These days, our dining rooms are seeing a lot of action, functioning as a workspace and a place for meals every day. As we continue to spend more time at home, now more than ever an organized and clutter-free modern dining space is essential.
Consider the minimalist dining room. Grounded in minimalist furnishings, simple accents, and neutral colors, the look is just what we all need—less stuff, more space. While the minimalist interior design aesthetic can often range from clean-lined to totally spare, we’re fans of both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. Which means we believe that you can have comfortable furnishings and a pared-down space without going the empty room route.
It’s about mixing together a streamlined wood dining table with cool Mid-Century chairs, hanging a contemporary and design-forward light fixture while keeping your white walls bare, or keeping everything in the room neutral with the exception of a textured natural-fiber rug that has a captivating geometric pattern.
If you love the idea of a minimalist dining room but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. Read on for 8 things to keep in mind to bring the look home.
1. Clear Out Clutter
Following the “less is more” mantra, your minimalist dining area should be about having the right foundation pieces and free of clutter. Fewer furnishings also leaves you more walk-around room and makes the space easier to clean and maintain.
The Design Essentials: Minimal dining table with clean lines. Mid-Century style chairs that are open and airy. A sculptural modern chandelier that reflects the streamlined shape of the table.
2. Stay Neutral
A neutral palette is essential for capturing the minimalist look. In a minimalist dining room, that means crisp neutrals, like ivory, charcoal, and light-wood tones, or a monochrome black-and-white palette. The idea is to pull back on color so that furniture forms do the talking.
The Design Essentials: Modern light-wood dining table that blends into the room. Contemporary upholstered dining chairs in white or beige tones. Large-scale abstract art in black-and-white.
3. Opt for Streamlined Forms
Minimalist dining rooms are frill-free, which means that in addition to zero clutter these spaces feature streamlined minimalist furniture that have strong lines. So skip designs with lots of ornamentation. Think a smooth white cylindrical vase with a gunmetal grey rectangular mirror.
The Design Essentials: Streamlined and minimalist dining table with a cool silhouette. Slim open console shelf with bold lines. Modern neutral striped rug that directs focus to the dining area.
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4. Play Up Symmetry
With dining rooms, symmetry is key for a sense of balance and cohesiveness. It’s even more important in a minimalist space where there aren’t a lot of accents. Focus on your layout and arranging your table, chairs, and art to appear intentionally, and evenly, put in place.
The Design Essentials: Modern dining table that has a sturdy base. A set of six or eight chairs that fit snugly along the table. Striped or natural-fiber rug that centers the dining space.
5. Have Lots of Natural Materials
Minimalist interior design isn’t limited to white rooms and spare furnishings. To warm up a minimalist dining room, natural materials and textures will keep your space from feeling flat and boring. Lean into pieces that show natural wood grains, nubby rugs, and woven details. See it as adding more without adding more clutter.
The Design Essentials: Hefty wood dining table with visible graining. Patterned natural-fiber rug. Wood-and-woven-fiber cupboard with strong visual texturing.
6. Embrace Negative Space
In a minimalist dining area, it’s okay to have empty walls. Instead, style your surfaces with a few curated accents, like a sculptural vase, vessel or object. A good minimalist decor approach is to style as you normally would, then remove half the items. This will highlight the beauty of the pieces you keep.
The Design Essentials: A selection of vases and bowls that have captivating modern forms. Woven chair that can draw attention to a corner. A cool contemporary pendant that stands in for a work of art.
7. Play With Geometry
Similar to natural materials, your minimalist dining area can benefit from geometric designs and shapes. Here, the furnishings all have beautiful sculptural forms but are also practical for the overall space. Remember form follows function!
The Design Essentials: Linear carved wood dining table with rectangular cutouts. Large round steel mirror and industrial pendant lamp that add visual interest. Wishbone chairs and wiry barstools that are comfy and eye-catching.
8. Amplify Contrast
In addition to textures and shapes, minimalist dining rooms are all about contrast. It’s what brings the space to life. Mix light and dark hues, bold and soft materials, rectangular and round shapes, hard and smooth surfaces. Just be sure you stay with your minimalist neutral palette.
The Design Essentials: Dark-metal minimalist dining chairs. Subtly patterned textiles featuring modern motifs. A bold-color wall that’s balanced with decor in crisp white and black tones.
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