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Should The Dining Table Match The Floors?

We’ve researched the most popular design tips and guidelines around matching tones and materials and summarized them in this article.

Spacious modern dining room with wooden chairs and table, Should The Dining Table Match The Floors?

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The short answer:

A dining table shouldn’t match the floors exactly, as it can make the room look flat and dull. Instead, start with a dominant tone and add contrasting elements to create visual interest and intentionality.

Keep reading to learn more about matching furniture in your dining room and find practical tips!

Create A Color Palette In The Dining Room

You should start your matching process by picking a dominant or primary tone.

From here, you can select pieces that are a few steps lighter or darker. Typically, the primary tone is based on the room’s centerpiece or largest furniture piece.

For example, use a cool palette with a black dining table with ash gray, gray-blues, and stone colors. For a cherry red table, choose warm accents like oranges and yellow wood.

Black dining table with ash gray, gray-blues, and stone colors

All of the furniture and finishes in any room mustn’t blend in together. If the floor and furniture are all similar materials and colors, the room can appear washed out and uninviting.

Even very traditional dining rooms are punctuated with basic contrast to distinguish the components clearly.

The dining table should be different from the floors and in at least one color or type of wood. Most designers contrast the table with the floor to draw the most attention to it. 

Can You Mix Dark And Light Furniture?

Mixing dark and light furniture works great if it matches the overall color scheme. Adding bridging colors, like grays, can connect contrasting pieces.

For example, with a black table and white chairs, gray accents can tie everything together.

This keeps the room balanced and prevents any piece from standing out too much—unless that’s what you aim for.

Should All Your Furniture Match?

Traditional designs usually feature matching dining and living room sets, but modern designers prefer mixing colors, materials, and styles.

For example, you can have a very regal and ornate dining room buffet paired with a more toned-down table and chairs. The buffet would become a centerpiece and a point of conversation in the room.

It would also show that you appreciate traditional dining room etiquette while also appreciating conventional modern design. Mixing styles will also reflect your journey of collecting unique pieces over time.

Does The Dining Table Have To Match The Buffet?

Traditionally, dining tables, chairs, china closets, and buffets were sold as matching sets. While that’s still a great option, modern designers like to mix things up.

To keep a touch of tradition, try matching two or three pieces, like the dining table and buffet, for a coordinated look.

Can You Mix Wood And Non-Wood Furniture?

Yes. Many designers like mixing wood and non-wood pieces to create contrast or fit into themes.

For example, the industrial theme is often kept by mixing metal or brick and wood. A dark metal bookshelf and a dark walnut bench exemplify a modern industrial farm style.

Another common mix is a wooden dining table with metal or upholstered chairs. Warm wood tones soften the metal’s coolness, creating a balanced look.

Wooden dining table with metal chairs

As with the other matching tips, maintaining a theme across all elements is still just as important.

If you’re looking for some ideas on what to add to your dining room to make it feel complete, be sure to read How To Decorate A Dining Table

How Do You Mix Old And New Interior Design?

The best way to mix old and new interior designs is to maintain common threads throughout the room.

In a dining room, a natural wood theme can be used to combine a modern bench-style wood dining table with a classic wood buffet of the same wood tones.

Modern dining room with white chairs, wooden table with gray tablecloth, ornate wooden buffet, and large wire pendant light

You can combine a tall, ornate china cabinet in black with more modern black dining chairs to create contrast but maintain color harmony.

You can also try to incorporate some in-between pieces of furniture that bridge the gap from your oldest to your newest style. Some common threads to unite old and new designs are color, materials, size, theme, and usage.

A Balancing Act 

Rustic table, different chairs and dark wall in dining room

Balancing colors and materials in a room can be challenging. It can be even more important in a dining room, where several pieces of furniture for different uses must come together.

As we’ve shown, mixing old and new, wood and non-wood materials, and many contrasting elements is possible.

When mixing and matching furniture in a room, it’s important to establish common color palettes and themes.

Fundamentally, a dining table shouldn’t perfectly match the floor because the room’s centerpiece should stand out, not blend in!

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