A while back, I published a post a lot of you found to be a helpful reference called The Real Cost of Decorating a Living Room. I broke down three different budgets and how that would apply to strictly furnishing and decorating a living room, excluding the cost of labor or renovations. Today I’m back with another one, but this time I’m breaking down the cost of furnishing a dining room.

The dining room is an important part of the house, as it’s where we gather with friends and family, especially on special occasions and holidays, but honestly, it’s likely not the most-used room in your home. While there are plenty of families that opt to use their dining room for all meals at home, most people I know eat at a more casual breakfast nook, kitchen island, or something similar on a daily basis. I love to make a statement with dining furniture because it’s not often used, but you pass by it frequently. I see it as an opportunity to make a design statement on something that isn’t the workhorse or as big a risk to ruin or need to replace.

The Dining Room Table

For the dining table, I prefer to get a more rustic or worn-looking top because it won’t be so precious and watermarks and scratches won’t be seen as flaws. I always suggest glass to my clients if they’re worried, as they’re always easy to clean, they go with many decor styles, can brighten up a room with their reflective surface, and are more resistant than you think.

Dining Chairs

When it comes to dining chairs, it depends on the set and table if I go with all matching or not. If it’s a more simplistic table, I think it’s fun to mix up captain chairs and end chairs.

Dining Room Rug

My number one rule with the dining room rug is making sure that there is space to pull out chairs and still have them land on the rug. This ensures you don’t have the rug flipping up when people move in and out of their chairs, it also means your rug is properly sized for the space.

Dining Room Accessories + Artwork

As for dining room accessories, I tend to keep it simple with a vessel for flowers to display when the table is not in use, and votives when using the table so you can see each other’s faces while seated.

Console Table or Bar Cart

A lot of new dining rooms are built with space in mind for console table or a bar cart. They can be a great option for storage and entertaining.

The Real Cost of Furnishing a Dining Room