2016 Design Trends: Rustic Dining Rooms

April 16, 2016

Often relegated to the back burner and used only when company came, the formal dining room is set to return to glory, as this spring’s emerging design trends will have families wanting to eat there for every meal. According to ElleDecor,  this year more homeowners are opting to keep their formal dining room rather than converting to a family room or office than ever before, and they expect the formal dining room to be a hot design trend for spring.

The D.C. Design House features this gorgeous dining room by designer Sara Wessel. Photo via Architectural Digest.
The D.C. Design House features this gorgeous dining room by designer Sara Wessel. Photo via Architectural Digest.

The dining room tends to get the back burner when it comes time to redecorate or renovate. Compared to the kitchen or living room, it may not see as much use unless it’s the holidays or you’re expecting guests for dinner, so it’s natural to want to redecorate those rooms first. However, keeping your formal dining room fresh and inviting can lead to more family dinners together, as well as increase your home’s resale value.

Photo via Honey Bear Lane
Photo via Honey Bear Lane

One of the top dining trends that has emerged over the past few seasons, the rustic, vintage farmhouse look, continues to gain popularity in 2016. This design style tends to pair well with many of the antique colonial New England homes here on Cape Ann, as well as more modern homes. A country farmhouse decor can lean either towards an industrial, iron factory look, or can be more shabby, colorful, and inviting, depending on individual taste or preference.

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Photo via Indulgy

The simple, timeless farmhouse style table is the staple and centerpiece of a rustic dining room. These tables can either be used with individual chairs, or with wide picnic-style benches, depending on how casual or formal the room should be. Some have been handed down from generations and have seen decades, possibly even centuries, of use.

As these photos show, the wide-planked, large wooden tables look wonderful with either matching, upholstered chairs, or a collection of mismatched wooden chairs that can be found anywhere from thrift stores to flea markets or yard sales. Some rustic farmhouse dining rooms even use vintage iron tractor seats for bar stools.

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Photo via Shades of Light

Lighting is one of the most important parts of any room, and the dining room is no exception. A dining room was once defined by its chandelier – the grander, the better. Thankfully for your eyes, and your wallet, that’s no longer the case, especially when it comes to farmhouse design aesthetics.

A simply stated, unique, light fixture upgrade can draw attention and change the whole look of the room without breaking your budget, especially if paired with a new coat of paint.

 

Photo via Shades of Light

 

When it comes to the rustic look, black iron chandeliers paired with candle-type light fixtures or single hanging Edison lightbulbs surrounded by cages help to evoke a 1920’s vintage farmhouse feel, like the ones above, sold by online retailer Shades of Light.

Photo via Colby Construction/Pinterest
Photo via Colby Construction/Pinterest

Accessories work to pull together a country farmhouse style dining room as well. Everything from vintage bread boxes to checkered napkins can brighten up a country-style dining room. Aged wooden crates can be used as both accent pieces or as actual storage for linens or accessories.

If you’ve left your dining room to languish, now is the time to give it a fresh, clean rustic country makeover.

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