The dining room is a gathering place to bring friends and families together to enjoy food and conversation. When choosing a dining room design you want to keep one thing in mind, practicality. Whether you are entertaining a lot of guest or just cooking for your family you want everything to function properly and be useful. Cooking and entertaining for a group of people can be a stressful job, so you want a dining room that will help you out, not make it harder.

Designing your dining room can be a challenge. Your first step is to determine the formality of the room. It can be a casual or formal dining room. This decision goes back to practicality. If you have 3 children all under the age of 5, you may want to go with something more casual, at least for the next couple years. If all your children are off at college you can go with something more formal.

Furniture - Finding the correct table and chairs is the first step as it will be the focal point in the room. The key question when making your decision is how many people you typically entertain. If you have a smaller family of four you can opt for a four person table and then use your leaf to extend the table to accommodate more guests. To round out the room, look for a hutch or server to store and showcase china and related dinnerware.

Paint - The meaning of color can play a big part here. You want to choose a color that stimulates your senses, not that soothes and relaxes them. Burnt oranges, rustic yellows and deep reds are colors that are said to awaken senses and stimulate appetite. For mahogany and cherry wood furniture, go with both burnt orange deep burgundy type reds. On the flipside, for lighter wood furniture such as pine or birch, consider going with a rustic yellow for a blended approach to avoid too much contrast.

The size of the room will definitely help dictate the color and the furniture choices. You want the choices to be to scale with the room. You do not want to put heavy dark furniture with dark wall colors and heavy drapes into a smaller space. It will make it look cluttered and overcrowded. You will want to put lighter feeling furniture and lighter color paint and drapes to make the room feel more open and inviting.

Lighting - Guests should have adequate light to appreciate the food without squinting, but the light should not be so harsh as to glare off a white tablecloth or dishes. Chandeliers are definitely a popular choice in dining rooms. You want the lighting to be able to set a mood, so consider a adding a dimmer switch to soften the glow.

Friends, family and food, what more can you ask for? Consider these elements when designing your dining room and you will surely impress. Now, get in the kitchen and start cooking up Mom's old beef tenderloin recipe for your guests to enjoy!