Easy Ways to Turn Up The Style In Your Dining Room
Before you do ANYTHING else, head over & check out my post on super easy, super sexy ways to transform your kitchen.
It was my first "installment" in this sexy series -- just easy, peasy ways to upgrade & uplevel your space without breaking the bank (or a wall).
With it being the season of good eats & large gathers, it only made sense to follow that up with the dining room!
By now, you've learned to how & what to measure for your dining room, so let's talk about really taking it to the next level with these marquee furnishing upgrades.
Overhead Lighting
Nine times out of ten, when you walk into a room, the overhead lighting will catch your eye — whether it's gorgeous or ugly — so imagine the effect it'll have in a dining area when it is directly centered over your table. Dining rooms are very linear spaces, typically, from floor to ceiling.
Think of the overhead lighting — pendant, chandelier, flush mount, whatever — like the proverbial cherry on top of your very awesome dining room!
Overhead lighting is a great opportunity to not only really maximize the amount of artificial lighting you're introducing into the space, but to also really introduce a statement piece that won't compete with anything on the ground. The lighting you choose can have a moment, while still complementing (and completing) the rest of the look.
QUICK SHOP LIGHTING
Wallpaper
Another “we don’t like to talk about it” type of decor that can go a LONG way in really taking the dining area from a 10 to an 11 is wallpaper!
Wallpaper, depending on your living arrangement, is the perfect way to create an accent wall that really makes an impactful visual statement, while also [aesthetically] marrying all the surrounding spaces.
While you can also create an accent wall with paint, doing so with wallpaper can really allow you to tell a story, especially with all the wallpaper options nowadays.
The right wallpaper — even removable — can be like you're commissioning an artist to come & create a custom mural for your wall, assuming your guests don't have the same wallpaper you do, in which case, that'll just make for great dinner table convo!
Console Storage
Now you might be thinking, "storage, duh!" but to be completely fair & honest, not everyone has storage in their dining rooms. Yes it is a very practical thing to have, but for most, it comes down to lifestyle; and someone who doesn't have a lot of fine china to show off, may not see the need.
This is where I come in & challenge that thinking by saying it's not just about the storage!
Getting a console not only adds storage to the dining area but it is a great way to balance out the space.
As I mentioned with the lighting, dining rooms can be very linear, and so bringing this off-centered piece into the room creates a more well-rounded design for the entire space.
The console can be anything from an enclosed buffet to a more open bar cabinet. Essentially you're looking for a piece to offset the table without leaving too large of a footprint. Store your dinnerware or store your libations. Either way, this is also a great styling moment.
quick SHOP storage
Tablescaping
I plan on doing an entire post on the magic of tablescaping but here we go...
It's "easy" to plop a table, chairs, and sideboard in a room and say you've created a dining room, but then what else?
Where's the design?
Tablescaping is where you really get to have fun and stylize the space!
In short, tablescaping is dressing up your table -- the dinnerware, serveware, flatware, linens, etc. so this is a great GREAT opportunity to introduce color, texture, and personalization.
Of all the updates & changes, this is the easiest & really the one that you can do on multiple occasions. The holidays, for example, are a great excuse to switch out your tablescaping -- from fall to Thanksgiving to Christmas to new year's you've already got FOUR opportunities for change. Or you can have one classic year round look that works for you.
