With the unexpected advent of COVID-19 upsetting the balance between work and home life, our perception of the “ideal home” has begun to change. Fall and Winter 2020 design trends — and those expected throughout 2021 — have reflected this shift.
This year has exposed the dining room as one of the most versatile and transitional spaces in our homes. Dining rooms have transformed from places to eat and socialize to Zoom classrooms, conference rooms and office cubicles. While early 2020 predictions pointed towards dining rooms focusing more on entertainment and large-scale socializing, designers have pared back this expectation.
As we round the corner into 2021, designers have begun releasing trend predictions. These predictions better reflect the shift towards intimacy and home health this year. Organic colors and natural materials will rule 2021 as they did in 2020. In 2021, the “organics trend” will likely see a turn towards luxury and Maximalism, leaving behind the Scanidnavian Minimalism of 2020. Designers predict that dining spaces will focus more on togetherness than on formality in the new year. Follow below for five modern dining room ideas that capture 2021 interior trends.
With many bars, restaurants and hotels closed, homeowners are expected to seek opulence in their own homes rather than scratching that itch elsewhere. An In Decor Trends article entitled “2021 Trends and Colors” predicts a return to Art Deco furnishings and home decor. The article notes that the “elegant Art Deco style will...occupy a leading position in the field of elite design” in 2021. This rich period of pre-modernism design boasted dark stained and ebonized wood, rich jewel tones, luxurious textures and reflective metals. The site expects the “unusual and catchy finish, juicy, rich colors and natural materials” of the Art Deco period in 2021. In fact, they are anticipated to “become necessary elements” in dining rooms around the country.
In her article “Top Interior Designers Predict The Biggest Color Trends for 2021” for Veranda, interiors writer Lauren Wicks echoes this prediction. Wicks writes that the jewel tones of the Art Deco period -- emerald green, sapphire blue and amethyst purple -- will make a huge comeback. Quoting Allison Caccoma, Wicks writes that “given the amount of unexpected time we have all spent in our homes this year...2021 will be all about refreshing and reinvigorating color.” Caccoma chocks this up to "our need for finding feel-good happiness." “Jewel tone colors...and vivid palettes” will grace dining and living rooms around the nation next year. They will all do so with the goal of “creat[ing] a visually stimulating home.”
On the other hand, sunny, optimistic colors are also expected to take hold in dining room decor throughout 2021. Interestingly, this trend will arise for much the same reason as the opulent jewel tones referred to above. Homeowners are searching for “feel-good happiness” and choosing to express that optimism with bright but soothing color schemes. They might also be looking to create a getaway at home -- an antidote to the sadness wrought by lack of travel in 2020. Colors evoking destinations like sun-soaked, sandy beaches will be everywhere in dining rooms in 2021. Designer Lauren Lowe -- interviewed by Lauren Wicks for Veranda -- expects to see a number of “sunny hues” in dining rooms next year.
She notes that designers and consumers have “been gravitating towards a lot of yellows.” Muted, soft yellows are expected in dining spaces, paired with “blues, ochre, mustard and earthy tones.” To complement the sunny hues anticipated by Lowe and Wicks, Jennifer Ebert recommends turning towards “aqua and inky blues” next year. In her article “Interior Design Trends 2021” for Homes & Gardens, Ebert writes that these “calm, contemporary” shades capture “relaxing poolsides and beach getaways." Referencing Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2021 -- Aegean Teal -- Ebert anticipates a “shift towards tranquil, yet modern” dining spaces. She hopes that these dining spaces will offer “peace, calm and comfort" to their users.
2021 interiors will experience a renewal of the organic colors and natural materials trends of 2020. One key difference will emerge in the new year: indulgence in a more opulent, luxurious side of the two trends. Organic dining rooms will shift from the simple, minimalistic style of Scandinavian design to more complex, ornate programs. While vitality and freshness will be top of mind, 2021 dining rooms will include more textural and material variety. This will mean adding marble, stone, velvet and suede alongside the typical rattan and unbleached linen of years past. A recent Wall Sauce article entitled “Interior Design Trends 2021 notes we can expect continued “use of organic materials and vegetable-based fibers.” The new year will also see the concept “evolve from just wicker and rattan to natural silk upholsteries, hemp curtains and even cork walls.” Our definition of “natural interiors” has expanded to become more inclusive of luxury fabrics, expensive crystals and hammered metals. The Wall Sauce article notes that designers are expected to turn towards sustainable, organic materials. These materials should simultaneously offer an organic atmosphere and “rich textural expression.”
2021 dining rooms will be more opulent and exciting. On the other hand, they will also reflect the desire for increased home health that emerged in 2020 in light of the pandemic. Because interactions with nature have proven to improve mental and physical wellness, homeowners are expected to continue including the two in dining spaces. The application of both foliage-printed and textured grasscloth wallpaper are anticipated in formal dining spaces -- as are living walls. The E Decor Trends article “New Dining Room...Decor Trends” lists living walls as “one of [their] favorite ways to decorate a dining room wall." The article notes this is "perhaps because it’s difficult to create, but above all because it gives a unique, fresh spirit and vitality.” Green walls offer many benefits, the article notes, from “air purification” to “the incredible aesthetics of a fresh green wall in your design montage.”
One might imagine that with families cooped up inside for months on end, homeowners and designers would turn towards more individualistic design in 2021. The opposite has proven true. Consumers and designers alike are putting their weight behind the intimate dining trend, choosing benches and banquettes instead of standalone chairs. Unexpectedly, families are still looking for intimate dining spaces where siblings and parents can crowd together and enjoy daily or holiday meals. The 2021 bench dining room furniture trend is a continuation of a 2020 trend. Adding benches to your dining room offers significantly more seating than does a set of chairs, which are somewhat restrictive. They are also incredibly versatile and reflect a number of other 2021 interiors trends. These trends include the “Rustic Vogue” and “Wood Finishes” trends predicted by Homes & Gardens. Other trends include the “Loss of Formality” trend expected by My Decor Trends.
According to the article “Best Dining Room Trends 2021” from My Decor Trends, benches are ideal for modern dining rooms. This is because they “not only...bring in more seating space, but they look sleek.” They create a “distinctive inviting atmosphere which transfers to the entire” home, making it “much more welcoming” overall. My Decor Trends expects benches to be most common in “Farmhouse or Rustic Style” dining rooms throughout the new year. If “Rustic” is not in your wheelhouse, British furniture company Modish Living notes you need not be kept from capitalizing on the bench trend. In their blog post “Why is a dining bench a key trend?,” the company explains that “there are many different styles to choose from.” These include the typical farmhouse styles but also “Scandi inspired designs...chunky industrial bench[es]” or “elegant gold or silver legged velvet upholstered” benches. No matter your personal aesthetic, the bench dining room trend is achievable.
The HGTV article “Biggest Home Design Trends for 2021” references the search for versatile pieces that can be used in a variety of ways. This includes everything from furniture -- accent chairs and tables -- to storage. The article explains that -- with many transitioning to remote work -- “this year has made many of us rethink how we use our rooms.” We are spending most of our waking hours at home now and are mixing home and work life more seamlessly after months of adjustment. As such, the article explains, it “makes less sense to dedicate whole rooms to just one purpose -- especially in smaller spaces.” Given the growing desire to make spaces more multi-functional, “creative storage and design solutions to help dining rooms...double up as home offices and workspaces” are expected to be huge in 2021.
YumanMod Alma Natural Italian Walnut Buffet
This shift away from formal dining rooms and towards multi-use space has been one in the making for the last few years. In her 2017 article “Dinner is not served” for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nancy Herrick wrote that many homeowners rejected “formal dining spaces.” They were in search of spaces they could use “for homework, craft projects or working on a laptop” in addition to sharing meals. HGTV recommends adapting your dining room for work and post-work activities by adding “hanging storage.” You might consider swapping out dining chairs for more ergonomically correct accent chairs that keep you comfortable during the eight-hour workday. Consider a few of our picks -- shown above.
By replicating these five design trends in your modern dining room, you will be sure to impress guests and calm residents day and night!
