Our strong and impactful red dining room ideas can help you create a truly outstanding dining and entertaining area in your home.
Decorating with red is not for the faint of heart, this confident color grabs your attention instantly and can make a powerful statement in a room. However, there are of course more subtle ways to introduce red to your dining room color ideas, as we’ll explore in this article.
A warming color that represents passion, love and strength. Using red when planning your dining room ideas can help create an intimate, welcoming, and dynamic atmosphere. Cozy under candlelight and vibrant with daylight, red dining room ideas can create an impressive, mood-influencing design.
Red dining room ideas
Whether you want to be bold and bold with a bright shade of red, or more subtle and sophisticated with red furniture and accessories, we’ve put together a collection of beautiful red dining room ideas to give you some inspiration for your space.
1. Create a bold and bright design
(Image credit: Damian Russell)
For a bold, contemporary look, embracing a bold and bright red design can create a memorable dining space that is ideal for modern dining room ideas.
A dramatic celebration of a primary color palette, this dining room is filled with vibrancy and energy, and stepping through the door feels like stepping into a colorful work of art.
The red painted paneled wall and curved glossy red dining table work beautifully to create a red theme and statement in the room. The use of blue brings a sense of calm and softness to the vibrant and bright design; with the yellow, green and white elements acting as stylish accent colors to add depth and character.
2. Balance it with red and white
(Image credit: Future)
When working with darker colors like red for your dining room color ideas, pairing them with lighter, more neutral hues can create a look that feels balanced and harmonious.
“Upgrading a small dining room with maximalist patterns and evocative colors is the right way to create an unexpected space,” says interior designer Flora Soames (opens in new tab). “It captures that jewel-like feeling of warmth and exuberance. Red and white is a color combination that is relaxed and bright at the same time.”
3. Use red as an accent color
(Image credit: Emma Lee)
For a more understated look for red dining room ideas, using red as an accent color can add bold pops of color to a scheme without it feeling too overwhelming.
This dining room feels light, bright and airy, with natural textures, materials and white and blue color palettes creating a calming look. The injection of red accents through the furniture and accessories brings a stylish, modern twist to the overall neutral, coastal decor-inspired scheme, creating a unique blend of styles and colors.
4. Create a fun and lively design
(Image credit: Crown Paints)
Since red is such an adventurous and exciting color to work with in interior design, why not step it up and create a fun and vibrant design in your dining room through bold color combinations.
“The combination of red and pink might seem a little intense and unexpected, but the end result can feel elegant, glamorous and inviting,” he says Houses & GardensEditor-in-Chief Lucy Searle.
As the saying goes, opposites attract, and that attraction is beautifully showcased here by Crown Paints’ soft, delicate Satin Lining Pink and deep English Fire Red. (opens in new tab) Contrasting colors can often make for the most stylish of designs, and the use of pink room ideas in this dining room creates an uplifting and cheerful vibe that’s perfect for socializing and entertaining with friends and family.
5. Incorporate traditional red designs
(Image credit: Mark Luscombe-Whyte)
Red is often associated with more modern interior designs, but as one of the oldest colors used and recognized throughout history, this classic color works just as well in more traditional, historic buildings.
From large, red wallpaper designs to the earthy terracotta tones found on historic floor designs, this color has been used throughout the centuries, with red tones being available for many traditional dining room ideas.
In this eclectic dining room, the muted red color palette blends effortlessly into this traditional space. The use of red through the antique furniture and accessories gives this dining room vibrancy and color while still keeping with the overall classic feel.
6. Create an elegant two-toned design
(Image credit: Little Greene)
When a wall is painted two tones, often a darker color on the bottom half to the floor and a lighter color on top, this effect can create a stylish, elegant contrast and add striking visual interest to a room.
“Using two-tone color designs gives you more choice in your color ideas and allows you to create both bold and subtle color combinations. It can also be a great way to set zones and highlight specific areas in a room,” says Jennifer Ebert, Houses & Gardens‘Digital editor.
In this Little Greene dining room (opens in new tab), the top wall was painted Rolling Fog Dark, the bottom one Arras Red. The deep red surrounds the dining area to create a cozy cocooning effect, with Fog Dark acting as a calming contrast, adding lightness and warmth.
7. Create contrast
(Image credit: Simon Bevan)
As we have already discussed, when looking at the color wheel, contrasting colors can create harmonious and beautifully balanced interior designs.
For your red dining room ideas, bringing in an element of blue dining room ideas can create a unique blend of vibrancy and calm.
This dining room has been painted a relaxing sea blue with a striking blue patterned tile floor design. The use of bright red dining chairs draws the focus to the dining area in the room, with the red patterned blinds adding a sense of cohesion to the red theme – and adding an extra contrast to the blue.
A stylish showcase of contrasting materials, textures, colors and patterns, this dining room oozes character and charm.
8. Add a pop of color
(Image credit: Jon Day Photography)
A great way to elevate your neutral room ideas by adding a pop of color, whether it’s through a rug, artwork or a collection of accessories can add the finishing touch to an entire room design.
The red carpet in this dining room is the perfect finishing touch. Not only does the rug add color, vibrancy, and texture to the room, it also grounds the dining table and chairs in the room, creating a cozy environment that invites you to relax and sit. With small accessories and artwork that includes touches of pink and red to create a unified look, this dining room area looks sleek and contemporary.
9. Paint a red feature wall
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
An idea to consider for your dining room wall ideas: Painting an accent wall can be a great way to bring a color into a room without it feeling too overwhelming—a great choice for a bold, bright color like red.
As Helen Shaw, director of Benjamin Moore UK, states, “A statement wall in a dining room is a great way to introduce red into your home before committing to a full room, which can seem overwhelming when you are first starting out use red. Red can make a real impact, but pairing it with contrasting woodwork or brickwork with a similar undertone brings balance to the space.’
10. Choose a deep cherry red
(Image credit: Crown)
When we think of the colors of nature, we’re drawn to greens, blues, and earthy neutrals, and rarely think of red. However, red has many connections to nature, with a collection of hues named after fruits and berries.
For a subtle reference to nature and to establish a luxurious look, choose a deep cherry red for your red dining room ideas. A deep red like this can add a cozy and calming feel to a room, ideal for a dining room area.
In this dining room, the contrasting wood finishes complement the cherry red painted wall, adding warmth and texture. A stylish design with a unique natural color palette, a deep red can add a grand and impressive feel to your dining room no matter the size.
Is red a good color for a dining room?
Using red dining room ideas can make for an impactful, colorful design that oozes energy and identity.
If you want to make a statement in your dining room that your guests will remember, red is a great color. From painted walls to dynamic color combinations, there are many ways to get creative with this classic color in your space.
Helen Shaw explains, “The dining room isn’t a place you settle in for long periods of time, so it’s an opportunity to use a bold color that’s both elegant and dramatic. Rich, warm reds are a great color choice; You work with lighting to make your space shine.’
With a range of hues to choose from, red dining room ideas allow you to be both bright and bold or elegant and sophisticated.