{"id":97651,"date":"2019-09-24T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=97651"},"modified":"2019-09-13T17:54:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T21:54:00","slug":"dining-room-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/dining-room-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"Chic and Classy Ways to Keep Your Dining Room a Comfortable Yet Beautiful Gathering Place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The\ndining room<\/a> as a family gathering place has\nbeen challenged in recent years as we lead busier lives. Sunday dinners\nfeaturing a roast shared with extended family are mostly long gone\/nostalgic. Projects\nlike Harvard\u2019s The Family Dinner\nProject<\/a>\nemphasize the need for families and communities to schedule regular times to\nshare meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyour dining room is the most underutilized space in your home, you may need\nsome dining room inspiration to help you reclaim it. Whether you have dinner\ntogether as a family seven nights a week or can only manage a regular Sunday\nbrunch, scheduling time to break bread with family and friends is important. Discover\nfive decorating ideas to ensure your communal meals are held in a place that\u2019s\nnot only comfortable but beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dining
Dining room with mismatched chairs<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Mismatched dining chairs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest trends in home decor is\ndining chairs that don\u2019t match. Introducing an eclectic component to your decorating\nscheme can have many benefits, including heightening the sense of individuality\nand belonging in what is often the most formal room in a home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, if different chairs really don\u2019t\nappeal to you, modify the concept by painting identical wooden chairs different\ncolors (just like color-coding family toothbrushes). Or, you can choose a\nseries of complementary fabrics in colors that match your decorating scheme to\nreupholster the seats. It\u2019s the same idea as throw pillows: not too focused on\nmatching, but with a unifying color theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dining
Dining room with modern LED Lighting fixture<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. New lighting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are so many beautiful and\nenergy-efficient lighting fixtures available today that there\u2019s no excuse to\nsettle for something you don\u2019t love. Changing an overhead light and installing\na dimmer switch is one of the easiest and cheapest home renovations you can\nmake. Good, adjustable lighting will dramatically increase your comfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighting trends for 2019 include wicker and\nother natural fibers to add texture, asymmetry and even avant-garde shapes. If\nyou\u2019ve got a long, narrow dining room and rectangular furniture, add some\ncurves with a few pendant lights that spotlight the head and foot of the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"Wooden<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Go eclectic<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite its function as one of the most primal\nfamily gathering places, the dining room tends to be underutilized. Since it is\na family gathering place, display family memorabilia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nchina cabinet you inherited from Great Aunt Mabel doesn\u2019t have to be filled\nwith bone china teacups, crystal pickle servers and liqueur glasses. Use it to\ndisplay Oregon beach glass, Caribbean seashells, family photos or a sculpture\ncollection. Mount the masks you\u2019ve collected in your travels, create an\nancestral family tree or show off your pottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of paint, why not spend a Saturday\nmorning creating a feature wall with stick-and- peel wallpaper? Paint the\nbuffet Chinese red or French blue. Invest in some linen or silk removable\nslipcovers for your dining chairs. Mixing industrial with glam is also a great\nchoice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Modern<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Bring the outdoors in<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most elegant dining rooms have\nFrench doors leading onto a patio. If you can\u2019t make that happen, think about\nreplacing and enlarging a window or adding another. Another option is to feature\nelaborately patterned area rugs. They anchor your dining table and establish a\nclear traffic pattern for the room. However, keeping them clean takes time and\nmoney. If you buy a natural fiber rug, you won\u2019t have to feel guilty about\ncomposting it in a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"White<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. Consider designating the room a dual-purpose area<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re short of space or just don\u2019t like the\nidea of a room going to waste, turn your dining area into the family library.\nBookcases don\u2019t take up a lot of room and provide great sound insulation\nbetween rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using\nthe dining room as a designated homework area is a good idea if you want assignments\ndone before dinner. If you\u2019re child-free, use the dining room as a home office.\n\nWhen you\u2019re looking\nfor dining room\ninspiration<\/a>, spend some time in the room at breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight\nsnack hours. This will help you assess its flaws and features as you plan to\nmake your dining room a comfortable and beautiful gathering place.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"