Cadence Furniture - Dining

	Whether this room is formal or informal, a separate room or part of the kitchen or living areas, the dining room should always be planned around a table and chairs. Your dining room should be inviting and comfortable—a place where people wish to linger, even after the last plate is cleared away. What is my style? Relaxed or Formal Formal Dining Rooms Informal Dining Rooms A Place to Linger

Determine your design style.

Be honest with yourself! Most people who have very formal dining rooms use them only occasionally. If you want to use this room on a daily basis, consider decorating it more informally than you would if it were used only on special occasions. 

Be honest with yourself! Most people who have very formal dining rooms use them only occasionally. If you want to use this room on a daily basis, consider decorating it more informally than you would if it were used only on special occasions.

When not being used for dining, a formal dining space can also double as an elegant library or study. Preparing this room for dual functions is an excellent way to expand your living area. 

Formal Dining

Dining rooms do not necessarily have to be formal, especially if they are connected to a living room or kitchen, as is common in many contemporary homes.

In these more open and casual dining areas, the decorative style usually follows that of the surrounding environment. Your dining room should look as if it is a natural extension of the rest of your home. For example, putting an ultra-modern dining area into a country-styled home might make the room appear off-balance with the rest of your home.

Warm colours such as reds, oranges, and yellows, work especially well in more formal spaces.

Psychologically, these colours help to stimulate the appetite, making them an excellent choice for rooms where the primary purpose is food and entertaining.
 

For the best dining experience, use warm hues that are muted or shaded such as golden or creamy yellows, spiced oranges and terracotta's, wines, burgundies, and dusty roses. These colours help stimulate appetite, while encouraging diners to linger at the table for pleasant conversation.

Be careful when using brighter versions of these warm hues—especially vibrant yellows and oranges—as these colours tend to make people eat faster. (That's why these colours are typically used in fast-food restaurants!) Ideally, you should use bright, warm colours only as accents in dining rooms, with the more muted colours on the walls.

Informal Dining

Dining rooms don't necessarily have to be formal, especially if they're connected to a living room or kitchen, as is common in many contemporary homes.

In these more open and casual dining areas, the decorative style usually follows that of the surrounding environment. Your dining room should look as if it's a natural extension of the rest of your home. For example, putting an ultra-modern dining area into a country-styled home might make the room appear off-balance with the rest of your home.

Because casual dining areas are so often open to other rooms, neutral colours tend to be the best choice for these spaces. Neutrals blend well with other colours, helping to create a complete, unified look.

Warm neutral colours—like red-toned or yellow-toned neutrals—work especially well in dining rooms. From warm rosy taupe’s to golden honey beiges, these colours are calm and comforting, creating a very pleasant dining atmosphere.

Open dining areas tend to look best when continued in the colour schemes of the rooms that surround them. If cool colours are used in these rooms, try to use warm accent colours—such as touches of red, orange or yellow—to help stimulate the appetite.

Tip: While blue is one of the more popular colours for home décor, it's not generally recommended for dining rooms! Blue tends to suppress the appetite, making the overall dining experience less enjoyable.