Dining Rooms Decorating ideas

Oriental-style dining room
A low table with floor cushions in vibrant prints creates a relaxed dining area. Used on a small scale, different fabric patters can be mixed to great effect.

Relaxed dining
Choose natural materials where possible for a more relaxed mood. Refectory-style dining tables and a mix of seating, including a bench and dining chairs, are ideal.

Modern oriental
A chinoiserie-inspired wallpaper is the starting point for this vibrant scheme. Benches in turquoise linen and a sleek table act as a foil to the flamboyant pattern and encapsulate this modern take on a classic style.

Sophisticated shades
Keep the look elegant by choosing accessories in shades of moss green, lime and deep purple. This harmonious palette brings a sense of intimacy to the table, which is reinforce by the detail in the place settings. Here, cutlery has been decorated with berry sprigs and tied with ribbon, while beautifully scripted place cards add a welcoming touch.

Nordic elegance
Sleek, light-reflecting mirrored furniture, combined with warming berry hues, gives this Swedish-style scheme a contemporary feel. Delicate floral wallpaper adds further interest and helps soften the look.

Smart dining
Lacquer has a rich, indulgent feel and sets off elaborately patterned damask perfectly.

Afternoon tea
Choose favourite pieces of tableware and linen in a palette inspired by the soft pastels of sugar candy. Mix old and new styles of china to give afternoon tea a more informal and relaxed feel. To compliment the tablecloth design, use small-scale ginghams in matching colours for the seat cushions.

Fresh and functional
Keep the dining and study zones together to create additional workspace. For a cohesive look, use one accent colour.

Grey stripes
Panels of wallpaper in contrasting tones create a strikingly graphic effect in this contemporary dining room. The mixture of subtle stripes adds definition to the room and can be seen in the simple upholstery of the dining chairs and the colourful tableware. An elegant pendant light completes the look.

Seaside colours
Seaside coloursNautical stripes in blues and greens give this Suffolk dining room a suitably coastal look

Light and bright
Here, tablecloths from Greece and vintage crockery create an inviting dining area. An adjustable rise-and-fall lamp

Perfect symmetry
Use architectural details, such as the strong lines of these windows, to accentuate a vertical symmetrical theme, mirroring the scale with a chunky table. Pretty glassware and lighting softens the effect. Lundy table and benches, The Conran Shop. Jeanette chandelier, Laura Ashley. Vases, Carden Cunietti. Paint on window frames, Down Pipe by Farrow & BallMARCH 2005

Plain and simple
Soft tailoring and understated accessories combine to create a chic, easy feel. Experiment with different weights of linen for a more textured, layered look and choose muted colours for a contemporary feel.

French-style kitchen-diner
Create a relaxed French-style kitchen with open shelving and freestanding furniture. Wirework chairs and overhead lamps for the dining table are authentic French touches.

Dining Rooms Decorating Gallery

Though this kitchen is fairly neutral, the banquette makes a color statement in a mix of blue vinyl (for kid-friendly clean up) and a coordinating fabric on the backrest. The view is dominant so window treatments were eliminated and the chandelier was kept out of the way.

Turn the tables in a dining room by blending designer goods with items from discount stores. In this splashy dining room, a flea market table teams with pricey Louis XVI-inspired armchairs. Bargain-priced accessories justify a few splurges, including a focal-point rug.

This room is a fiesta of color! The blending of styles includes retro, modern, country, and even a little tropical (notice the hint of a pineapple motif in the chandelier), based on the look of Fiesta pottery.

In a small room, space planning is the key to success. To make the most of this diminutive dining room, which shares some of its 200 square feet with the front entryway, an efficient butler's pantry with a glass counter hugs the wall adjoining the kitchen.

Bare wood floors gleam under the 1940s Heywood-Wakefield table and modern designer chairs. Overhead, a trio of pendant lights serves to illuminate the length of the table and supplies a touch of tailored and striped pattern to the otherwise plain scheme.

In this vibrant dining room, a curvy valance adds height and impact to the arched windows. Instead of an expensive arched rod or curved board, the valance is secured directly to the wall by hooks. The fabric is pulled into casual pleats and "horns," then tied with a rope trim that runs the length of the treatment.

A formal dining room is all about entertaining. This dining table seats six for an intimate affair or can expand to accommodate a party of 12. French doors around the room allow dinner parties to spill out onto an adjoining patio. A traditional sideboard, which stores extra linens and dinnerware, can serve as a buffet.

A simple banquet is the perfect solution for a small space dining room. To add a bit of cottage flair, this room pairs a mix of antique inspired chairs with an oak table.

Choose casual fabric like this simple stripe to add to the cottage feel.
Mix and match wood types in the room for a more rustic approach.
Search flea markets for antique chandeliers like this one or your local home improvement stores for a replica.

Drenched in red and gold, this dining room looks like a million bucks. Tinted plaster mixed with marble dust coats the walls, buffed to produce a soft sheen. Dining chairs upholstered in gold damask are a soft touch against the wood table. A large area rug brings color underfoot and gold drapes tie the palette together.

A blue Asian-style rug contributes fresh color to an otherwise neutral dining room. Though all of the room's woodwork was painted white, none of its linear quality or substance has been lost.

Family-friendly wicker chairs surround this homeowner-crafted farmhouse-style dining room table. Nearby sits a 400-year-old carved chest with hand-forged hardware.

The neutral floor and area rug duplicate tones of the wood and wicker.
Loosely fitted chair cushions can be cleaned or updated as needed.
Touches of iron are repeated in the wall sconces and chandelier.

A dramatic painting gives this sunny dining room its punch. The other elements in the room are kept clean-lined and neutral to balance the powerful focal point. Chairs covered in washable white duck surround the simple farm table. The light-tone wood floors are left bare.

Ideas for Bedroom Decoration

Black and White All Over

Black and white is a popular contemporary decorating trend. This black-and-white duo is both flirty and sophisticated. Two floor-length mirrors complement the black wood-framed bed and highlight two glass chandeliers. Above the bed, three floating shelves allow for space to display photographs or other favorite accessories.

Floor-to-Ceiling Simplicity

This well-lit room with floor-to-ceiling windows is the perfect space for contemporary design. Simple bedding pops with colorful pillows in different textures. A sleek partition wall in a neutral shade keeps the bed space separate from the rest of the room.

Style Combination

This room transitions between contemporary and traditional. To make the two work together, subtle hints of traditional style sneak onto the bed with striped and floral pillows. A contemporary headboard with an upholstery pattern is nestled into the windows behind the bed.

Pillow Talk

In this room, modern elements can all be found in the bed. Oversize pillows in contrasting colors are a dramatic touch to a neutral down comforter. A tall headboard with a ledge allows for a unique way to display artwork.

Calming Retreat

Contemporary doesn't have to be bold. For a pared-down modern look like this, choose furniture pieces with simple lines and neutral colors. Unique lamps on the bedside tables provide additional modern flair.

Sleek and Fresh

Simplicity, subtle color, and clean lines help to define contemporary style in this master bedroom. While maintaining a very neutral and simple palette, two chairs in the sitting area add some personality and a dash of color. The design and visual appearance of the glass partition wall finishes the modern look.

Confident Color

This bedroom is exploding with warm colors, prints, and texture. Color and pattern were brought into the design with several pillows, contrasting rugs, and bold paint. A neutral couch sitting in front of the window allows for color to be spread beyond the bed and walls.

Understated Elegance

This room features a tone-on-tone color palette that relies heavily on brown, light blue, and pure white. By keeping the room basic, the brown leather headboard and decorative pillows are able to pop off the wall even more.

Wall of Windows

A wall of draperies calls attention to the focal-point bed with an extra-high headboard, plump pillows, and striking geometric throw. Nearby, matching contemporary lamps sit atop similar, yet different, night tables in dark wood.

Twist of Lime

Dark chocolate walls outlined with white moldings reinforce the geometry of the furnishings. A rectangular bed, striped bedding, squared-off nightstands, and angular lampshades are offset only by a handful of rounded elements.

Modern Canopy

This contemporary bedroom gets a shot of personality and interest from a repeating pattern of boxes and squares. Wall niches, built-in bookshelves, and a metal canopy bed each include geometric shapes. Canopy draperies are made of striped fabric hung from tabs.

Brown Beauty

Dark walls make all the difference in this contemporary space. White feminine bedding is offset by lime green fabric accents throughout the rest of the room. A built-in bookshelf displays modern accessories and hides personal belongings. A retro-inspired chair in front of the window completes the look.

Color Coordination

Contemporary style is a display of beautiful contrasts in both texture and color. This room focuses both on bold color and the basics of line, shape, and form that are signature to contemporary design.

Into the Woods

Contemporary style transcends all aspects of this room: the walls, the floor, furniture, and accessories. Natural wood elements bring warmth and beauty to the minimalist design and are combined for an unexpected but working mix.

ideas for Open-Plan Decoration

Vibrant open-plan living room

Make your living room an extension of the outdoors with clever use of vibrant textures, fabrics, plants and ethnic furniture.

Bold open-plan kitchen/diner

Red and cream walls highlight the sleek MFI lacquered units and wooden worktops in this kitchen. Two stainless-steel curved cupboards with roll-down doors add a modern edge. A breakfast bar gives extra work space. In the foreground, a glass table and contemporary chairs create a dining area.

Classic dining room table

For an evening table setting, replace chair cushions with smart white box-pleated skirts and transform a New Heights dinner table with a Ralph Lauren runner in delicate shell-pink linen, and co-ordinated place mats in a faded floral.

Modern family kitchen/diner

This kitchen has a wooden floor and simple flush units in lacquered white, both practical choices in a busy family space. The walls, units and paintwork are all in light-reflecting white to make the room seem bigger and keep it airy. The centrepiece is a Terence Conran wooden table and benches from Benchmark Furniture, with bright cushions and accessories and a lime green runner. Simple but striking blinds and glass pendant shades from Baileys Home & Garden complete the streamlined, modern look.

Open-plan contemporary living room

Everything in this eclectic contemporary living room is low-level, from the Designers Guild sofas to the coffee table that is in fact a dining table from Ikea with its legs cut down. The wall print is an enlargement of a Jordi Labanda picture from his book of illustrations, Hey Day.

Zesty open-plan living-dining room

Dark cabinetry in stained oak and high-gloss ties in well with the lime green furniture in this open-plan scheme. The 1970s-style modular sofa in faux suede is ideal for separating the living space from the dining area. Statement furniture like the multi-level coffee table add a modern touch to the retro scheme.

Professional kitchen-dining area

Sleek lines and modern appliances give this open-plan kitchen a professional feel. A breakfast bar zones the modern kitchen, while the chic glass table and chairs add to the sophisticated yet welcoming feel of the room. Solid oak flooring keeps the look from being too stark and modern.

Open-plan dining area

A low shelf unit has been positioned to create a division between the dining and living area of this open-plan space. It also creates storage for the dining area and a handy surface for buffet-style lunches or drinks. A large table is useful for a number of activities such as homework, paperwork, as well as dining. Pendant lights have been hung above the table to add further definition to the area.

Cosy living-dining room

A comfy modular sofa is used to mark out the living zone in this living-dining room. Cushions are piled high for extra comfort and wallpaper is used to create a focal point. Homely accessories and light-wood ensures that the open-plan scheme is cosy. A modular storage and a cream rug is used to define the living space, while handy storage clears clutter.

White open-plan dining area

A reinforced glass panel on the staircase acts as a balustrade while maximising light in this open-plan dining area. White gloss furniture creates a contemporary feel that is softened by wooden stairs and surfaces. Modern orange dining chairs add colourful accents to the scheme.