Your vacation rental dining room shouldn’t be an afterthought. After all, this is where your guests will gather for meals, plan their days, gather to play cards, and maybe get a little work done. And don’t forget, potential guests will be checking out the photos of your dining room to make sure everyone will be able to sit comfortably, so you’d better make sure it looks inviting.
Whether you’re just starting out or need some new ideas, here are a few tips and tricks to help you create a functional and stunning vacation rental dining room.
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Vacation Rental Dining Room Layout
If possible, you’ll want to figure out your furniture plan before you buy any dining room furniture. The size and shape of your dining table and chairs will depend on the size and shape of your dining room, the maximum number of guests you’ll permit, and the style you’re going for.
What Size and Shape Dining Table Works Best?
For space planning, consider that you’ll need to allow a minimum of three feet between the table and the wall, but four feet would be better. That gives you enough room for a chair to comfortably slide back without hitting a wall or a person trying to walk behind it.
Rectangular tables are typically 36-51 inches wide. Some are as narrow as 30”, but 36” is more comfortable.
To figure out how many people a table will seat, allow 24” for each person, but keep in mind that you’ll have less room if you choose a table that has legs at the corners rather than a pedestal base. At a glance:
Rectangular Tables 36"44" wide:
Round Tables
60″-72″ table seats 6
75″-84″ table seats 8
88″-108″ table seats 10
120″ table seats 12
144″ table seats 14
42″ diameter table seats 4
48″ diameter table seats 4-5
54″ diameter table seats 6-7
60″ diameter table seats 6-8
72″ diameter table seats 9-10
84″ diameter table seats 10-11
Extension tables are an option, but keep in mind that you’ll probably want the table set for your maximum number of guests all the time rather than expecting your guests to reconfigure the table as needed.
Do You Need Storage Furniture?
Whether to add a buffet, sideboard, or bar to your dining room depends on whether you need it and whether you have the space for it. The same rule applies to storage furniture as the walls: your table should have 3-4 feet of space between it and the furniture.
If you add one of these pieces of furniture be sure to use it for storing items that will make sense for your guests, like serving platters and utensils, extra dishes, or table linens.
China cabinets are usually unnecessary in a vacation rental but you can certainly add one if you have the room and an interesting collection to display.
As you figure out your furniture plan, make sure to keep a clear path from the kitchen to the dining area.
Vacation Rental Dining Room Furniture
The type of furniture you choose for your dining room will also be determined by the size of the room and the style of your rental, but if you want the room to look chic, avoid buying matching sets of tables, chairs, and storage furniture. Think contrast instead, such as painted chairs with a stained wood table, upholstered chairs with a stone tabletop, or light-colored rattan chairs with dark wood. If your chairs have wood legs they should match the table (if it’s wood).
For tables, keep in mind that a pedestal-type base (rather than a table with legs) will allow more guests when space is at a premium.
Here’s the rundown on tables.
Wood table tops are a popular choice, but they can be difficult to maintain. Look for a sealed solid wood table top (vs. a veneer) and plan to keep sturdy placemats on it as a not-so-subtle hint for your guests to use them. You can even have a piece of glass cut to protect your wood table, but that can be impractical if your table is large.
Glass table tops are probably the easiest to maintain although they don’t work for every design plan.
Porcelain or quartz table tops are an easy-to-maintain substitute for marble. These are usually found on higher-end furniture, like these very customizable tables from Room and Board.
Marble table tops are still popular, but they can be tricky to maintain. Marble and travertine can be very susceptible to acids and can be etched and stained by spills and even water rings. Be sure to thoroughly seal a real marble or travertine table top.
Concrete tables might seem like the most durable choice of all, but they are susceptible to chipping at the corners and they should be sealed or waxed to prevent stains.
Painted/Lacquered tops can be a durable choice, but it all depends on how they were finished. Be sure to ask questions if possible..
- Chandelier 2. Sconce (sold out) 3. Art 4. Table 5. Chair 6. Faux flowers
Now, about chairs.
Keep in mind that guests of all sizes will be sitting around your dining table, and they might be engaging in bad behavior, like tilting chairs onto their back legs. You don’t have to choose expensive chairs, but you do need to make sure they’re sturdy.
One way to check for sturdiness when you’re shopping online is to look for chairs that are recommended for commercial settings since these will be subject to the same variety of people as your vacation rental chairs. Some of these have weight limits listed. A weight limit of 250 pounds or above is a good thing to aim for, but take that rating with a grain of salt as the way chairs are tested isn’t really consistent with the way people actually use chairs. Consider it “good to know” rather than essential information.
You can use either side chairs (no arms), or armchairs (also called Captain’s chairs). If you choose armchairs, make sure the arm height will slide under the table with some room to spare.
Do your chairs even have to match? No! If mismatched chairs work with your design plan, go for it. Just stick with one type of chair (all wood or all upholstered, for example) and make sure the overall heights and seat heights are the same or similar.
Upholstered chairs may seem a bit scary, but they’re doable in a vacation rental as long as they’re made with performance fabrics or treated to resist stains. Light-colored fabrics are okay – if they’re stain-resistant – but even then you will likely need to have them cleaned more frequently than darker colors. For frame construction, see the notes about wood chairs below.
Leather or faux leather chairs can be a very durable option. As with sofas, make sure the leather is full-grain, top-grain, or embossed-grain, and avoid bonded leather. Know that “genuine leather” means nothing. Faux leather can be a good choice, too, if the quality is decent. Inexpensive faux leather can be quite thin and tear easily.
Wood chairs are easy to find and can be a lovely choice. For maximum sturdiness, look for chairs made of hardwood with corner blocks (finger-jointed corner blocks are best). If you can find chairs with mortise and tenon construction (it will be in the description, you can’t tell from looking), you’ll have found some very sturdy chairs.
Metal chairs and metal chair frames can be a great, sturdy choice. You’ll probably want to make bare metal more comfortable with cushions. Look for powder-coated vs. painted finishes if you want something colorful.
Plastic and faux rattan can look great inside as well as outdoors. If possible, try to see these in person before ordering to make sure they can pass for indoor furniture.
Benches and banquettes can be a great alternative to dining chairs. Depending on their length, they usually take the place of two or three chairs. Keep in mind that benches aren’t always the most comfortable option for adults, as they can be awkward to get in and out of, and heavy to pull away from the table. If your guests tend to be families with small children, a bench on one side of the table can be a good way to go. If you host mainly older adults, it’s probably best to skip it.
Don’t forget the outdoor section when you’re shopping for both tables and chairs. The trend of living room-style outdoor furniture has opened up a whole new source for attractive, sturdy dining furniture.
Psst…in a hurry? Here are a few ideas on how to quickly find furniture for your rental when nothing’s in stock!
Vacation Rental Dining Room Lighting
Lighting is an essential aspect of any room, but it’s especially important in the dining room as this is where guests will be spending a lot of their time eating and socializing. If possible, you’ll want your dining room lighting to be warm and cozy, but if it’s part of an open-plan area the light color should match the rest of the lighting.
Typically you’ll want a decorative overhead light over your table, either a pendant or a chandelier. For a long table, you can hang two or even three fixtures. To figure out what size chandelier or pendant to choose, there are a few general guidelines:
Height: Fixtures should hang with the bottom 30-36” above the dining table. Most tables are about 30” high, so that means the bottom of the fixture will be about 5 feet from the floor. Allow about 1 foot for the canopy and chain, downrod, or cord. So, in a room with 8-foot ceilings, you would have two feet left for the fixture height, which means you’ll look for a fixture height of 24” tall or less.
Width/Diameter: As a general rule, chandeliers or pendants should be at least half the width of the table but no more than 1 foot smaller than the width. So, for a table that’s 40” wide, your light should be at least 20” but no more than 28” wide. You can go a little bigger for a round table or if you have high ceilings. If you’re using a bigger fixture and you have high ceilings you should hang the fixture higher than 30” above the table.
Tricky lighting situations in the dining room
If the junction box on the ceiling isn’t in the right spot, or you don’t have one at all, you can swag the cord/chain or use a plug-in fixture and arrange the cord so it isn’t easily pulled loose.
Image: dig and mig. | Via: my paradissi
Image: Factory Hardware Store
Image: Space Exploration Design | Via: Clever
If you don’t have a ceiling junction and an exposed cord just doesn’t work for your aesthetic, you’ve got options. Think about:
An arcing floor lamp. Best if you can place it so that it won’t be behind any chairs.
A sconce or sconces with long arms. Mount them high enough that people won’t walk into them.
If possible, dining rooms can also benefit from added light from wall sconces or small table lamps if you’re planning to include a sideboard. Look for “buffet lamps” or “mini lamps”
Can’t afford expensive art and don’t know how to add style to your vacation rental on the cheap? Check out these tips!
- Chandelier 2. Wallpaper 3. Mirror 4. Table lamp 5. Table 6. Chair
Vacation Rental Dining Room Rugs – Yes or No?
Before you gasp “h-e-double-hockey sticks no!” at the question of whether to add a rug to your dining room, hear me out.
Rugs in the dining room can serve a couple of purposes. They help anchor the space, especially in an open-plan room, and they can add contrast to what might otherwise be a wood table and wood chair legs on a wood floor. They can also help protect floors from chairs being dragged back and forth.
Of course, rugs and rooms with food and drinks may not be the best combo. For a dining room rug, look for something with low or no nap (meaning flat-weave rather than fluffy). Nylon and wool are the most cleanable, while polyester/polypropylene are a low-cost and easy-to-clean choice.
Polypropylene rugs are usually outdoor, or Indoor-outdoor. For natural fibers, seagrass is nearly indestructible.
You can also use a washable rug, from a company like Ruggaable (I have this one in my office right now).
With washable rugs, keep in mind that dining room rugs need to be large so that chairs aren’t hanging halfway off them, and washable rugs aren’t practical (or available) in sizes larger than 8×10. Consider, also, that the furniture will have to be moved around to get the rug up and into the washer – a no-go if you have a heavy table.
If you can find a pattern that you like, I like carpet tiles from Flor. They’re made of nylon fibers, and when one gets dirty you can just remove that tile and wash it in the sink. (Pro tip: always cut the stickers that hold the tiles together rather than peeling them when you remove a tile. The stickers get more and more bonded over time and can tear the tile if you pull it up wrong.)
To determine the size of a dining room rug, add at least four feet to the size of your table two feet around each side). So, for a 3-foot x 7-foot table, you would need at least a 7-foot by 11-foot rug. You can make it a little shorter than 11 feet if you don’t have chairs on the short sides. For a round table, a square rug is usually best.
Vacation Rental Dining Room Linens and Amenities
No matter what style of dining room furniture you end up with, you’ll want to protect it.
I like to leave sturdy place mats on the table all the time to encourage their use, and you can use them to add some personality. Just make sure your housekeepers keep them clean and let you know when it’s time to replace them.
You can also provide tablecloths and cloth napkins to your guests, but be sure to check in with your housekeeper to make sure they can handle the extra laundry if they actually get used. If you want to have a tablecloth as part of your normal guest set-up, you may want to put a heat-proof, spill-proof liner underneath it.
A tablecloth alternative is a table runner. Be sure to choose something sturdy enough to guard your furniture against hot dishes. If you have a long table, you can sew two runners together.
A centerpiece isn’t a necessity, but it can be a good way to add style to your vacation rental – and vacation rental photos. If you’re using flowers or plants faux is usually the way to go with these. Just make sure they’re not too heavy or difficult to move because your guests will do that if they have a lot of dishes to put on the table or if the centerpiece is blocking the person across from them.
Want to know which amenities will impress your guests? This list of 39 Airbnb amenities your guests will love covers it all!
Vacation Rental Dining Room Decor
Don’t forget the art!
Dining rooms usually have at least one big blank wall crying out for…something. Depending on your design plan, you can use a large, dramatic canvas, a gallery wall, intriguing wallpaper, or a statement mirror, like this Instagram-famous dramatic beauty. (Be sure there’s plenty of room around a floor mirror and that it’s securely anchored to the wall).
Or the window treatments
Your guests will want privacy when they gather, or at least to block any morning or low winter sun glaring in, so don’t forget the window treatments. I personally love simple, dramatic draperies in a dining room, but whatever you choose should be consistent with the overall style of your rental.
A little styling goes a long way
Choose a few accessories that make a big impact on tables, storage furniture, or bar carts. Vases, candle holders (with fake candles), trays, and faux flowers work well. Crystal decanters are great for adding a little sparkle, and can often be found in vintage shops, and decorative trays can be both attractive and functional.
Your table and sideboard will be used, so avoid overloading horizontal surfaces with stuff. Rather, choose a few thoughtful accessories to make the room look finished – and great in photos.
Decorating your place for fall? These unique decor ideas will transform your place into a cozy getaway!
And that’s Vacation Rental Dining Room 101! Whether you’re starting from scratch or just looking to spruce up the space, I hope these tips will help you create the dining room of your dreams.
Stumped on your dining room design? Have a weird space? Share questions in the comments below, or book a complimentary chat with me!
