4 Ways To Spice Up Your Dining Room On A Budget

Here’s how to spruce up your dining room on a budget. Image: May Konzepte Architekten – Interior Design

Formal dining rooms can quickly become drab and outdated. Since most of us eat the majority of our meals at the kitchen table, it’s easy to overlook this space when it’s time renovate.

Luckily, you don’t need a huge budget to update your dining room. Here’s four easy ways to spruce up a formal dining room and have your guests ooh-ing and aah-ing, without breaking the bank.

Add an accent wall for color. Image: Insides

Add an accent wall

Whether you paint a wall a bold new color, or opt for a modern take on wallpaper, adding an accent wall will instantly refresh the look of your dining space. Plus, since both paint and wallpaper are quite affordable, and application is easy to complete, this project is a simple way to create a focal point without undertaking any major renovations.

Start by choosing which wall to accent. Typically, the accent wall will be the first wall you see upon entering the room: the wall that’s furthest from the door. Ideally, it will also be a wall that doesn’t have any doors or windows, so that your new accent wall really stands out, without intrusion.

Don’t be afraid to make a statement: accent walls are meant to be eye-catching! Now is the time to play with prints and patterns, to add a few metallic accents, or even to create a gallery wall using some family photos. Anything goes, as long as you make sure to contrast your accent wall from the rest of the room.

Mix things up by going eclectic. Image: CC Construction Ltd

Go eclectic

Coordinating every element in your dining room can get costly. Don’t be afraid to use eclectic design to mix and match various styles, manufactures—even time periods. Doing allows for more freedom to put a design together that works in your budget.

That said, there are a few things you can do to help ensure that your design remains cohesive. Remember: above all, the space should remain functional. Make a plan for your design before you begin, and do your best to keep function at the forefront. Don’t be afraid to edit as you go. If there are ever so many design elements present that it gets difficult to identify the functionality at first glance, your best bet is to remove less-necessary pieces until functionality becomes clear again.

You’ll also want to keep the room unified. Work on finding a few small details—colors, shapes, patterns—that you can repeat in various aspects of your design. This ensures all of your design elements feel intentional, rather than haphazardly thrown together.

Consider statement lighting

The simplest way to spruce up your dining room on a budget is to trade out your basic light fixture for a statement lighting feature. From large pendants to unique chandeliers, there’s no wrong aesthetic. You’ll want to choose a piece that feels authentic to your sense of style. That said, there are a few functional pieces of advice that you should follow to ensure your fixture works with the room.

First, consider proportions of the room. You’ll want to account for the size of your table, and the proportions of your room itself. If your formal dining room table seats 10 people, you may want to look into a row of matching pendants. But, if the room only seats your family of four, perhaps a single chandelier will do the trick. As a rule, your light fixture should cover 2/3 of the table.

Additionally, be sure to layer your lighting so that the only source of light isn’t that single fixture. Think about adding in some ambient light in the form of recessed lighting, plus a few accent fixtures to brighten up any dark corners. Since dining rooms are all about ambiance, you may also want to look into lighting that’s able to be put on a dimmer.

Add personality with accessories. Image: REFINED LLC

Don’t forget accessories

Accessorizing a room is like putting the cherry on top of a sundae. It makes all the difference. No need to go crazy, since the goal is still to update your dining room on a budget, but adding a few finishing touches goes a long way.

Try to use your space wisely. No one wants clutter, especially in an area that’s meant to hold lots of people at once. A large buffet is beautiful, but only works if the space allows. If you don’t have much room to work with, a better bet is to opt for smaller accessories like a simple, floral centerpiece or an antique bar cart.

Finally, have fun with it! Your home should reflect who you are and what you like, so don’t be afraid to infuse the room with your personality. Stop at a garage sale and pick up some decorative glass bottles, or paint pine cones with your kids to fill a glass bowl as a centerpiece. Whatever you choose, you’ll love seeing your formal dining room transform if you have fun doing it.

Use these tips to makeover your dining room on a budget. Image: S.O.M.E. Architects, P.C.

Giving your formal dining room a makeover doesn’t have to break the bank. We’ve come up with four easy ways to spruce up your dining room on a budget. After you give these ideas a try, invite some friends over for dinner and see what they notice about your new look. Then, as always, let us know your favorite guest reactions in the comments.

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