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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.
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Dining rooms can range from stately and formal to very relaxed and casual in their décor.
Most often, formal dining areas are in a separate room, while informal dining areas are more commonly out in the open—frequently attached to the living room, family room, or kitchen.
Before decorating the dining area, you should first determine the level of formality you'd like to achieve. This decision will have an enormous impact on the colors you'll choose, and the overall look of the décor.
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.
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Tip: 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.
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A formal dining room is an excellent place for entertaining. Elegant and refined, these rooms can make even the most casual get-togethers seem impressive.
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Color
 Here are some color suggestions that will enhance your formal dining area:
Warm colors (see The Creative Power of the Color Wheel feature) such as reds, oranges, and yellows, work especially well in more formal spaces. Psychologically, these colors 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 (see The Creative Power of the Color Wheel feature)—such as golden or creamy yellows, spiced oranges and terracottas, wines, burgundies, and dusty roses. These colors help stimulate appetite, while encouraging diners to linger at the table for pleasant conversation.
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Tip: Be careful when using brighter versions of these warm hues—especially vibrant yellows and oranges—as these colors tend to make people eat faster. (That's why these colors are typically used in fast-food restaurants!) Ideally, you should use bright, warm colors only as accents in dining rooms, with the more muted colors on the walls.
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 Decorative
Finishes
Formal dining rooms are an excellent place to use a decorative faux glazing technique. (see Faux Fantastic feature)
Use BEHR Premium Plus with Style™ Faux Glaze to give walls an illusion of depth and dimension, or use BEHR Premium Plus with Style™ Venetian Plaster to give walls the look of rich, sophisticated polished stone.
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Tip: For a subtle, elegant shimmer, or to add a touch of alluring luster, apply BEHR Premium Plus with Style™ Luminoso or Pearlescent, with a rag or sponge, over the decorative finish. (If applying BEHR Luminoso or Pearlescent over Venetian Plaster, mix first with Venetian Plaster Topcoat.)
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For more information about applying these finishes, visit the Expert Advice section of our website.
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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 (see Defining Your Decorative Style feature) 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.
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Color
 Because casual dining areas are so often open to other rooms, neutral colors (see The Hidden Power of Neutrals feature) tend to be the best choice for these spaces. Neutrals blend well with other colors, helping to create a complete, unified look.
Warm neutral colors—like red-toned or yellow-toned neutrals—work especially well in dining rooms. From warm rosy taupes to golden honey beiges, these colors are calm and comforting, creating a very pleasant dining atmosphere.
Open dining areas tend to look best when continued in the color schemes of the rooms that surround them. If cool colors (see The Creative Power of the Color Wheel feature) are used in these rooms, try to use warm accent colors—such as touches of red, orange or yellow—to help stimulate the appetite.
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Tip: While blue is one of the more popular colors for home décor, it's not generally recommended for dining rooms! Blue tends to suppress the appetite, making the overall dining experience less enjoyable.
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 No
matter what level of formality you choose
for your dining area, make sure that it
is comfortable and welcoming.
Hospitality is one of the oldest of human impulses, and your goal should be to create a space where you, your family, friends and acquaintances will want to spend time, both during and after meals.
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Tip: Use padded seating to encourage people to linger at the table. Install dimmer switches so you can adjust the lighting to a level that's just right for the occasion.
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Try the ColorSmart™ by BEHR interactive program to experiment with thousands of different color combinations and see how they look in actual room settings.
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