Boring Walls No More! 9 Dining Room Wall Decor Ideas You Will Love
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Can’t figure out what to do with your dining room walls? You’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’ll share 9 dining room wall decor ideas to help bring that wow factor to your space.
The dining room is often one of the first rooms a guest sees when they enter your home. But, because dining rooms come in all sorts of shapes and sizes they can be tricky to decorate.
Moreover, everyone has different needs and intentions for this space.
So I figured why not take a look at our dining room wall decor options.
Let’s get started.
1. Wallpaper
A classy, neutral patterned wall can add an upscale look to your dining room.
In the case of this dining room shared by Studio Munroe on Houzz, the transitional medium wood floor matches tastefully with the multicolored walls.
Some homeowners are intimidated by boldly patterned walls. But a choice like this with a muted color can bring something really special to your room.
Try to use inexpensive peel and stick wallpaper if possible. It’s easily changeable and you don’t have to hire a professional to install it.
2. Oversized Painting
A large painting in elegant framing can instantly elevate your dining room’s wall.
Large paintings that are appropriately scaled will help balance your space. A large table or buffet can create a lot of visual weight in a room. By introducing an oversized painting on your dining room walls you will help balance the overall look of the room.
Moreover, if you have an older dining table that you don’t want to be the focus of the room, a bold, large print will help draw one’s focus.
The Mill Valley Bungalow dining room shown below features a dark wood floor and gradient-themed painting can do wonders in the dining room.
The dark-colored painting matches fantastically with the black chairs, industrial chandelier, and sleek metal candlesticks.
Remember, a large painting doesn’t have to be loud. It can be a minimalist piece of artwork framed elegantly for a modern take on dining room walls.
If you’re having a hard time finding a large piece of artwork in your budget here’s what you can do.
Browse Etsy digital prints. The average cost for digital files is less than $20. For instance, you can get this gorgeous map of Philadelphia for less than $10! You can print up to 24” x 36” with this file. Then, look for a sleek, inexpensive poster frame like this one from Michael’s.
Altogether, this DIY method would cost you less than $50.
If you don’t want to print and frame artwork yourself, try Home Goods, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, Burlington, or At Home. All of these retailers carry large format canvas prints ranging from $60 – $200.
Finally, a third option is to opt for a series of 2 or 3 smaller pieces hung side by side.
3. Sculptural Art
Enhance the ambiance in your dining room through sculptural art on your dining room wall.
Sculptural art hung on the wall is a real conversation starter. The styles you’re most likely to find are carvings, modeling, casting, and constructing.
If your interior design theme is somewhat traditional, a piece of renaissance art would be the perfect choice to play up your design. If you love mid-century modern or contemporary, lean towards geometric or minimalist pieces.
My only caution with mounting sculptural pieces in your dining room is to make sure that your space is properly lit. Because we tend to set the mood with dim lights or a candle-lit table, you’re at risk for some funky shadows being cast on your wall from three-dimensional pieces. This can easily be avoided by installing picture lights like these from Amazon above your sculptural art.
4. Oversized Mirror
Mirrors have a way of making a space appear bigger. This is a visual trick that has been used in interior design for decades.
If you have a bare wall in your dining room, an oversized mirror is an excellent choice for decor. In this metropolitan-styled dining room below, the chandelier matches with the frame of the oversized mirror. And they both blend beautifully with the neutral tones of the tufted chairs, the natural stain of the dark wood of the floors, the dining table, and the dark brown curtains.
In the next example below, a set of three smaller mirrors are hung side by side. It helps to brighten up the space tremendously and the gorgeous frames complement the bright and airy color palette of the dining room.
5. Wainscoting
In a traditional dining room design, painted walls can seem a little boring. But, if you’re not into wallpaper, what’s the next best solution?
Wainscoting.
This is one of those dining room wall decor ideas that is often forgotten about. But, wainscoting has been around for centuries.
Traditionally, builders and homeowners installed wainscoting and chair rails to protect walls from chairs bumping into them as they’ve moved around. Other things like coats and backpacks can also scuff walls. That’s why you most often see wainscoting in kitchens, dining rooms, and entryways.
They are usually spotted in turn-of-the-century homes. It makes sense to have them in traditional dining rooms.
You can even DIY wainscoting yourself. Check out this post by House Mix for an easy DIY wainscoting method.
6. Wall Sconces
Gone are the days when people would rely on candles and torches to light up their interiors by hanging them on their walls.
But, while the need to do this is obsolete due to the invention of electricity, the desire to have soft lighting on our walls is still going strong.
Today, electric wall sconces come in all shapes and sizes and are great for creating a relaxed ambiance in a room.
In your dining room, try to coordinate your sconces with your chandelier.
Below is an example of a traditional dining room with a transitional flair. The sconces give off a warm, yellow light that mimics candlelight. It adds a romantic touch to the room and is one of my favorite dining room wall decor ideas.
7. Gallery Wall
A bare wall in your dining room is the perfect opportunity to show off a collection of artwork by creating a gallery.
You can display watercolor paintings, a dried flower collection, or even your favorite black and white photographs from your favorite travels.
The trick here is to use identical frames for each piece just like any curated gallery would. It would be better if they match the finishes of say, drawer handles, chandelier if you have any, and other details.
Alternatively, if you like a more eclectic look, you can vary your gallery wall frame sizes and styles.
And, as I mentioned above when we were discussing large-scale artwork. You can find collections of art suitable for framing from the Etsy digital downloads or even Amazon.
Then use inexpensive frames from Dollar Tree or Walmart to create your gallery wall. This method will save you a lot of money.
8. Paneling
Paneling is one of those dining room wall decor ideas that are versatile and can be styled to suit your design style.
For instance, a farmhouse interior style looks great with wide wall paneling.
A coastal home design looks great with a shiplap style paneling.
For contemporary design, a minimalist wide paneling in dark wall color can serve as an accent wall against a bright and airy dining room.
There are geometric and textured wall panel options along with backlit wall paneling as well.
The list goes on and on. Pretty much no matter what your design style, you can make paneling work for you.
9. Mural
Lastly, if you really want to make a big statement with your dining room wall, go for a mural.
A mural covers an entire wall from top to bottom.
Murals are not new among dining rooms. Traditional interiors have integrated murals in landscapes and natural themes to make quite an impression on guests.
However, the way in which we approach installing wall murals has changed quite a bit since the popularization of peel and stick wall decor.
Peel and stick murals are available at Walmart, Amazon, and Wayfair. They work just like the self-adhesive wall decals we see used to decorate a kids’ bedroom.
They’re affordable and can be installed solo since they’re often cut into multiple panels for easy installation. With a little patience, you’ll have a showstopping dining room wall in no time.
Conclusion
I hope you found these 9 dining room wall decor ideas helpful. A beautiful room doesn’t have to be out of reach just because you’re decorating on a tight budget.
Give your intimate dining space some character by implementing one of these ideas to decorate your blank walls.
If you enjoyed this post, here are a few others that you may also like…
- How To Fill Your Blank Walls
- The Ins and Outs of Gallery Walls
- 7 Swoon-worthy Dining Room Designs
- Glam It Up! How to Create a Glamorous Dining Room Design
Finally, don’t forget to join the mailing list before you go. I’ll send you a copy of my weekly newsletter filled with weekend reads, decorating inspiration, and the latest deals on home decor.
By Dianne Decor
