimedwander at 11:45 AM on July 19, 2017
As an overarching thing, does IKEA modern look comfortable to you, or when you say "cozy" do you mean rugged farmhouse?
posted by aimedwander at 11:45 AM on July 19, 2017
Response by poster: Ikea is sometimes a bit spare / sparse and cold, if that makes sense. Rugged farmhouse is somewhat appealing, but the way I see it done lately (super trendy) is just grey wood + white, which has no personality.
You guys are so smart. I'm trying to find how to make/where to buy window seats but am not finding a lot. Just small benches. The Ikea lack is used in some hacks, but that seems too narrow...
posted by kitcat at 11:53 AM on July 19, 2017
You guys are so smart. I'm trying to find how to make/where to buy window seats but am not finding a lot. Just small benches. The Ikea lack is used in some hacks, but that seems too narrow...
posted by kitcat at 11:53 AM on July 19, 2017
You want to look for Ikea Kallax hacks for a window bench if you want to cut down costs. You can pair the Kallax with the billy bookshelves and if you are at all handy, trim out everything to make sure it 1. doesn't move and 2. looks more built in.
I very much agree that you should attempt to do at least one wall of bookshelves with a window bench for curling up into, and very much agree that you should leave enough space around the table to move around it.
I think comfortable chairs are going to be pretty key to how effective this dining room is as a craft room and as as a game room; hit up tag sales this summer and collect an assortment! have everyone in the family select their favorite chair! you can always paint them all one color if they contrast a bit too much in person.
posted by larthegreat at 12:20 PM on July 19, 2017
I very much agree that you should attempt to do at least one wall of bookshelves with a window bench for curling up into, and very much agree that you should leave enough space around the table to move around it.
I think comfortable chairs are going to be pretty key to how effective this dining room is as a craft room and as as a game room; hit up tag sales this summer and collect an assortment! have everyone in the family select their favorite chair! you can always paint them all one color if they contrast a bit too much in person.
posted by larthegreat at 12:20 PM on July 19, 2017
This shows a small, plain and yet (to me) cosy and appealing dining room. A google image search for "multi-use dining room" should turn up lots of ideas. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 12:35 PM on July 19, 2017
posted by Bella Donna at 12:35 PM on July 19, 2017
I suggest doing a google image search of younghouselove and their dining room. In their second house, they designed a dining room with a large round table and comfortable wicker chairs around it. I like the idea of narrow arm chairs around a table, or maybe wooden chairs on the sides and a wing back chair on each end of the table. Essentially, I think an oval or round table (easier to walk around) and very comfortable chairs are key for a room you want to spend time in. I don't think benches are particularly comfortable to sit on, so that wouldn't be my first choice for seating.
You could also check out some of the dining rooms Joanna Gaines has designed on her hgtv show. She's really cornered the modern farmhouse trend.
posted by areaperson at 12:39 PM on July 19, 2017
You could also check out some of the dining rooms Joanna Gaines has designed on her hgtv show. She's really cornered the modern farmhouse trend.
posted by areaperson at 12:39 PM on July 19, 2017
To add to Cranialtorque's great answers, I would suggest you get a good hanging light fixture (on a dimmer, if at all possible) and mount it low-ish over the table. Light goes a long way to making a space cozy and inviting, and if the fixture is the right size/right height, you'll have a pool of light that can go from filling the room with brightly to glowing warmly just over the table. A friend has her Noguchi lamp hung about three feet over her beat-up old farmhouse table and the effect is interesting without being fussy when the light is on or off. IKEA makes paper lanterns that would do the same, I think.
posted by minervous at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by minervous at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Any chance you can change the paint color? White can be pretty stark. Gray or beige (or griege!) can really warm up a room and still be quite neutral. I'm not sure white works as well with "cozy," but griege could work well with navy or teal.
My other suggestion, if you have the space: create a reading book. In a corner or against a wall, place one or two upholstered chairs, next to or in front of a bookcase, along with a sidetable, scone or floor lamp, and on top of a small rug. This will be a super inviting spot for reading or quiet conversation.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:13 PM on July 19, 2017
My other suggestion, if you have the space: create a reading book. In a corner or against a wall, place one or two upholstered chairs, next to or in front of a bookcase, along with a sidetable, scone or floor lamp, and on top of a small rug. This will be a super inviting spot for reading or quiet conversation.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:13 PM on July 19, 2017
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posted by aimedwander at 11:37 AM on July 19, 2017