If you feel like you need to update your dining room but are not sure where to begin, we have got you covered.
In this article, we’ve curated 16 inspiring ideas on how to update a traditional dining room to infuse modern interior design trends, sustainable materials and practical solutions.
16 Dining Room Update Ideas
1. Natural Stone Feature Wall
Feature walls are a great idea for incorporating some visual variety and beauty withouting having to commit or risk changing the aesthetic of the entire room.
A natural stone feature wall is a classic and timeless way to bring out the best in your dining room. There is a wide variety of options to choose from, such as stunning white marble, grainy granite or earthy limestone, to suit just about any interior design aesthetic.
2. Curated Artwork
If you love the idea of a feature wall, but aren’t sure how to incorporate it, consider curated artwork.
This wonderful solution utilises and elevates your walls with a curated series of artwork. It acts as a fantastic visual focal point and allows plenty of personalisation and sophistication.Â
3. Stone Dining Table
The humble dining table is more than just a surface upon which you eat. You can effectively update your entire dining room interior design by incorporating a stone table.
Using stone so centrally adds a relatively subtle yet distinct touch of luxury and sophistication. How bold you go with your stone table is up to you, but there are plenty of options when it comes to finding a beautiful stone slab that perfectly updates your dining room.
4. Use Mixed Metallics
Don’t be afraid of mixing and matching different metal finishes in your dining room. Using a contrasting combination of metallics can help bring a level of visual depth, interest and even glamour to the space.
The choice of metals is up to you. There is a variety of warm metals, like brass or gold, to bring a traditional, royal feel to the space. Or you can opt for cooler metals, such as chrome and nickel, for a curated and more industrial look.
5. Lamps and Sconces
Your dining room’s lighting can offer a lot of potential for stylish updates. A stone sconce subtly placed on the wall or an ornate lamp in an otherwise unutilised space of the home offers more than just physical light–it adds a unique and organic touch to the room.
Consider, of course, what sort of lighting and what sort of intensity of lighting you need. If your dining room is smaller, think about how you can include more lighting without taking up too much space.Â
6. Curved Furniture
Have you considered curved furniture in your living room? This hot new trend is a great way to update your dining room. Curved tables and curved dining chairs come in a variety of different styles–so you can find the perfect option for your aesthetic.Â
Either way, the graceful softness and sublime fluidity that curved furniture brings to a space inspires intimate conversation, complete relaxation and a beautiful visual element.
7. Bold Textured Fabrics
Furniture, lighting and feature walls are all great ideas for updating your dining room. But sometimes, an even more subtle approach can make an outsized impact.
Incorporating bold, textured fabrics, like velvet or boucle, to your chairs will add a touch of luxury and a lot of visual interest to a space.
8. Japandi Design
This more robust dining room update design is an ever increasingly popular trend in the world of interior design.
Japandi incorporates a Japanese-inspired minimalism with Scandinavian functionality. Think clean lines, natural materials and a nature-centric aesthetic. If you’re looking at creating the ultimate experience of serenity and comfort out of your dining room, this is the update for you.
9. Biophilic Design
Biophilic design refers to the incorporation of nature into your dining space. The way in which you do this is up to your personal preference (not to mention budget).
Consider sources of natural light, use of natural materials such as wood and stone, and organic plants, shapes, colours and designs.
10. Earthy Tones
If you’re after an infusion of earthy aesthetics but do not want to incorporate specific nature-inspired features, consider highlighting earthy tones in your dining room.
From the furniture to the walls, there are plenty of spaces in a living room where grounding colours such as beige, brown, green and terracotta can be used to fantastic effect.
11. Statement Chandelier
For those wanting a more glamorous update to their dining room, an ornate statement chandelier will do just the trick.
In addition to the practical lighting it offers, a chandelier brings sophistication to the space and adds a royalty-inspired flair that will bring joy to you, your family and visitors alike.
12. Unique Patterned Flooring
Do not underestimate the impact your choice of flooring holds when updating a dining room. Of course, the material you choose needs to be appropriate for your lifestyle.
Stone flooring brings beauty and functionality. Finding the right style, shade and patterned stone tiles is a great way at adding colour and pattern to your dining area.
13. Organic Table Runner
A table runner delivers a surprisingly impactful visual element to the dining room. Instead of more traditional table runners, consider a natural material, such as woven jute or linen.Â
This organic element will complement an earthy colour scheme, other natural elements in the room, and provide a unique textual element.
14. Sculptural Centrepiece
While many of our dining room update ideas include a functional and aesthetic element, this inspiring idea is just fashion!Â
A sculptural centrepiece to replace the traditional floral arrangement will do more than just bring a new visual element to the space. It will infuse your personality into the room and provide a wonderful touchpoint for striking up interesting conversation during your next dinner party.
15. Mixed Seating
Mixed seating is a trending fashion choice in the world of dining room design. Instead of a uniform set of identical chairs, this concept opts for a mix of chairs of different styles, materials or colours.
Apart from the visual interest it brings to the space, it also allows you to achieve some of the other ideas we’ve included in this list and allows you to also infuse pops of colour which can be critical in bringing the space to life.
16. Sustainable Materials
From recycled wood for your dining room table to bamboo furniture, there are many ways to consider using sustainable materials in your dining room.
Apart from being eco-friendly, using natural-looking and sustainable materials creates a comforting ambiance of healthy, responsible and enjoyable living.
