How to design a dining area for the modern home

Merino Laminates, October 24, 2024 Updated On : April 29, 2025

Our dining spaces have evolved over the past few years. From homes with a large dedicated room with a hearty dining table to the modern dining area design which is much smaller, often combined with living rooms or kitchens, we have seen a shift in both the space allocated and the design of the space itself. Today, dining table styles have changed and with homes becoming smaller, their dining spaces have also become much smaller in order to cater to nuclear families with a fast paced life. Here are some tips on how you can design your dining area to ensure that you have a pleasant dining experience while making the most of the space:

1. Optimise the space available

Space is a crucial factor to be considered in the homes today and it is important to make the most of it to cater to the changing needs of your family. Your design should not only focus on comfortable seating, it should also help you create dining area storage where you can store home linen, crockery, cleaning essentials etc.

If you have a small space in the living room that you wish to use as a dining area, you can opt for a collapsible dining table or expandable one where you can alter the dining area seating when needed. Having a settee with storage below or a bench is also a great way to add more seating using less space. In much smaller spaces, you can also consider a breakfast counter that can be created by extending the kitchen counter to create a quick dining and preparation area complete with bar stools or high chairs.

2. Minimal colours and interesting artwork. Accent walls, design elements

Keep the colours minimal and integrate it with interesting artwork, accent walls or other unique design elements. The modern dining area design must be functional while also offering a pleasant dining experience to guests. Keep the dining area colours subtle and play around with wall treatments to create a fine balance of designs and textures without being too tacky. If you wish to have a lot of colours, opt for shades or orange or yellow to make the room look more lively. Deeper shades of blue and green have also become a big trend across the globe.

Merino laminates (Best Decorative Laminates & Surface Solution | Merino Laminates) offer an exciting range of laminates that you can use to create panelled walls, accent walls or even as a backdrop for the display of your art or sculptures. This is the space where a family relaxes and comes together, so make sure that this place reflects your style and decor elements the best.

3. Keep it tech savvy!

In many homes, where there is no dedicated study room, the dining area often doubles up as a work nook or can even be upgraded to add a small study area. Hence, it is imperative that you add ample number of plug points as it not only facilitates the plug in of work devices, but you can also have a coffee maker, oven or any such devices in this space. Pair this with a small bookshelf or portable work desk to double up the role of your dining area. The dining area seating should have proper lighting over it, could be in the form of focus lights or pendant lights to make the dining experience more pleasant and comfortable.

4. Make way for storage

Dining area storage can be a real saviour, especially in small homes. You can create storage under the bench or sofa in your dining area or you can add a chest of drawers or storage unit to store your cutlery, fine dinnerware etc. You can also add slim cabinets and hidden storage for cleaning supplies, home linen etc. If you have space, you can have a small counter that can be used to prepare your meals, used as a coffee bar or a liquor bar and have storage underneath.

5. Experiment with seating

Gone are the days when the dining area seating was just about chairs. Today, we see plush sofas, benches, bay windows and stools as options for dining area seating. If you have a large window, you can create a dining area around it, with a bay area seating and storage underneath it. For breakfast counters, you can have bar stools or high chairs whereas you can opt for plush chairs if you want to have a more luxurious dining set up. If you are really short on space, you can even go for foldable chairs in your dining area.

We hope that these tips help you in creating the perfect dining area in your home, irrespective of the space you have. Smart decor hacks and careful use of material can help you carve a beautiful area irrespective of how big or small it is.

Latest Blogs

How do we choose the right laminates for a store?
Table of Contents1. Size of the store 2. Understanding the customers that the store caters to 3. Nature of goods...
How to design a dining area for the modern home
Table of Contents1. Optimise the space available2. Minimal colours and interesting artwork. Accent walls, design elements3. Keep it tech savvy!4....
Design 27131
Must have essentials in the modern living room
Table of Contents1. Create ample storage2. Create a work nook3. Accommodate your gadgets4. Stackable furniture5. Good lighting is an essentialAs...
Tips to style textured/ patterned laminates
Table of Contents1. Create a vision board!2. Find a balance!3. Experiment with the application4. Pair it smartly5. Utility over appearanceTextures...
What sets Merino laminates apart?
Table of Contents1. Colours 2. Patterns 3. Textures and finishes As we build our dream spaces, be it our home or our office-...
Best colours and patterns for resorts and hotels
Table of Contents1. Ideal colours for a resort 2. Colour scheme for hotels 3. Classic wood finishes4. Bright and bold colours in...
Décor tips for hospitality
Table of Contents1. Create the best first impression! 2. User friendly navigation3. The design of the rooms4. Bathrooms design5. The theme! As...
The best merino picks for the hospitality sector
Table of Contents1. Classic patterns2. Colourful laminates 3. Luxury finishes4. Minimalistic laminate options While the spatial planning of the hotel or a...
How to optimise space in a small office
Table of Contents1. Spatial planning2. Opt for lighter colours3. Go for a monochromatic theme4. Closed storage vs open storage5. Ensure...
Classic colours and patterns for offices
Table of Contents1. A balance of neutral and bright colours2. Bring in nature!3. Wood as a pronounced material and colour...

Quick Query

Please fill in the details.

    I agree that by clicking the 'Submit' button, I am explicitly soliciting a call and message via WhatsApp or any other medium from Merino Industries Ltd or its partners.I am 18 or above
    Quick query