Decorating mistakes are common in the dining room. For many people the dining room is only used on holidays, making it easily overlooked, dated or too formal. Try to avoid these common decorating mistakes in your own dining room.
1. A non-functional room
This is perhaps the most common decorating mistake for the dining room. Think of a dining room, and you probably think of stiff and formal. While it is nice to have a formal place to eat for holidays and dinner parties, it would be better to have a room that you can use on a regular basis. That means making it functional. Have a table that you are not afraid to use. Don’t overload the room with so much crystal and fine china that you are afraid to breathe in there.
2. Furniture that doesn’t fit
If you want the room to be functional, avoid the decorating mistake of buying furniture that does not fit the space. The table should fit comfortably, and there should be room to move the chairs back without banging into another piece of furniture.
3. Decorations you don’t love
It is easy to make the decorating mistake of using the dining room as a catch-all for decorations you do not love, especially if they are family pieces that you have inherited. Although you may feel obligated to display decorations that you have inherited, you need to remember that you live in the house. Decorate with items that you love to look at, and either properly store or even donate items that you really don’t want.
4. Not using color
The dining room is a great place to try a little color on your walls. What a decorating mistake to have every room be a shade of white or beige! Instead, use the intimate space of the dining room to add color to the walls. Reds are very popular in the dining room, but that does not have to limit you. You can use a vibrant color or a chocolate brown -- whatever you like. Try a color that complements your furniture and style. Painting is a cheap way to decorate, so if you do not like the color, you can always paint over it. It is, however, a good idea to try a test area first.
5. The art all wrong
A couple of decorating mistakes that you may find in the dining room are artwork that is too small for the space or art that is hung at the wrong level. First, have art on the walls that fills the space appropriately so that the room does not feel stark and empty. Also, art should be hung at about eye level – not too high and not too low. The point is to look at it, so eye level is about right. Also, try to stick to a theme or color scheme with the art, which will also create a theme for your dining room.
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