Dining Room Decor Ideas: Scholarly Dining - iVillage

50 Elegant Dining Room Decor Ideas 0 chimes

From country chic to modern minimalist and everything in between, we've rounded up 50 stylish ways to transform your dining room.  Browse through our dining room decor ideas and get inspired!

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Scholarly Dining

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Inspiring Kitchen Designs
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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Scholarly Dining

Built-in bookcases create a colorful and inspiring backdrop to a simple and spare dining table.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Modern Minimalism

A warm wooden dining table and chairs feel fresh when mixed with modern pendant lamps and a graphic print.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Mix It Up

Modern white chairs tuck under a country-style farm table for a quirky mix of old and new.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Garden Party

Fresh flowers and cheery floral textiles give this dining room a garden-fresh vibe.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Dipped Legs

Painting wooden chair legs a bright coral gives them a unique and modern look.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Playful Elements

Mismatched contemporary chairs, an ornate iron chandelier and simple wooden furniture mix together for an eclectic look.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: A Contemporary Take

A leafy green room feels modern when decorated with black webbed chairs and a minimalist wooden table and bench.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Warm Glow

A trio of shiny brass pendant lights and lemon yellow chairs add elements of chic to an otherwise humble table setting.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Star Light

A flokati-covered bench and a warm walnut table and chairs soften the look of graphic damask wallpaper.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Relaxed Atmosphere

A contemporary white parsons table provides a nice contrast to the country elements, like the bentwood chairs and white ironstone pottery, in this dining room.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Harvest Decor

Vegetable-patterned wallpaper in a traditional color combination injects this seemingly serious dining room with subtle humor.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Balancing Act

A collection of mounted antlers balances the feminine crystal chandelier with a masculine touch.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Decorative Draw

A dark pink wall sets off an ornate mirror and sconces, while the white fireplace and table keep the room from feeling too busy.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Decorative Draw

Bold red chairs pop against a graphic black-and-white floral wallpaper.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Showcasing Sets

Open shelves proudly display a museum-worthy collection of white ceramics.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Contemporary Contrast

Bold red chairs pop against a graphic black-and-white floral wallpaper.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Showcasing Sets

Open shelves proudly display a museum-worthy collection of white ceramics.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Brilliant Blue

Blue table accents, like the glassware and the patterned tablecloth, enliven this casual eating space.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Proper Gathering

Delicate blue-painted chairs, a floral tablecloth and thin stemware give this dining room a feminine feel.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Read All About It

Word-printed fabric gives dining seats a patterned, graphic look that contrasts nicely against the bright aquamarine rug and curtains.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Special Effect

Long striped textiles lengthen the appearance of this petite dining room.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Casual Arrangement

A painted pressed-tin ceiling and pink and white textiles make an eating space feel cheerful and inviting.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Multicolored Seating

Dining chairs upholstered in different bold-colored fabrics give the room a lively yet sophisticated vibe.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Cover Up

Slipcovering chairs—and even a table—protects the furniture and can hide stains and imperfections.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Bench Seating

Rather than squeezing in chairs around the backside of a table, use a tall banquet bench that guests can easily slide in and out of.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Seating Arrangement

Mixing chair styles around a formal dining room boosts its charm factor.

Walnut dining table at Baker.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Country Living

Mismatched chairs, striped linens and rustic pottery lend this dining room provincial charm.

Similar tablecloth: Victorian Heart Vintage Modern stripe tablecloth, from $6.95 at The Country Porch. Similar mirror: Uttermost Walton hall mirror in Gold, $151.80 at CSNMirrors.com.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Run with It

A runner is an underappreciated alternative to a tablecloth and can add an appealing splash of color.

Norden dining table, $279 at Ikea. Saarinen Tulip armless chair, designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, from $1,284 at Design Within Reach. Fabric on chairs and curtains: Vegetable Tree by Josef Frank, $250 per yard at Just Scandinavian. Similar corner chair: Zafira chair, $149.95 at Pier 1.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Open Air

Keeping a dining room uncluttered and placing the table in the center accentuates its size.

Big Sur 65-inch dining table, $1,499 at Crate & Barrel. Similar dining chairs: Wrap chairs in White, from $79 at West Elm.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Rainbow Room

Colorful dining chairs and whimsical decorations lighten up a sturdy farm table and boxy cabinet.

Similar hutch: Stanley Young America My Haven door chest, $1,599 at Layla Grayce. Deer head by Big-Game, $269 at Generate.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: In Check

Keep a country look clean by sticking to crisp patterns and a fresh blue-and-white color scheme.

Blue and white china, at Lovers of Blue & White. Similar chair: Queen Anne upholstered side chair in French White, $249 at Pottery Barn.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Open Table

Expose a table’s lines by keeping it linen-free.

Similar table: Toscana dining table, $1,299 at Pottery Barn.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Roughly Modern

A large wooden table is a rough-hewn counterpoint to sleek molded-plastic chairs.

Panton chair by Vitra in White, $260 at Unica Home. Similar table: Bungalow extension dining table, $699 at Crate & Barrel.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Casual Dining

Design a room that’s cozy and comfortable with slipcovered chairs and a shabby chic table.

Dining chair loose-fit slipcovers, $39 at Pottery Barn. Norfolk dining table, $999 at Pottery Barn. Similar chandelier: Kichler 1770PB Salem chandelier in Polished Brass, $71 at CSN Lighting.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Rustic Renaissance

Mixing a crystal chandelier with dark wood furniture and antlers epitomizes chalet chic.

Faux deer antler wall plaque, $28 at Aspen Country. Similar chandelier, A83-52/3034/8+4 Versailles wrought-iron chandelier (12 lights, two tiers), $297 at Gallery 803.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Book End

Storage is tricky in a long, narrow space; columns of built-in bookshelves at the end of the room are an ideal design solution and attractive look.

3-leg Ant chair in Black, designed by Arne Jacobsen, $427 at Hive Modern.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Gathering Place

A long table with ample seating is ready to entertain a crowd.

Similar chandelier: A84-513/12 wrought-iron chandelier, $437 at Gallery 803.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Red Light

Bright-colored chairs and a pendant light pop against a white table in this little breakfast nook.

Docksta dining table, $179 at Ikea. Similar chair: Academy chair, $129 at West Elm.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Go Green

Leafy plants make great centerpieces and are an ideal complement to botanical textiles.

Similar chair: Louis XV side chair at Room Deco Furniture.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Curtain Call

Gauzy curtains create a soft backdrop for a clean-lined table and chairs.

Lill curtains, $4.99 per pair at Ikea. Eames Eiffel chair in White, $249 at The Conran Shop. Similar pendant light: Tessa white pendant light, $403.95 at Simply Pendant Lighting. Similar antlers: Cast-resin antler, $24 at Pottery Barn.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Soft Spot

Fur throws are a comfortable and unexpected alternative to traditional seat cushions.

Similar chair: Moroso Supernatural armchair, $289 at YLiving. Rens sheepskin, $25 at Ikea.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Accent Piece

One hit of color, like an abstract painting over the fireplace, stands out in a neutral space.

Similar chandelier: Wrought-iron Celian chandelier, $60 at A Rustic Garden.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Block Party

A multicolored geometric rug plays off the stark brick walls in this modern dining room.

Eames molded plywood metal-leg dining chair in Santo Palisander Ply finish, $429 at YLiving. Saucer lamp by George Nelson, $269 at YLighting.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Light Wash

Sheer curtains and a coat of white paint keep rigid wooden furniture and an architectural bench from looking too heavy.

Village Maremma white side chair, $199 at Crate & Barrel.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Flower Power

A collection of bud vases imprecisely arranged on a tabletop make a lovely alternative to the usual floral centerpiece.

Color-bound sisal rug in Taupe at Pottery Barn. Similar chair: Pullman Pearl Leather side chair, $199 at Crate & Barrel.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Industrial Chic

A delicate crystal chandelier is a pleasing contrast to sturdy workshop-inspired seating.

Prouve Standard chair, $780 at Hive Modern.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: A Feast of Color

Don’t shy away from of a bold palette—deep orange and vivid turquoise is a pleasing combo.

Similar chair: Jackson skirted dining chair, $239 at Carrington Court Direct. Similar chandelier: Hudson Valley Lighting (5219-AN/5219-OB/5219-PN) Jefferson nine-light chandelier, $1,299 at CSN Lighting.  

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: Simple Setting

White china on white linens and a spray of wildflowers look elegant without seeming fussy.

Similar linens, at Transylvanian Images.

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Dining Room Decor Ideas: A Well-Dressed Affair

Mixing patterns is an aesthetic success when the palette—like this mix of reds and blues—is cohesive.

Similar chair: Henriksdal chair, $80 at Ikea.

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