How to Design a Family Dining Space That Works

There are few areas of your house as important as the dining room. After all, this is a space where you and your family will gather at the end of a day, eat breakfast on the weekends and share celebratory occasions such as birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whether you own a separate dining room or an area that leads to your living room or kitchen, there are plenty of ways to maximize this space and make it your own. Here are four tips to help you design a stylish family dining space that caters to your needs.  

Focus on Seating

The perfect dining area should provide enough chairs for family mealtimes, as well as extra seating options for guests. If you entertain often, an extending table will allow you to increase dining space when you need to accommodate extra people, and folding chairs can be tucked away for the arrival of unexpected diners.

There are a number of contemporary dining chairs online to choose from, including some stylish and practical designs that harmonize practicality and style. For added comfort, opt for cushioned or upholstered chairs or add seating pads, making sure that any soft furnishings complement your décor.

Keep It Informal

If you’re lucky enough to have a separate dining room, you should take every opportunity to use and maximize the space. Therefore, your dining area doesn’t need to be limited to eating – you could include a play corner or coloring station for your kids, a cozy reading chair or a simple bar cart for when guests come over. Whatever your style, try not to keep this room looking too formal. Instead, focus on how it can serve your family as a comfortable and fun place to get together.

Combine Practicality and Style

Style and practicality are equally important aspects of any dining room, so always look for ways to combine the two. For example, you need to consider the size of your table and whether it will fit comfortably in the area, as well as which colors and finishes will match your existing style. It’s also a good idea to choose furniture that improves with age, such as a solid oak table. If you have kids, a glass table is a bad idea for obvious reasons, so look for something a little more durable that still caters to your tastes.

Stay True to Your Style

The dining area is likely to be a focal point in your home, so you want to create a space in which you and your family feel comfortable. While you may be keen to impress your guests or design a magazine-worthy space, the most important thing is that this room caters to the growing needs of family life, so try to make functionality a priority.

You don’t have to compromise on style to achieve this, however. You can experiment with colors, paint a feature or gallery wall, and mix and match your furniture according to your tastes. Don’t forget to add those all-important personal touches to give this area a more homely feel.