How to Create an Inviting Dining Room

Any Louisianan understands the importance of food, where it’s prepared and most importantly, where it disappears – the Dining Room, the place where friends and family come together and fellowship. Our favorite holidays are closer than you know it and it never hurts to get a head-start on setting up the perfect dining area to impress your guests!

Do you have a lot of people coming over that you may not have enough chairs for at the table? Add a rustic bench to your table so you can make a few extra seats and it can also be tucked under the table when not in use. Another option would be to grab a few different chairs from around your house or from an antique market for something fresh. As long as your table decor looks like you did it on purpose, there’s nothing wrong with using an unexpected assortment of chairs. Tired of your seating but need a quicker fix than searching the stores for new chairs? Slipcovers may be the simple solution for changing the look of your upholstered chairs, as well as your entire dining room and can be easily removed to launder.

Looking for simple yet effective ways to spruce up your dining table? Purchase affordable sets of placemats and have fun with it! Find a style you like most and get a couple of different color options to set on your table in a pattern or change them up by the season. Mirrors double the visual size of a space and reflect light sources. Mount a mirror (or a few) around your dining room to make it feel larger. Bonus:  if you place it on the opposite wall of a window, it doubles the light source for a brighter, larger-looking room!

It’s no doubt that “earthy” is on trend this year. That has us calling for plenty of wood, plants, and natural elements to bring the outside— in. Create a warm and homey feel to your dining area with houseplants. You can try an easy to care for plant-like succulents which will last all year long. Do you love the rustic look? Tree slices with candles on top make a beautiful focal point for your table. If you prefer florals, try placing three different vases of floral arrangements to give a more sophisticated and dressier look to your dining room. You can also add to the rustic centerpieces by decorating each place setting with a bamboo charger plate then pair it with greenery, tied with twine to place in the center of each plate. This will have your table always company ready!

You may have your centerpiece, table settings, and chairs all looking the way you imagined it, yet something is still missing. Try searching for a colorful and unique tablecloth or runner! If your room is plain in color, then finding a cloth with a loud, bright print could be just the pop it needs to complete your space. Or you may need more texture to your table where a burlap, lace or crocheted runner could do the trick! Tablecloths and runners can be another piece that’s not permanent to your space. Change them out as the seasons or your mood change!