If you're lucky enough to have one on your floor plan, the dining room can be the crown jewel of the home. Unlike the kitchen counter, which tends to get crowded with, well, stuff, or the living room that needs constant vacuuming touch-ups, the dining room gets to exist in an idyllic in-between state—plates set, tapers standing at the ready, surfaces clear.

As nice as it is to catch a glimpse of a more glamorous, pulled-together version of your home, that's not really what dining rooms are for. They're meant to be used—for entertaining neighbors, dining with friends, and welcoming family. This is why we find ourselves favoring more modern, effortless designs when it comes to dining rooms lately.

Modern design fits perfectly with a dining room, according to writer Sarah Zlotnick. "Because dining rooms aren’t always regularly used in a home, they’re a great opportunity to step out of your design comfort zone," she says. "You can be bolder with your choices because you won’t have to look at them all the time—and being bold is a crucial part of modern style. Dining rooms are where we entertain guests, so you want to invoke curiosity. Discussing décor is the perfect way to kick off an evening of dinner conversation."

01 Create a Modern Mix

This dining room just goes to show that achieving a chic, modern vibe can be subtle, too. In place of a traditional matching set of 6 dining chairs, this design substitutes in a long bench with playful patterned pillows at one side.

This dining room embraces a less formal setup and the home embraces an open floor plan, which adds to the character of the dining room. "When all of your living spaces are visible at once, you want them all to feel cohesive," Zlotnick explains. "That generally rules out the option of having a dining area that feels separate, distinct, and too formal to get regular use."

02 Embrace Black Paint

Because it’s typically not one of the regularly used rooms of the house, a dining room is a perfect opportunity to get a little more daring with your design choices. Black wainscoting is a chic way to bring the drama, especially when paired with moody floral wallpaper and plenty of natural light. 

03 Keep It Open and Airy

In a picturesque, windowed room like this, taking a modern and sleek approach to designing a dining room is a no-brainer. Natural materials and muted tones take center stage here, echoing the landscape outside and infusing the space with a feeling of calm that's welcoming and casual, not stuffy.

04 Replace Your Rectangular Table

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Round dining tables are quickly replacing large rectangular ones as a go-to, and we're fully on board. Not only are round tables better adapted to uniquely shaped spaces, but we think they make for better conversation, too. This modern option balances sleek lines with cozy warmth, topping Eames-style chairs with soft sheepskin throws. But the piece de resistence is the light fixture, which is a true showstopper.

05 Add a Mirror

Want to help a small dining room feel larger? In lieu of an art piece, adorn the wall above your credenza with an oversized mirror. In addition to the reflection giving the illusion of more space, it’ll also bounce light from outside and make the room feel brighter. This means: your dining room can be just as much a spot for a casual breakfast as it is for special occasion suppers.

06 Add Colorful Characteristics

On the flip-side, this space is made for maximalists. Personality drips from the walls here, showing off an eclectic art collection and a similar array of seating options, from oversized upholstered chairs to bright coral-hued bamboo styles. A few midcentury touches in the form of lighting bring the whole space together, creating an effect that's doubtless as unique as the homeowner who lives here.

07 Try "Scandifornian" Supper

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For those without a dedicated space, turning an eat-in kitchen into a sort of de facto dining area can be a clever solution—and one that dispenses with the unnecessary formality of a room you'll only use a few times a year. This design is a great example of how to define the space using art and accessories, and our perennial favorite seating option, the banquette, makes another appearance, creating a family-friendly option that houseguests will come to love, too.

08 Add DIY Touches

“My family and I spend a lot of time in our dining room, and I wanted my kids to feel like they were at home,” designer Cachet Adams of Cachet Demain Interiors says. To that end, she hand-painted the accent wall, which was “a tedious undertaking, but cost-effective compared to wallpaper."

She also recovered the vintage mid-century chairs in mud cloth, and used a wooden frame found on Facebook Marketplace to highlight a beloved Josephine Baker print. The resulting look: a homey, ultra-personalized space to match the vibrancy of the family occupying it.