How to style your dining room from scratch

Finding your own dining room style

Whether you want to create a friendly, family atmosphere or an elegant space to wow your guests, the dining room is an important part of any home. It’s also the room with the highest chance of ending up looking mismatched, uncoordinated and something of an after thought. Choosing the right dining room style will make your home, and starting from scratch actually makes it easier to achieve the look you want!

Start with a plan

The dining room often begins as a dumping ground for furniture from other rooms, or can end up being compiled over the years as and when you have the time. Instead of taking this laissez-faire approach, start with a plan for the room. What function does it need to fulfil (entertaining? family meals? somewhere to display the best china?) and what needs to be in the room in order to do that? Look at the features of the room and work out what to emphasise and what to hide, as well as what needs to be worked around.

Choose a theme

The best styled interiors have consistency that comes from sticking to a theme. Your dining room doesn’t need to be the same as the rest of your home but you do need to coordinate everything in it so that it feels like a whole, thought through space. Minimal dining rooms do well when it comes to impressing visitors or you might like to use this as a test space for trying something new – maybe all natural woods and greens, a tropical theme or a country kitchen style look.

Table and chairs

In a dining room, the table and chairs are inevitably the focus so these are the first furniture choices to make. Do you want to experiment with a contemporary extendable dining table or are you looking for a luxury dining table that is classic and elegant? Is it better to opt for glass or for wood? Comfort is important for your dining chairs but there are other questions too, such as whether you want chairs that match the table style or stand out as a design feature on their own.

Floors, walls and windows

Once you have a theme and a focal point you can start creating the backdrop. Start with flooring and work out whether a thick, luxurious carpet will suit the design you’re going for, or sleek wooden floors would be more appropriate (as well as being more practical). If you have a large window, do you want to frame a view with curtains or do you need shades for privacy? Finally, consider whether the room needs painting or wallpapering then look for artwork that continues your theme.

The finishing touches

The key to comprehensively styling your dining room is the finishing touches. From a luxurious sideboard to an elegant drinks cabinet, display cabinets and stylish storage for cutlery, place mats, crystal-ware and dishes, there are plenty of options – both practical and aesthetics-focused – to help you give your dining room that polished look.