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Dining rooms are not simply the places where we eat.
More than that, they are the places where we come together to enjoy our family meals, and the places where we gather our friends to celebrate the meaningful moments in life.
Comfy diners speak of who we really are and what we stand for, and we should thereof make them as pleasant as they can be.
Yet, decorating a dining room is more challenging than it sounds. With a fairly limited number of furniture pieces that should (more than anything else) be functional, we don’t have that much space to show how creative we are. Unless, of course, we turn towards wall decorations for dining rooms.
Image source: CJS Woodworking & Design
Dining room wall décor has a strong impact on how this room looks, but also how it feels. To start with, we will never have the feeling that it is empty and cold, and that’s a good thing given how often we’re using it.
Image source: Vernich Interiors
We should bring in some lively and playful colors, so that each time we’re there, we want to stay as long as possible.
Color, of course, is not the only choice we’ve got. Here are some more dining room wall décor ideas that you should try:
Our dining room wall décor ideas
Image source: William Johnson Architect
We prepared a detailed guide on wall decor for dining rooms. Let us try to inspire you with some of the trendiest and most inspiring dining room wall décor ideas. As you are about to see, creating the diner of your dreams doesn’t have to be expensive, and you often need a day or two to get everything done.
Image source: Ainslie-Davis Construction
We’ve covered all types and styles to help everyone plan a charming and personalized dining room; and we’ve discussed several different insertions to cater to all needs. From simple patterns to thoughtful vertical gardens, interior designers of today give all clever ideas a try. What you’ve imagined may be more feasible than you think!
Dining room wall décor with wood – trendy panels and cladding
If you think that applying wood is out of style, you’re definitely wrong. This organic material and its infinite rustic charm are only gaining momentum as we speak, and will become even more desirable in future.
Wood has always been the number-one choice for food-related areas, and comes in just enough styles and variations to suit everyone’s desires. That’s why the msot beautiful dining rooms have wooden furniture.
Image source: Grun Homes
For instance, you can recreate the tracery wall division structure with cubical pieces of wood, so that it will complement the beautiful cladding on the floor or the ceiling.
Thanks to its strong rustic vibe, wooden cladding is suitable for both modern urban dwellings and farm style houses.
Plus, it is one of the most durable and unique materials you could use, as it improves the quality of the air in the room, offers thermal isolation, contains energy, and shows almost no wear and tear over the years.
Better yet, its neutrality helps balance a joyful interior décor, and it therefore makes any diner feel cosy and welcoming regardless of its style.
Plus, there is no better time to turn towards wooden cladding. Wooden design elements have never been more popular than now, as they inject the right retro vibe in cold and contemporary environments, and help refresh their looks.
Smooth and pale woods are the masters of this process, as they look amazing in minimalist, Asian-inspired rooms and Scandinavian decors.
Decorating with marble
If interested to bring a natural material in the dining room, but still looking for something more luxurious than wood, marble has you covered. Marble assents are undisputable favorites for decorating dining premises, as they are stylish, classy, and impossible to neglect.
Marble’s unique graphic tread and natural texture varies in strength and character, which helps it impose easily in any environment.
The surface is smooth and shiny, the colors are glamorous and diverse, and there is almost no style that can’t accommodate it. Marble can be ethereal, chic, and rigid at the same time, and that’s what makes it perfect for formal dining room decorations.
The same as wood and other natural materials, marble was left aside the interior design scene for quite a while.
Nonetheless, it has made a huge comeback where it was least expected – in minimalist dining room wall décor – reminding us that it is the small details that make the biggest impact!
Decorating with stone
Here comes another natural material designers adore lately. Stone also belongs to our formal dining decorating ideas. It is more and more present in internal decor, especially in luxurious villas and out-of-town weekend houses. We believe that you should give it a try.
What is interesting about stone cladding is that you don’t really expect to see it in the dining room. Back in the days (and even today) stone compositions were mainly used outside.
Somewhere around the end of the 50s and beginning of the 60s, they infiltrated people’s homes, and architects brought them exactly where they are today – in the dining rooms.
Stone is arguable more rustic than wood or marble, and exhibits even better organic and natural qualities.
For example, it is the best thermo-regulator and most sustainable décor material, and comes in all shapes, colors, and textures to cater to everyone’s needs. If looking to decorate a casual dining room, you’ve got yourself a winner!
Creating your own gallery wall
Image source: Kakar House Of Designe
Who said that displaying art refers only to dining room paintings?
Art collectors will find their dining room walls as the perfect place to display their masterpieces, and even combine various types of art to attract more interest.
An idea would be to throw some unusual pieces here and there for a more playful effect, or to hang valuable family memorabilia. This trick, however, won’t be easy to execute, so plan the gallery well before taking a hammer in hand.
Which is the perfect base for an art gallery wall? Ideally, we’d go for a lighter wall that won’t overshadow your works of art, or an intense and dark one depending on what you wish to expose.
Basically, you can go for any wall color as long as it doesn’t contrast your dining room wall decor.
When it comes to framing your art, we’d recommend golden, silver, or patina. To ensure that the art assembly imposes over the base, make the placement intense and dynamic, and work with diverse shapes and sizes.
Here are some extra tips and pointers to help you create a beautiful gallery wall: It goes without saying that you should display meaningful pieces, as that’s the best way to make sure you’ll enjoy your stay there.
A gallery wall should not only be an assembly of decorative elements, but also a valuable and enjoyable sight that speaks of who you are and what you enjoy. Therefore, give priority to your passions and interests.
The good news is that you don’t have any specific requirements on size, color, or shape. The composition is all yours and you’re free to follow the ideological theme you like.
For instance, you’re free to choose different frames for each piece, or to begin arranging them from the smallest instead of the largest piece.
Yet, we do recommend you to follow certain dynamic rules, so that the viewers can easily tell which the most important piece is.
This won’t depend on how or where you’ve positioned that piece, but rather on how you’ve hanged the rest of the works around it. Certain designers will even bring foreign pieces in to underline the importance of focal elements.
A central, large-scale piece of art
Image source: Urbanology Designs
Here’s another idea for art aficionados. Rather than turning their dining zone into a gallery, they can use it to exhibit a single statement piece that matches the mood and the style.
As there are no limitations to as which artistic theme or dining room art you can use, you can safely expose a beautiful abstract painting, a contrasting geometrical shape, or a human body sketch. Keep in mind that this piece should be displayed on/against the dining room accent wall.
Whatever you’ve chosen, make sure it has a pleasant emotional impact, and that it contrasts your wall in a beautiful and eye-catchy way.
Glamorous metallic wallpaper for neutral dining rooms
What if you find your neutral diner boring, but you’re not ready for a brave experiment? Worry not, as a bit of texture or an involving pattern is all it takes to make it more interesting.
Within a contemporary setting or in a big dining room, for instance, you can consider bringing metallic wallpaper with graphic patterns. These will not only make the room look expensive, but also highlight your lighting fixtures.
Using color to highlight beautiful architectural details
Yes, it is true that you can’t do much to change the architectural work in your dining room. What you can do instead is to make it show!
Pick an accent color that you like, and make it work for you. With a couple of pop up cabinets or trendy, colorful bookcases, you can safely leave your walls untouched. Better yet, you can ensure that this color appears on your table linens, hutches, or even your curtains.
Accent curtains and drapes
Image source: Vivid Interior Design – Danielle Loven
Speaking of curtains, did it ever cross your mind how they could complement your neutral walls? This is the number one tip for those who won’t paint their diner’s walls, but still want to get involved in a painting project.
Image source: Décor Aid
Choosing drapes in the right color or with the right print will save you a lot of time. At the same time, they will provide you with the accent piece you need, and create a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere for the family.
If you want to make them even more important for your dining area decor, try installing a drapery rod that goes way beyond the window’s width.
Stripes can jazz up your ordinary dining room
Or should we say, stripes can jazz up anything? There is something incredibly cool and contemporary about stripes. Whatever that is, it becomes quite obvious when the stripes become as long wall decorations.
But let us explain you how stripes work. To secure some extra visual space, use bold and horizontal stripes. To make the dining room look simple and cozy, go for large and vertical stripes.
Remember that artwork is quite difficult to combine with stripes and graphical shapes. If you’ve hit this road, limit accessories to a large and impactful piece of art.
The more, the merrier
If you’re an active person with lots of things on your mind, go for a dining room that can show that. What we mean here is that no one stops you from mixing colors and patterns – if you have to be moderate with the other rooms, the dining room can be an exception.
Still, try not to go overboard. There are patterns that simply don’t match (florals and stripes, for instance), or colors that completely contrast each other.
The safest option is to work with a monochromatic palette, namely applying different shades of the same color to get the best of both worlds.
Quality photo murals for a stronger message
Image source: Westlake Development Group
So it seems that people save photo murals for spaces alike their bedroom, so use one to make your dining room unique.
Let the mural tell a story that you like, such as an evening on a relaxing beach or a day in the city. Modern dining room artwork will also provide you a focal point for this area, and you won’t even have to spend too much time on it.
Bold color choices will work
Image source: KJAArchitect
The simpler your dining room is the likelier you are to get bored of it, so make some bolder choices. The palette is a good place to start, as it is probably mostly neutral, and it can thereof accommodate any color you like.
Of course, you don’t have to paint everything there is inside. The architectural work you’ve had done (wainscoting, chair rails, moldings, and so on) will guide you on where to start, and you can even skip the walls completely.
If you have the time and the wish, you can add molding or have a wall painted in two different colors.
It doesn’t have to be the wall – it can be the ceiling!
Image source: Colicchio Construction
Did you think that dining room wall art also refers to the ceiling?
Not that many people choose to decorate the ceiling, but that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, you can place it in the center of your decoration plan, and apply some accent color or interesting wallpaper. Reclaimed wood is also a very elegant option.
A dining room with a ‘wow factor’
Image source: Merle Inc.
Let’s be honest with each other – Pleasant family meetings are not all there is to a beautifully decorated dining room. Most of us actually expect that room to be admired by occasional visitors, and that’s why we search for the ‘wow factor’.
Image source: M. Designs Architects
A very contemporary and stunning dinner room solution is well-chosen wallpaper, be it with a bold color or a modern graphic pattern. Simple, yet vibrant pallets and interesting patterns will make the wallpaper shine.
3D wall panels
It is difficult to imagine a modern interior design scenario without 3D panels. This distinctive technique jazzes up the space emanation, and highlights a room’s best sides. Most of the time, they come with interesting geometrical patterns that make the décor deeper and more dynamic.
Nevertheless, we should keep them on one wall to make sure they will have the right effect. The ideal location would be the wall closest to the table, or the one used to divide the room in two different zones.
Which is the best 3D wall panel to use? It depends on the style and the interest of the buyer, keeping in mind that the most popular panels showcase abstractions.
As we mentioned, they often display geometrical shapes and figures, and are therefore used to keep the dining room in line with time.
Large and beautiful mirrors
Image source: Dedrick construction
The one thing to bring inside a dining room and that will never lose its value or functionality is a mirror.
Image source: Jacy Painter Kelly
Plus, large mirrors are excellent at reflecting light, which makes them the right choice for small and enclosed dining rooms. The shape, of course, is up to you (you can even consider mirror collage ideas).
Focal wallpaper
Image source: Karen Kempf Interiors
The reason why many people think wallpaper is outdated is that we usually see it applied on an entire wall. This way, the wallpaper will logically bore us, and we will want to replace it every now and then.
What pays off more is to use only pieces of wallpaper hang together on a single wall. Pick the print that you like and try this out – you will love it!
Woven hangings for a boho vibe
Image source: Kimberlee Kristine
With Boho trends gaining momentum like never before, we decided to suggest woven wall hangings for your dining room. They are the perfect vintage additions you can easily purchase on Etsy and Amazon, and which come in all colors and patterns.
If you’re handy, you can even make personalized DIY pieces. This may even be better, as you can pull out the exact size your wall needs.
A vertical garden
Image source: Living Green Design
Vertical gardens are simply adorable dining room wall décor ideas.
It may sound like a quirky idea, but a living wall inside the dining room is really a way to say how much you care.
It won’t even be that difficult, as you can purchase specific ‘pockets’ to hold the plants on it, and to help them develop in the right direction. Note that vertical gardens (just as any other garden) won’t last long without proper lighting.
Hanging chalkboard
Chalkboards are so much fun, and one doesn’t see them that often at dining rooms.
You can use them as a distinctive decor piece where you share your party menus, or to give your children a place to draw once they’re over with dinner. The best thing about them – you can easily take them down when you’re bored.
A wall with vintage signs
Image source: STEPHANIE BRADSHAW
Get a large vintage sign (or multiple smaller ones) and use them as stunning wall art for your dining room. You will have plenty of fun looking for such on flea markets and yard sales.
Photos of the family
Looking for the ideal dining room pictures? Check the family album!
Dining rooms are above all family havens, and that makes them ideal for a large photo gallery. Pick the best photos you’ve got, enlarge them, or even print them black and white – the result will be amazing!
The artwork of your kids
Image source: Weetu
At no cost, you can create a dining room wall with an incredible emotional value. Let your kids showcase their artistic skills, and frame the best pieces they make. This way, you will have a dining room that warms your heart every time you visit it..
Typography artwork
This is a simple, yet very creative type of dining decor.
With typography, you have infinite options to convey messages with a special meaning, even if those are single words written in powerful graphic letters. To avoid a funhouse effect, keep the palette simple (at best, black and white).
Large and artistic trees
Image source: Mimi & Hill interiors
When a vertical garden is not an option, but you’re still keen on the idea of displaying plants, a larger tree can solve the problem. They won’t be cheap, but with some proper care you will have them for many years to come. Plus, the dining room wall will look stunning.
For a great effect, place them in front of the wall, and help them show off with a durable and stunning pot. They will be the perfect addition to your big dinning room.
Your collection of plates
Plates and china collectors can’t wait to hang their favorites into a beautiful wall arrangement. Plus, these are natural additions to any dining room wall décor scenarios.
If you’re one of them, think of how you should mix different colors and patterns, but don’t pay it that much attention – it will look homely in any case!
Wood accent walls
Image source: Sarah Crowley Photography
A wood accent wall is the perfect solution for dining rooms in need of a statement. To avoid boring viewers, pick an unusual material (reclaimed wood, for instance), or paint with a brave color nobody really expects.
Creative shelving
Art is not the only thing you can hang on the diner’s walls to attract interest. The very same effect can be achieved with large shelving units.
In a way, shelving is a self-sufficient decorating option, as it doesn’t only look nice, but has functional value as well. You can (at the same time!) display art and store dining items; and have serving dishes by hand any time you need them.
Patterns, patterns, patterns
Image source: Mary Cook
To brighten the room up, consider patterns on the windows. You can also refresh the room with a floral fabric on the table, paired up with some wicker chairs and oversized candelabra. When you know how to pick the pieces, decorating is simply a walk in the park.
Summing up, there are endless options for great dining room wall decor. All you need to do is to let your imagination take the lead. We sincerely hope that our dining room walls ideas paved the way.
Last but not least – have some fun!