Small Dining Room Design Ideas

by Robin Anderson Real Estate 06/22/2025

Dining room decor can make a significant difference in your experience of the space. Whether you have an open floor plan dining room extending into the general living space or a formal, secluded room, choosing how to decorate is important. As with any room in the home, it's difficult to work with an especially small space. If you have a small dining room, here are some ideas for how to make the most of your decor:

Round Tables & Banquets

One excellent formula for solving a lack of space in a tiny dining room is to combine unexpected furniture shapes. For example, banquet seating against the wall works perfectly with a small round table. Create a corner “booth” and even add a second or third chair on the outside if there is space. This idea is excellent for small spaces and works well in traditional layout homes where using every corner counts.

Built-In Shelving

If you’re trying to make the best use of space in a small dining room, consider built-in shelves rather than cabinets or other storage. While sideboards and dish cupboards have excellent charm and traditional functionality, they take up previous floor space and can make it harder to maneuver within the room. Instead of using that floor space with furniture, put up floating shelves to store and display your favorite dining room decor.

Benches

Bench seating is not just for outdoor picnic tables. In fact, you can solve a surprising amount of space issues by using a simple bench rather than individual chairs. No matter what sort of dining room layout you’re working with, using a bench on one or more sides of the table is an excellent way to make the most of the space. Even better, if the bench is long enough for multiple people, you still get the same amount of seating than you would with chairs but with less hassle.

These are just a few ways to handle decorating a small dining room. Keep these ideas in mind when working on your design and you’ll find the best potential use of space.

About the Author
Author

Robin Anderson Real Estate

“My Passion is people and relationships and I promise to provide my clients with exceptional service tailored to their individual needs.” -Robin Anderson 

Georgia native, Robin Anderson brings her passion for people and her love of homes to work for her clients. She and her husband, Andy, have been married for over 30 years and have two adult children, Ellen and Drew. They currently live in Fulton County, but Robin has lived and invested in properties throughout metro Atlanta as well as helped clients buy and sell. She has been integral to many real estate endeavors including designing and building several custom homes, remodeling homes, subdividing land, managing rental properties, and buying and selling properties. She spent her first 3 years in real estate working with a new home builder, and she has spent the last 6 years working with buyers and sellers in her own community. Robin is highly motivated but sensitive to the fact that buying and selling homes can be an emotional experience, so she makes it a priority to keep clients closely informed throughout the process and strives to produce quick results. She appreciates the opportunity to help her clients navigate the real estate process, and she aspires to deliver quality customer service that is both informative and positive. She is driven to provide outstanding service for her clients and she is focused on building successful and lasting relationships with her clients. This personalized service earns her enthusiastic referrals from clients she is pleased to call friends.Edit

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