The dining room is an area that one would hope to be welcoming and ideal for gatherings between family and friends and above all, for good meals.

Depending on the size of the house and its type of layout, it is not always possible to build a large dining room, as this is often one of the last priorities among the rooms to be included in the house.

As an alternative, we often see dining tables in the middle of the kitchen, or dining areas built into another room. In this article, we will present a wide variety of breakfast nooks and dining room layouts to give you ideas for your project.

10 ideas for dining rooms and areas

1- Small dining area with an alcove-shaped opening

Crédit photo: Boho Lagoon

The alcove-shaped arch that creates the transition between the dining area and the rest of the house adds a nice touch of originality to this space. Entering this colourful, bright and cheerful room, the unique shape makes for a great welcome. What a good start to the day!

2- An open, bright and friendly dining room

Crédit photo: Domino

It's been several years since this large dining room caught our attention and to this day, it is still one of our favourites. This illustrates how successful the design and choice of furniture in the room is. It's modern, yet timeless and versatile because this space lends itself as much to everyday meals as to large family gatherings.

3- A dining area that is built-in to the decor

Crédit photo: Gaff interiors

This is an ingenious way to integrate a bench where guests can sit down to eat. The bench is placed between two large cabinets that are integrated into the structure of the house. What catches our attention is the colour palette and furniture style that blends the modern mid-century look with more contemporary lines.

4- A dining room with a natural and comforting décor

Crédit photo: Kathy Kuo

Following the same principle as when designing a set of clothes or a makeup palette, one can create a decor around a focal point. Here, the large rattan light fixture is what first catches the eye. The other furniture and decorative elements are perfectly balanced and do not steal the show from the lamp shade.

5- A colourful and multifunctional dining room

Crédit photo: Martha Stewart

The dining room can also be a multifunctional room. Here, the room serves both as a dining room and a library. Instead of filling the room with decorative accessories and furniture, the owners decided to install blue bookshelves filled with hundreds of books with multi-coloured covers. Esthetically speaking, this is very well designed as the colours of the book covers match the chair covers. 

6- A dining area for contemporary design enthusiasts

Crédit photo: Posh pennies

This room almost looks like the lobby of a prestigious boutique hotel. Instead, it is a dining area with a highly sophisticated decor, with blue velvet benches, rounded grey chairs whose shapes match the light globes hanging above the table, as well as a painting that adopts the same colour palette as the rest of the room.

7) A dining area inspired by classic décor

Crédit photo: Remodelaholic

The decor of this house seems to be a hybrid between a highly classical style mixed with elements of contemporary design. This type of combination is bold and not necessarily easy to master, but in this example, it works. The dining area/breakfast nook is elegant, yet welcoming and characterized by a gentle atmosphere.

This sense of tranquillity is fuelled by the types of portraits and frames that are installed on the walls above the benches and the table.

8- A dining room with a soft and cheerful decor

Crédit photo: Sunny circle studio

It is not always possible to control our state of mind, but if we live in a beautiful environment, this factor can help balance our emotions and make life even more enjoyable. This dining room is designed and decorated around a relaxing colour palette, with a subtle variety of patterns and textures.

This creates a relaxing and pleasant space, which helps keep occupants in a good mood. We always eat better when we feel good, so if the decor of the room can contribute to our well-being, it's worth putting effort into it!

9- A dining room with a colourful and creative decor

Crédit photo: Ugly Duckling House

This open dining room is beautifully colourful, but its palette remains sober enough to appeal to those who are not fans of bright hues. There is also a beautiful variety of materials, textures and patterns, creating an original interior design worthy of home decor magazines.

10- A sober and refined dining room

Crédit photo: The house of silver lining

We end the list with a posh dining room whose decor perfectly blends several sober shades, ranging from dark to pale grey. A few gold decorative accessories add a little warmth to the room.

In our opinion, it is the mouldings on the walls of this dining room that make this decor particularly successful.

Here are some other articles about dining room renovations:

• Interior Design: How to Set up and Decorate a Dining Room

• 10 uniques kitchen and dining rooms seen in movies and tv shows

• 10 renovations to transform your dining room