32 Small Dining Room Ideas with Big Style

Eat-In Kitchen Dining Room

If you're in need of extra seating in a tight space, swap the common square table design for a circle-shaped table. Without four getting in the way, you'll be free to comfortably fit more chairs.

Corner Banquette

One of the best space-saving ways to create a dining area is to install a corner banquette off of the kitchen for a breakfast nook. And the best part is if done correctly, your breakfast nook bench can double as extra storage underneath. Dress it up with pillows and a comfy cushion and you'll be sure to enjoy this space morning, afternoon, and night.

Bench Seating

If you don't have an entire corner to spare, you can opt for a single banquette to fake a kitchen nook for morning cappuccinos. To save space, push a bench up against a wall and hang a cushion back using a curtain rod and hanging pillows.

Kitchen Island Dining Table

If you end up eating your meals in the kitchen anyway, we recommend making your small space multifunctional with a large farm table that can be used as an island and a dining table with the addition of stools.

Airstream Dining Area

This stylish Airstream is proof that you can fit a dining room in even the smallest of spaces. The brown leather bench seating is the perfect place to curl up with a good book on a rainy afternoon, and the tiny table makes for a cozy breakfast, lunch, and dinner nook.

Dining Table for Two

Just because you're working with a small dining space, doesn't mean this nook doesn't deserve the attention you'd give the larger rooms in your home. After looking through a list of the best places to buy dining room furniture, consider that stylish touches like a bold paint color, gallery wall setup, a centerpiece, and hanging greenery will make your tiny dining room look and feel like a significant space.

Dining Room Lighting

Sometimes the most difficult part about carving a dining room out of limited square footage is establishing it as its own space. Hanging a statement pendant directly over your dining table will quite literally give it the spotlight it deserves. Doing so will create a much-needed separation from other areas, making it an established space with its own purpose.

Living Room Dining Corner

If you have a single room to work with, who said you can't create two rooms in one? Position a rug in the living room and use the negative space as the perfect placement for your dining area. All you really need is a spare corner to sit and enjoy your meals.

Eat-In Kitchen Dining Table

The truth is, you really don't even need a designated dining area to enjoy your favorite meals. Instead of designing a separate dining room, enjoy the perks of a larger kitchen when you take up unclaimed counter space.

However, if you like putting labels on things, push a table up against the island for a casual dining area that feels less like a cooking space.

Solo Dining Table

Rather than positioning a setup in the middle of the room, pushing a squared dining table up against a window or wall is the quickest way to save space.

Plus, if you have a free window in your apartment, you'll love the feeling of enjoying your morning coffee, while soaking in the views. And the best part is you can pull the table out when you're entertaining and scoot it back in after they leave to maximize your small space.

Wall-Mounted Dining Table

There's no space too small to establish a formal dining space. This tiny apartment proves you don't even need room for the legs on a table. Mount a tiny table onto an empty wall for a floating breakfast (and lunch, and dinner) nook that barely takes up any space at all.

Minimalist Dining Room

Sometimes the best approach for combating minimal space is to work with an equally minimal color palette. Incorporating bright whites and natural decor accents will give the illusion of a larger room. Looking at this light and airy dining room, you wouldn't even notice that it's lacking in space.

Small Dining Table Stools

Bulky furniture will always make a small space feel even smaller. When designing your small dining room, opt for minimal stools without arms to save space.

Pair your stools with a dining table that mimics the same minimal design to give the illusion of a larger, airier space.

Open-Concept Dining Room

If you have even the slightest bit of extra space between your open-concept kitchen and living room, set up a small dining room area.

Establish a clear separation between your tiny dining room, your living room, and your kitchen by positioning your table and chairs on a rug and hanging a pendant light or chandelier above.

Dining Room Divider

If you're working with a studio apartment or a small open concept layout, a bookcase or modular shelving double duties as a cute breakfast nook, while also creating added storage. It's a win-win, especially in a place where storage is of the essence.

Bistro Table and Chairs

The smallest table with the biggest impact is none other than the French-style bistro table. This minimal black table with a marble top feels modern and will make your kitchen the most Instagrammable spot in town. And if you didn't believe you could comfortably fit three chairs at it, here's photographic proof.

Breakfast Bar Counter

No matter how small your apartment is, there's always room for a place to enjoy a meal with family and friends. If you have an empty wall, you have the space to mount a shelf that doubles as a breakfast bar. Pull up some stools and you've got yourself a 24-hour space to dine.

Outdoor Dining Room

If you don't have space for an indoor dining area, don't force it. Instead, take it outdoors for a roomier al fresco dining experience. A formal table and even a hanging pendant light will make it feel comfortable and homey.

Dining Room Wallpaper

Accent wallpaper adds visual interest to a small dining room or the dining corner of an eat-in kitchen. Adding additional focal points throughout the room, like brightly colored chairs, a shiny backsplash, hanging pendant light, and honeycomb tile floors, create the illusion of a larger space.

Dining Room Mirror Wall

No matter how small (or big) a space is, it can always benefit from a large wall mirror. The reflection instantly creates the illusion that any room is larger than it really is. We also love how the mirrored pendant lamps in this small dining room add even more sparkle.

Dining Room Paint Colors

High-contrast designs have a way of making any space feel bigger. This deep navy shade on the walls, paired with bright whites and black accents make this small dining room feel like a quiet space at the back of a trendy restaurant.

Small Square Dining Table

With the right color combo and a built-in nook with a space-saving square table, this mint-colored breakfast bistro and checkered floor setup doesn't even feel small. This cute retro-inspired kitchen proves the quality of style always reigns supreme over the quantity of a space.

Boho-Style Dining Area

Clean lines and minimal decor will always leave more room for negative space. The more negative space, the bigger any room will appear. This small boho-style dining area feels modern and makes for the perfect place to have a cocktail after work.

Small Breakfast Nook

This stylish breakfast nook checks all the small-space decorating boxes. The corner bench seating along the wall, a round table, dedicated overhead lighting—it all works together to make the most of the limited square footage.

Drop-Leaf Dining Table

Save space in a small dining room with a drop-leaf table. In this London flat, Emilie Fournet Interiors pushed a round midcentury modern drop-leaf table up against the wall for everyday use that can be pulled out when friends come around for dinner.

Built-In Banquette

Built-in banquette seating will give your small dining room the feel of a bistro. Opt for a single banquette or a cozy corner banquette like this one from Emily Henderson Design depending on the layout of your space.

Small Apartment Dining Room

Create the feel of a built-in banquette in a small apartment dining room with freestanding furniture that you can take with you when you move.

Interior designer Alvin Wayne gave this compact New York City dining room feel luxurious with an upholstered banquette in a rich shade of olive green that complements dark wood furniture and tropical wallpaper in earth-tone colors.

Swap Chairs for a Bench

Swap chairs on one side of a rectangular dining table in a smaller space with a simple wooden bench to cut down on visual clutter and preserve flow.

Desiree Burns Interiors chose a bench that matches the warm wood table, and anchored the space with a modern pendant light swagged over the center with a colorful chunky chain.

Apartment Dining Alcove

Transform an alcove into a mini dining room to create a dedicated place for sit-down meals in an open-plan apartment. Interior designer Alvin Wayne painted this New York City dining nook in a contrasting dark green to define the space.

Small Formal Dining Room

If you live in an older or traditional home with a small formal dining room, turn it into a cozy spot for family meals.

Sarah & Sons Interiors painted this compact dining room in a soothing shade of blue and furnished it with a mix of modern and antique furniture and decor, from the round dark wood round table to the gold-toned pendant light.

Small Glass Dining Table

When shopping for dining room furniture, consider choosing a glass-topped table that will create a light and airy feeling in a small space. Interior designer Alvin Wayne paired a round glass table with high-backed upholstered modern chairs in this open-plan New York City apartment dining room.

Rectangular Dining Table

Push a rectangular table against the wall to preserve flow in a smaller dining room when it's just the two of you. Decorate the table with a vase of flowers, a footed fruit bowl and a pair of candlesticks, and hang a gallery wall above to anchor a cozy dining space that can accommodate more people when necessary by pulling the table into the center of the room.