The holiday season is right around the corner; can you already smell the turkey roast, apple pie, nutmeg, and pine?

Even though this year may be different, there are still ways we can celebrate safely at home while adhering to social distance guidelines.

Many holidays, like Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and Kwanzaa, include sharing food around the table with loved ones; so this year, Oberer Homes is sharing these must-know dining room design tips for a safe and merry socially distanced holiday.

Let’s get started!

Set Up the Furniture for Virtual Dining

Mass gatherings in Ohio continue to be limited to 10 people, which means many nuclear families will be staying home and celebrating without extended family this year. With Thanksgiving only days away, now is the time to set up your dining room for prime virtual celebrating, food sharing, and communicating with loved ones all through the holidays.

First, make sure you have a stable Internet connection in your dining room. Remove nearby clutter and set your tablet or laptop up high so the camera faces the entire dining room table. That way, multiple people can be seen and interact with the camera at one time.

You’ll want a  dining room table that is spacious enough to accommodate your family, as well as your equipment for virtual dining. Plus, a bigger dining room table means you can add more dishes to your holiday spread and your family will have somewhere to play games and do crafts. If your current dining room table isn’t cutting it, consider treating yourself to a new one this holiday season!

Have Plenty of Natural Light to Go Around

The more exposure to natural light this holiday season, the better. Natural light can improve your mood and energy levels, and it can also enhance your video quality during virtual dining sessions.

Opening up the windows may seem simple enough, but there are other things you can do to boost your dining room’s exposure to natural light.

Give your dining room windows a thorough cleaning, and also take the time to clean any blinds and nearby lampshades. Dress your windows up with off-white linens so natural light can still pass through and provide warmth while they remain open.

The holiday season is also a great time to incorporate shiny objects that will glimmer in natural light. Hang sparkly ornaments from your light fixture (and add LED light bulbs while you’re at it for high-quality brightness at nighttime.) Use a shimmery centerpiece that will reflect natural sunlight, or hang up a mirror to create the illusion of more space.

Color Is An Important Ingredient

Dining room design tips should be all about light and color. Consider transforming your drab dining room and using this holiday season as an opportunity to give it a fresh coat of color. Choosing interior paint colors can be tricky, but there are lots of colors that can work for your home at holiday time and year-round.

Use colors that will enhance your dining room’s natural light. For smaller dining rooms, stick to silver-gray, beige, or light colors that will open up space. If your dining room is large, you can get away with adding a moody blue, deep red, or spicy orange. When in doubt, you can always paint the majority of the room in a neutral color and add a colorful accent wall.

Complement your windows with thick, deep-colored curtains for a pop of color. (We like emerald, crimson, and plum for festive curtain colors.) Of course, you’ll want to keep these curtains open during the daytime for ample natural light; but having that touch of color with bright light casting through into your home will make your dining room feel warm and inviting.

It’s All in the Details

What would a list of holiday dining room design tips be without decorations? With the holidays approaching, involve your family in a weekend of DIY holiday crafting and decorating.

From hanging wreaths and ornaments on your dining room chandelier to creating festive centerpieces and table decorations, there’s no shortage of easy holiday decor ideas to try out.

If you anticipate doing a lot of virtual connecting this holiday season, consider setting up your Christmas tree, stockings, or candle holder in the dining room for all to see.

Get Festive with These Dining Room Design Tips!

This holiday season may be different in more ways than one, but with these dining room design tips, you can certainly make it one for the books!

For more tips and ideas on how to design and decorate your home, stay tuned to our blog.