It used to be a cosy, informal room while modern dining rooms now dominate the living spaces combining functionality and charm.
In the era of functional beauty, the interior design of the living area combines innovation and tradition through materials, shapes and objects, in order to celebrate every moment we share with others.
This new domestic core encourages daring creative actions: even when you don’t have wide spaces, you can use special decorative and furnishing elements to turn your dining room into a versatile, cosy stage where to spend the different moments of your daily life.
That is why we decided to write this article about how to furnish an elegant dining room. Besides selecting the right table, the most suitable chairs, there are lots of decorative objects which can help create the perfect atmosphere to design a space which is beautiful to be looked at but which also invites you to stop and enjoy the beauty of the moments you share with other people.
The main characteristics of a dining room
It can be a part of the living room, a corner of the kitchen, or a room on its own: a complete dining room is, always, the place where functionality meets the art of living.
This space, mainly consisting of table and chairs, is a charming environment, where every choice of design – from pieces of furniture to colours – can totally change the atmosphere.
Three elements must be taken into consideration:
1) BALANCE
Balance is fundamental: an elegant, modern dining room stands out for its good combination of pieces of furniture, finishes and space optimisation to comfortably house lunches and dinners. A spacious table, comfortable chairs, well-designed zenith lighting and a console where to put tableware and glasses are necessary. If you add a carpet, you can personalise the room and make it cosier.
2) APPEARANCE
The dining room can have the same look as the rest of the house, especially if it is located in an open space, or it can be an interior on its own, with its character and its features.
It depends on your personal taste: it can have the sober luxury of a classic flat; it can have lively touches of colours when its style is more modern; it can be minimalist when it employs modern materials as steel; it can display clean, essential lines which are typical of modern interiors. No matter what its design is, refinement and good taste are fundamental.
3) SIZES
There is not a standard surface area to create a modern, complete dining room. Even the smallest spaces can be turned into corners of beauty and functionality, where every centimeter is optimised. The inventiveness in design and the careful choice of well-proportioned pieces of furniture permit to create cosy, stylistically worthy interiors, showing that big sizes are not necessary to achieve charm or functional efficacy.
The necessary decorative items in elegant, classic dining rooms
“Large” items: table and chairs, are of course pivotal for the creation of a refined dining room. The table undoubtedly brings people together; its design and size are fundamental to define the atmosphere of the interior and the way space is used. The materials, colours and shapes of the chairs (which necessarily complete the table) offer endless possibility for customising the room; they can be eye-catching because of their colours or innovative design or, on the contrary, subtly camouflage themselves.
This is not all.
There is a third element, often underestimated but equally important when furnishing a dining room: decorative items. They are not simple accessories, rather protagonists which define space and enrich it.
Selecting these products with care is essential to convey a sense of welcome and refinement, transforming a functional environment into an experience of beauty.
What to put in the center of the table: vases, flowers and centrepieces are okay; boredom is not!
1) Vases with flower
It is the first thing we can think of: a vase with flowers. Too obvious? No, if you are able to select the right combinations.
Using vases and artificial flowers as centrepieces can be a visually impressive decorative solution, easy to handle and perfect to embellish the table with a touch of timeless elegance.
Choosing the right vase is fundamental to enhance the beauty of artificial flowers. Materials as ceramic or glass can be selected according to the style of the dining room, nicely matching the other furnishing elements. Vases with a minimalist design, for instance, give importance to flowers, while more decorative, coloured ones visually embellish the room.
Artificial flowers offer a wide range of colours and textures, from delicate lavender to strong grain spikes, from tender chrysanthemums to thin branches of eucalyptus. Their variety permits to play with the seasons or with specific themes, adapting the centrepieces to the various occasions or to one’s tastes.
2) Centrepieces
The centrepiece can turn the table into a central, charming element in a classic or modern dining room. This way, the decorative element is no longer an “accessory” and becomes “eye-catching”; it is the piece of design which turns the table into a stage where to display a story of elegance and style.
3) Room diffusers
What about using a room diffuser as centrepiece?
It is an original way to welcome somebody into the dining room. In this case, the olfactory design creates a multi-sensory dimension which offers a “promise of experience”: of a well-conceived, very cosy interior.
Furnishing an elegant, modern dining room with decorative plates
Hanging decorative plates on the walls is a refined, nice designing solution, which can provide the dining room with elegance and personality. This aesthetic solution belongs to the decorative traditions of various cultures and turns daily objects into real works of art, visually enriching the interior.
Decorative plates can be found in an amazing variety of styles, from delicate hand-painted works which show bucolic scenes to modern ones which are characterised by geometric, abstract motives.
They can be symmetrically or asymmetrically positioned on the walls, according to one’s taste and to the style of the room. Whether we deal with a single impressive arrangement or with a series of smaller plates coherently displayed, these elements can turn into a charming canvas where to paint the dining room interior design in a new way.
The importance of textiles in the decoration of a refined dining room
The tablecloth becomes a silent yet powerful decorative element in an elegant dining room, because it is the stage where the art of welcoming is displayed, characterising an interior and its atmosphere.
The choice and the style of the tablecloths speak the language of elegance: a tablecloth in plain colour can visually balance a richly decorated room, while a model with daring patterns or bright colours becomes the centre of attention in the interior, it turns into a real, eye-catching statement of style which encourages conversation, too.
The combination of colours and textures has a decisive impact on the way space is perceived and on the experience of sharing the space in the dining room.
Through decorative elements chosen with care and harmony, the dining room becomes a gallery where to celebrate the art of hospitality and of design.
Every element, from the smallest accessory to the interior design of the whole room, contributes to the creation of an experience which is more than simply eating together; you lose yourself in a room designed and built to create emotions, to represent one’s personality and create connections.
Tablecloths, decorative plates, centrepieces are not only the components of an interior design; they are parts of a wider tale, a dialogue between appearance and functionality where beauty is both looked at and experienced. Discover how to decorate an elegant dining room with L’Oca Nera’s products.
