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Life's complicated, so keep it simple where you can. This moto can easily be applied to designing your home too. Simple doesn't mean drab, boring, or lacking personality, though. There are plenty of ways to design any room easily and simply, but today, we're focusing in on how to design a simple dining room. Whatever your design style or preferences may be, we think our advice will help you design your space without breaking a sweat.
Choosing a neutral color palette is a classy way to design your dining room and keep it simple at the same time. Plus, keeping it neutral makes it easy to add in one or two pops of color depending on the season. For example, this table has a plant of greens and whites, which is very springy and joyful. When it comes to fall, winter, and even summer, you can easily change up the space by adding in a seasonal plant or decorative accent on the table.
If you have your dining room in an area surrounded by windows, that gives you the perfect reason to go simple with your furnishings and decor. Of course you can still choose furniture that has unique shapes and patterns to them, but if you're more minimal with the amount of accents in the space, your eye will be naturally drawn to outside, which is itself a work of art worth admiring.
When creating a simple dining room, think of furnishing and decorating with pieces that don't look eclectic or random. By choosing a dining room set with matching chairs, table, buffet, china cabinet, etc, your dining room will look very cohesive and come together naturally. Even if you don't choose a matching set, try to commit solely to one design style. This dining room for example leans heavily into mid-century modern design with its dining room set, and because it's all one design family, the room comes across as if it fell into place naturally on its own. Plus, it's easy to buy a set of something versus shopping around and not knowing if everything will match.
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By choosing furniture that has simple lines and colors, you can go bolder with some other areas of the room. In this room's case, they chose a round rug that has a lot of personality. However, the space is still simple for the sheer fact that it doesn't have a lot of accents or clutter to it. Simple doesn't mean plain in this case-- it means easy to assemble and easy to enjoy. If you design your space with an accent rug of your own, you'll accomplish those two goals.
It's common practice to put a rug under a dining room table to establish the space, but how about using two rugs? Layering rugs is becoming more and more prevalent, and in your dining room, you can even use the technique to make the space feel more basic. Choose a patterned, colored rug for directly underneath the table, and then use a larger, plain rug underneath that rug. It can be a white rug like this one, or you can choose another color from the top rug. Just be sure that you're establishing the right tone in your room; going with a dark black would drastically alter the mood as opposed to white. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but if you want a light and airy room, avoid those dark tones for the base rug.
Yes, bold patterns and colors CAN have a place in a simple dining room! When you choose bold accents and furniture, be sure to keep other parts of your room simple. For example, the end chairs can be bold, but give your eyes a break with the primary seating. If you have a complex display on the center of your table, let your walls be more bare so that the centerpiece doesn't have to compete with other decorations. Be deliberate with where you incorporate bold statements and how often you incorporate them so that the room still has an air of simple charm.
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At one point or another, you've probably had to struggle of trying to fit everyone around the table, and then when you do succeed, a few of the guests are stuck awkwardly at table legs. Instead of facing that issue, choose a table that has a central pedestal. Not only does it solve the awkward seating situation, but it also can help create a simple dining room design. It's effective because instead of having four (or more) table legs, you've narrowed it down to just one stand. It's a way to cut down on "items" in the room without having to actually omit anything.
When you think of art, you often think of decorations that hang on the wall. That sort of art has its place, but if you want to keep your dining room simpler, keep your walls bare and add in different types of art. This room added in a simple lighting fixture and a singular vase to be the decorative elements of the room. If you keep your walls bare and add in decorative accents like these, they'll shine more than they would have in a room that has more stuff in it.
You can still blend together two different styles when creating your simple dining room. If you enjoy both farmhouse and boho styles, look at the room itself. This room is traditional/farmhouse with its panelling and white woods. If your walls already have a certain style/vibe to them, have your furniture accent that style, like this room does with its farmhouse chairs and table set. Then, incorporate the other design style through the accents (accessories, lighting fixtures, side chair, rug, etc).
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One of the best ways to make a simple space is to go minimal. What do you need in a dining room? A table and chairs. Does that mean you should throw style out the window? Absolutely not! You can choose any style you like, but if you really want to lean into simplicity, choose furniture that has simple lines and minimal colors and patterns. Modern style in particular works well in scenarios like this.
Industrial design is known for its use of metals, concrete, and exposed ductwork. While we can't see the ceiling in this room, we can see how metals were used in the chairs and the side cart, and how the floor color is reminiscent of concrete. To effectively create a simple industrial dining room, go with either a solid gray floor or simply tiled gray floor to mimic concrete, and then add in industrial elements with chairs and any other furniture you have in the room. If you have an accent wall (or want to include one) that is of a similar or different style, tie it back to the table with a rug underneath your dining area.
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You may not notice it at first glance, but this dining room table only has three chairs set up. Aside from missing the one on the very end, this table could easily fit in at least one more chair on each side, or at least add in a bench. However, just because you CAN fill a space doesn't mean that you should. Keep your space both minimal and functional; losing the chair at the far end can create a larger walking area, as does having only the chairs you need and no other frivolous pieces that only serve to clutter the room.
Tile is often on bathroom and kitchen walls, but it can be stylish in the dining room too! By using a simply patterned tile on all the walls, you eliminate the need for any artwork to be hung and so the space is already naturally decorated. If you really want to tie it in, get a custom table that incorporates the same pattern. You'll find that the items in the room may be minimal, but the design is not.
If simple shapes aren't quite your thing, don't worry. You still can go bold with shapes/pattern! If you do, just keep it reigned in, so that you don't have multiple complex items scattered throughout the room and in competition. Part of what makes this room effective is that the rug's pattern is the only pattern in the room. For bonus points, you can do what this room does and choose a rug that matches the table's color. That will help you limit your color palette and keep it simpler.
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If you like both modern and elegant style, go with furniture that has clean lines but also clear portions. You can still go with natural, earthy tones in the room's accents, but whenever you have something clear (like the chairs), choose dark seat cushions to bring out an elegant contrast. Don't let that be the only place you bring in the black, though! Scatter the color throughout the room in the minimal accents you use, whether it be a vase, light fixture, or both.
If your walls already have a lot of character to them, let them shine as the key detailing of the room. The white brick wall in this photo adds a lot of texture and design to the room, to the point where it's unnecessary to add in any other decor that would make it seem cluttered. Going with white brick walls isn't the only option though; there are hundreds upon hundreds of ideas out there for accent walls or textured walls, so do some research and see which style you fall in love with.
Check out our curated selection of Best Dining Room Rugs!
Another way to create a simple dining room is to choose a theme and follow it through. The room shown here has a nature/plant theme to it. You see it most obviously with the plants on the table and floral art on the wall, but you can also see that the rug is reminiscent of tree bark. Even the chairs and tableware add to the theme by being bright and vibrant like springtime flowers. You can choose this same theme and color scheme, or you can choose another theme, such as travel, the beach, or any other theme you like.
Black and white is a simple color scheme that can be very dynamic if stylized correctly. However, those two colors don't have to be the only colors in the room. Keep it simple but bright by adding in muted colors in other accents. A rug, for example, can help define the style of the space, add in some color to the scheme, and keep the room feeling simple for the sheer fact that it's one piece of "art" versus filling the room with other accents. As for art on the walls, feel free to add some, but also consider having a pendant light or chandelier hanging in front of a blank wall. Light is essential to the room anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone by having it illuminate the space and act as art at the same time?
When you live in an open floor layout, it's hard to separate one space from another. So, maybe the spaces shouldn't be separate. Once again, choose minimal furniture for your dining room, but then have at least one element that ties it with whatever else it shares a room with. This room shows dark wood chairs connecting back to the kitchen. The kitchen naturally has more in it, even just accounting for shelving and countertops. By keeping the dining room simple but connected, you allow your eye to be drawn from one simple space to the next space down the path.
This room is yet another shining example of how you don't necessarily need artwork on the walls to create a stylish space. To keep it both simple and stylish, think about having a unique chandelier or pendant light above your dining room table. That acts as the focal point of the room, adds character and color, and serves as its own piece of art. Plus, keeping the walls bare around it keeps the chandelier from clashing against any artwork and makes the walls a "canvas" for the light to stand out against.
With any design, you want to guide the viewer's' eyes around the room. One way to do to that is to have recurring colors. Black can be an excellent choice, since it's bold and stands out against other colors. This room does a good job guiding the eye through the space, because your eye is naturally drawn to the darkest part of the room first (the black table and chairs), and then your eyes lift to see the black frame artwork on the wall and then to the floating shelves between them. When designing your space, look for ways you can use repeating colors to guide the eye and keep a simple color palette.
We've seen plenty of examples that work with a neutral color palette, but none quite like this. This room really is light, with its white furniture and light beige rug and curtains. However, this incorporation of the table runner adds in just the pop this room needs. When stylizing your space, think about adding in that one vibrant color in a world of light neutrals. You can go simple without any sort of pattern on the runner or rug, or you can add in some details if you feel like the room is too sparse without them. Regardless, you can see just how effective it is to add in that one flair of color right in the center of the space.
As you can see, there are so many ways to create a simple dining room space. Oftentimes it includes being minimal with the furniture and accents you use, but that's not always the case. And just because some of our examples showed a lot of neutral colors, that doesn't mean that bold colors and patterns are off limits! Study the dining rooms that you love most, implement our tips and tricks, and you'll be well on your way to creating a simple dining room with ease.
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