If your dining room is ready for a change from the farmhouse aesthetic that has dominated home decor recently, you might want to look into a modern dining room. Marked by clean lines and simple colors, modern dining rooms can offer a refreshing update to your living space.
While modern design is undeniably beautiful, it can be a challenging style to pull off, especially in a dining room. Dining rooms are generally places where families gather to connect with each other, share their daily burdens, and, of course, eat. The chaos of a family dining room, complete with everything you need to serve dinner as well as kids’ spills and accidents, can seem at odds with the cool serenity of the modern aesthetic.
However, the two aren’t incompatible. Modern dining rooms tend to emphasize simple lines and unadorned surfaces. Luckily, these same elements are usually stain-resistant and easy to wipe down. The lack of clutter makes them a cinch to clean. With a little style and ingenuity, you can have the modern dining room of your dreams and happy family dinners. Here are some ideas to inspire you:
1. Simply White
All white counters provide a perfect backdrop for this contemporary dining room. The open, barrel-back chairs in neutral offer an ideal accent to the white. This serene, minimalist style will bring a peaceful mood to your dining room. The three hanging pendants’ repetition echoes the white of the cabinets and provides illumination with a simple silhouette. A potted plant provides a natural accent of green that breaks up the neutrals.
2. Color Pop
You don’t have to abandon your love of color to have a modern dining room. While this room starts with a base of neutral gray on the wall and light wood floors, the yellow chairs provide a bright pop of color. The blue buffet plays off of the yellow chairs, and the white dishes provide another neutral accent. The three pendant lights blend into the neutral gray and let the yellow stand out.
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3. Elegantly Natural
If you want a serene dining room that makes you feel like you’re out in nature, you can go with nature-inspired neutrals. Lots of light browns and thin, clean lines will keep an all-neutral dining room from being too dark and heavy. If you add in a large plant, it will tie the room together for a cohesive look. If you’re short on natural light, pulling in white accessories can lighten up the room and keep it from being too monotonal.
4. Modern from Farmhouse
If you’re tired of your farmhouse dining room, but you can’t afford new furniture, you can redo your dining room using your existing furniture. Though it may seem counterintuitive, a farmhouse table and chairs can take on a modern feel if you simplify them. This set is a modern take on a farmhouse staple. Instead of heavy black, the chairs and table are light, natural wood and white.
Very minimalist accessories and plants complete the look. Without the characteristic farmhouse accessories such as signs and country-themed knick-knacks, you can achieve a modern style without breaking the bank on all new furniture.
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5. Abstract Grace
Modern art is the perfect inspiration for a modern dining room. You can pull colors from your favorite abstract artwork to plan your furniture. This room pulls the less dominant grays and blues from the painting for the chairs and tables. The structural trees and greenery echo the strong lines in the furniture and lighting fixtures while providing an organic element.
6. Open Flow
This modern dining area flows beautifully as part of the open floor plan found in many modern homes. The house’s structural elements, including the staircase and the oversized windows, provide the backdrop for this simple dining area. Though the brown barrel-back chairs and black table are minimalist elements, the pops of color in the other living spaces are visible from the dining area. The long, tapered candles echo the lines of the window and provide a focal point on the table.
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7. White and Wood
A stand-alone space isn’t necessary for a fantastic dining space. If you have an eat-in kitchen, you can turn it in into a stunning place to eat. Simplicity is the key to making the most of an eat-in kitchen. The dining space needs to be an extension of the kitchen. These modern white cabinets frame the pop of red in the boxy chairs.
A simple arrangement of red flowers is all this light wood and white table needs for a finishing touch. The key to making this look work is the minimalist accessories in the kitchen. Without excess clutter, the simplicity of the woodwork stands out.
8. Bringing the Outside In
This light and airy dining room relies on the beauty of nature for its design. With these gorgeous windows and the amazing view, the furniture is kept simple to play a supporting role. The clear glassware and white dinnerware are kept simple to keep from detracting from the windows. The stainless steel surfaces reflect the views around the room. All of the elements in this room work together to almost disappear so that the focus is the view from the windows.
9. Mirrored Glamor
One iconic aspect of modern design is the use of mirrors. In this dining room, they are used on a wall and the buffet’s doors to enlarge this small area. There is a good balance of cool and warm colors. The warm yellow chairs provide a lot of energy while the cool neutrals balance out the room.
The mirrored vase holds a dramatic but simple arrangement on the table. The thin recessed shelves provide interest without taking up any floor space. The lighting emphasizes the stark lines in the rest of the room.
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10. Take Flight
Modern design isn’t all sedate lines, mirrors, and glass. This dining room has a bold, dramatic light fixture that no one would call boring. The asymmetrical, feathered arms provide an eye-catching focal point of the room. The chairs, while mismatched, all have open, simple lines. The muted neutral colors let the light fixture stand out without competing for attention.
This room is an excellent example of toning down the rest of the room to let one element shine. The artwork on the wall is even a blank white canvas, which provides more subtle lines without taking away from the feathers’ organic shape.
11. Maximally Modern
If minimalism isn’t your thing, but you love the modern aesthetic, you can still achieve it. This room incorporates many modern elements such as geometric lines, barrel-back chairs, and lots of glass. However, the shelves provide plenty of room for all of your books and other decorative items. The black metal ceiling beams and window slats keep the modern lines of the room front and center.
The two simple light fixtures coordinate with the brown tabletop and are a repetitive element. The cutouts on the bottom add an interesting and decorative element. This room brings in elements of modern design while allowing the personality of the designer to shine through.
Click here to see this modern dining room table on Amazon.
12. Lines, Lines, Lines
When it comes to modern design, few chairs are as instantly recognizable as the molded plastic Eames dining chair. This dining room is a study in repetition. Designers like to work with elements in odd-numbered groups, such as this group of five chairs and the group of three pendant lights above the table. Such groupings use tension as a design element.
The repetitive slats on the wall balance the tension in this room. The flowers provide a perfectly centralized focal point. This symmetrical room works well because the straight lines of the wall give so much interest when juxtaposed with the curves of the chairs.
13. Nordic Inspired
The main interest in this dining room comes from the unusual chairs. This Scandinavian-inspired room uses an interesting herringbone pattern on the wood floor. This serves as a geometric backdrop for the chairs’ curves and the organic shapes in the wooden stool and greenery.
The accessories on the simple buffet are all low, leaving enough empty space on the wall for the texture of the wall to stand out. The empty space also provides the area with breathing space, which gives the room a calm feeling that is characteristic of modern design.
14. Beautiful Curves
This room is all curves, from the dining table to the light fixture to the room itself. Whenever possible, you should always work with the bones of the room you have. If your room has interesting architectural details, one way to design with it is to repeat that element throughout the room.
Despite all of the curves, this room retains its simplicity with light, neutral colors and minimalist lines. The rectangular floor tiles and linear wall paneling contrast with all of the curves. The pop of color from the greenery on the table and wall provides some visual interest.
15. Eclectic Style
While the modern style has a reputation for being cold and sterile, this room proves that it can be full of personality. The mismatched chairs and assorted decorative items don’t seem to belong to any particular design style, but they are put together in a clearly modern way.
This effect is accomplished by keeping the lines structural and simple. The chairs are all different styles, but they all have clean, uncluttered lines and neutral colors. The monstera plant is imposing and lends an organic flair to the room. The pendant light is understated and blends into the room.
In Closing
Whether you’re decorating a new dining room or updating your current one, you can work modern design principles into your style for an updated look that suits your personality.