How to Easily Make your Dining Room Formal and Casual

For many homes that have a formal and casual dining room, the flexibility of entertaining and dining in two separate spaces is a wonderful option. For those home owners who have one dining space and have to juggle between how to make the casual space look formal enough for a dinner party, or the formal space suitable for everyday dining, there are several challenges. Luckily, there are creative tips to help you transform your dining room between the two without any worries!

• Assess your family’s dining style: The biggest challenge for versatile dining rooms is to assess your family’s entertaining and dining lifestyle. If you are a family that enjoys having big formal Sunday dinners then opting for a grand dining room table with a center leaf that can be removed for weekday dining may suit your family. While if your family spends most of the time grabbing quick bites to eat, and formality isn’t your lifestyle, than simplicity may rule over complexity! Whichever is your family’s style, make it versatile for you.
• Look to your chairs for versatility: Believe it or not the difference between one set of chairs and another can make all the difference of the formality of the room. By leaving the same dining room table formal chairs that have a straight high back or upholstered varieties will bring formality instantly to your dining table. If you’d prefer to have the setting feel casual, consider lower profile chairs with shorter backs, and more playful materials such as metal, wood or even plastic.

• Alter the decor around your dining room: Without touching the seating or the table use playful decor in your place settings, candle holders, and table linen to bring about formality or casual aesthetics. If you are entertaining adults one evening, a linen table cloth with attractive candle holders and formal china and centerpiece can transform your casual breakfast table! For a casual dinner with the family use natural woven placemats, unbreakable dishes and fun decor on the table to make an adult-only dining room now feel comfortable and familiar.

• Choose dining room colors to fit your lifestyle: For casual dining opt for lighter and muted tones to convey relaxing and casual interiors. If you prefer formality, consider using deeper tones such as deep burgundy, rust or burnt orange. If you want to keep the room versatile, opt for neutral tones of beiges, coffee brown, gray, white and black to help you dress up or down the space with little energy or thought. The easier you make your dining room adaptable, the more likely you will be to entertain and truly enjoy your dining room.

A versatile dining room that can go from formal to casual is an ideal layout for any home owner. The ability to change your setting based on your entertaining lifestyle and family daily life is important to enjoy your home. For ideas on how to decorate your versatile dining room look to fine furnishings magazines and online designers. You will be surprised what inspiration you can get from surfing the web. If your kitchen is the heart of the home, your dining room celebrates your family’s togetherness. Enjoy it!