Dining Room Design Basics

Dining room design basics range from the luxuriant traditional dining room to the small and chic dining room/kitchen combination. Whatever your favorite dining room design-one thing is certain-choosing the best design for your space can be difficult when so many choices are available. Use this basic guide when designing your dining room to help you make an informed decision about the numerous choices involved in dining room design.

The Traditional

One the most common and easily recognized dining room design options, the traditional dining room space is elegant, luxurious and is more than likely filled with wood. Whether dark or light wood is used, traditional dining room design almost always involves wood. Mahogany, oak, cherry and walnut are all typical woods used in traditional dining room design. From chairs and tables to raised panels and hardwood flooring, wood plays an important role when designing a traditional dining room.

The Contemporary

A contemporary dining room design may also use a focus of wood, but with a twist. Contemporary design often employs light wood colors with the addition of vibrant and bright colors, particularly red. Metal appliances are often incorporated into a contemporary dining room design, making a room pop without being too overbearing. Metallics combined with rich colors and bright spaces then accented with light colored wood completes the contemporary dining room space.

The Modern

Often used in smaller spaces, but certainly not limited to them, modern dining room designs are bright, sharp, clean and crisp. While bright colors are often thought of as the basics of modern dining room design, dark colors can easily be incorporated into a modern dining room design as well. Lighting plays an important role in the modern dining room. Task lighting mixed with accent lighting is a common theme in many modern dining room designs.

The Butler's Pantry

Dining rooms additions are often added to expand a small dining room space. With the addition of space, dining rooms are often filled with huge dining room tables that may complete the space, but are truly impractical. Use your newly found dining room space wisely by adding a serving room or butler's pantry.

A butler's pantry is used to ferry food and other dining room supplies from the kitchen to the dining room and vice versa. A small sink, refrigerator and warming trays all seek to serve guests in a practical way and make any dining room addition more functional. Whether a butler's pantry is a whole room unto itself or a small buffet area set aside in the dining room, these spaces are often overlooked, but may be necessary in your dining room design.