Tasteful ways to adorn the dining area

If there is one part of the house that is considered peripheral, it is the dining room.

Yet, as various researches have proved, the dining room is where much of the family bonding takes place — when family and friends chat and laugh over a meal.

So, why not consider how to decorate this room before you even think about the kind of meals you are going to serve there?

“The good thing about decorating a dining room is that the options are limitless,” says Benson Hinga, a freelance interior designer.

CREATE THE MOOD

This is so because, he explains, “this area has less furniture and little clutter compared to other parts of the house.”

Consider the atmosphere you want to create in the room and the mood you would expect.

Mr Hinga says this is important because the atmosphere in a bachelor’s dining room cannot be the same as that of a family dining room.

Once you have established the atmosphere you want to create, you can decide on the decorative items you wish for the dining area, comparing their costs against your projected budget.

FURNITURE

“In most cases, items like dining room furniture tend to be more expensive, and should, therefore, be given greater thought. But they should be considered alongside smaller items, such as wallpapers, because they should complement each other.

Mr Hinga says that when buying furniture, it is important to consider the size of your dining room, irrespective of your financial ability. Then there is your personality.

“If you are generally a quiet person, who is overwhelmed by social gatherings, a dining room with a lot of furniture will make your reserved nature look like a deficiency rather than a personality you should be proud of,” he says.

Mr Hinga says that distressed or varnished wooden tables and chairs are more ideal for the dining room than upholstered ones because they are easy to clean in case of spills.

VARYING TASTES

But if you have upholstered chairs, you can have them fitted with slip covers to guard against damage. Besides, such covers can be changed or washed, unlike conventional upholstery.

If your family is made up of people with differing personalities, you can mix and match to cater for the varying tastes.

Mr Hinga says that wicker chairs tend to appeal more to women, while men, who are more concerned about their comfort, prefer wingback chairs. However, he is quick to clarify that wingback chairs should be used only where space allows.

For people who have wine bars or fruit units in the dining room, Mr Hinga advises that any type of furniture can do, but its water absorption rate or corrosiveness should be considered, in case of spills.

THE WALLS

Choosing a colour for a family dining room is always a challenge, as preferences are bound to differ among the different members.

However, Hinga says that most interior designers recommend yellow, since it has been found to be conducive to developing trust, thus creating a good environment for conversation and family bonding.

“That is not to say that the dining room must be painted yellow as there are other options that can be explored,” he adds, saying that where the conflict over colour are serious, cream should be a good compromise.

Whatever the colour palette you choose, Hinga says, it should complement other colours in the dining room, such as the colour of the dinner table, the hallway, and any other items you have in there.

These could be specific types of dishes that accentuate the aura of the dining room, or even wine glasses and casks.

LIGHTING

Unless you want to make a complete departure from the conventional, you should not have bright lights in the dining room.

But if you choose to go for bright lighting, it is important to consider their positioning so that they do not create a glare or become a distraction.

“If you decide to stick with the conventional, down lighters are normally a good option as they tend to be a tad dimmer,” he says.

Alternatively, you can have electric lamps or colour-themed lamps.

WALL HANGINGS

For your dining room to be appealing, Mr Hinga suggests, avoid turning its walls into the dumping ground for wall papers that seem to conflict with your décor themes in the other parts of the house.

“There are plenty of dinner-themed wall hangings that are affordable, and it only takes a little inspiration to use them as decorations on your dining room walls,” Mr Hinga says and adds:

“Where possible, avoid wall papers that are not food-themed or that do not complement colours of the paintings on the wall.”