How to Give Your Disastrous Dining Area a Dramatic Makeover

The dining room should be one of the most hospitable and elegantly decorated rooms in your home. It is the place most often seen and used during a variety of get-togethers, family functions, and holiday celebrations. In some modern households, the dining room becomes the catchall room and is used for eating, homework, office space, storage, playtime, and more. This can turn a previously formal dining room into a messy and disastrous area. However, using these few ideas you can create quite the impressive makeover and get your dining room back in shape.

Add Storage

Most of today’s families can benefit from additional storage space in almost any area of the house. However, most of us don’t think of adding it to the dining room, a space traditionally used only for eating and entertaining. Today, the dining room is often used as an office, and may be connected to the living room or kitchen in an open plan format. Many families need space for computers, cookbooks, paperwork, and files, and find they could use additional space for storing dishes, table linens, and silverware. Adding storage can be as simple as adding a china hutch or buffet table to the room. Those opting for a simpler look could try a low dresser or a wall of bookcases with a desk. Big furniture should also allow easy access to many drawers and storage cubbies so you don’t end up cramming a bunch of cabinets in one room.

 

Choose a Harmonious Color Scheme

An clashing color scheme can happen when you mix and match furniture, upholstery, table linens, and window coverings. But whether you prefer a calm neutral pallet, or a more upbeat setting, harmony is the key. The best way to choose multiple colors that go well together is either to pick colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, or to choose different shades of the same color. Feel free to mix up your antique and more modern furniture pieces, just make sure you have a continuous theme that ties them together whether it’s size or stain color.

Add a Mirror
Adding a mirror can be a lifesaver for very small rooms. A decorative mirror hung over a buffet can make the room look much larger. Luckily it’s a small fix that won’t cost a fortune either. If you don’t have a mirror go for a reflective china cabinet. The small window panes will do a similar job with less space being taken up on your walls.

Keep It Simple
Some homeowners get carried away adding décor to their dining rooms when what they really need is simplicity. Simple furniture and wallpaper, calming patterns on upholstery, and linens and basic window coverings not only look modern, but also make a room look larger and more cohesive. Homeowners should choose furniture with clean lines and simple designs and should opt for simple horizontal blinds or curtains rather than heavy drapes that can date a dining room. Places like Sunburst offer many varieties of shutters for sale in Las Vegas so you can choose between wood paneling blinds and more simplistic shades.

Create a Centralized Zone
A central area for eating can help to direct the eye away from the outer edges of a dining room, which may be filled with extra furniture and messy details. The best way to do this is to anchor the table with a large area rug that provides plenty of space for the table and chairs. This tip is particularly important for dining rooms that double as offices.

Repurpose Older Items
Families looking for a dramatic dining room makeover on a very small budget must repurpose furniture that they already have. For example, a dining room table can be painted, new knobs can be placed on a buffet’s drawers, or dining room chairs can be reupholstered in a more modern print. While most of these tasks can be done by a savvy homeowner, some difficult reupholstering tasks are best left to professionals.

A dining room doesn’t have to become a messy catch-all space without a cohesive theme; even if you use it for a variety of purposes. Many problems can be solved with multipurpose furniture, ample storage space, and a relaxing and harmonious color scheme. Whether one has a large or small budget, a dramatic makeover is possible with just a few of these small changes.