PublishedSep 28, 2023 1:15 AM EDT
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You do not need a 60-inch sign reading ‘Gather’ in swirly cursive to coax people into your dining room. A long, slightly dinged-up table, chairs with faux sheepskin tossed over the backs, and a low-hung chandelier will do the trick nicely. There’s no exact formula for designing a dining room so welcoming that guests overstay their welcome well past dessert—but we’ve picked up plenty from our favorite modern farmhouse dining rooms. So put down the cheesy sign art and walk away with these eight tips instead.
For instant character, subject your guests to a round of musical chairs; mixing and matching everyone’s seats lets them squabble over their favorite spot (an automatic conversation starter). Leanne Ford brought similar chair styles in different hues into her farmhouse and topped them all with removable jute seat cushions to keep things vaguely cohesive.
The sole new piece in Kelsey Duda’s Lake Michigan vacation rental is the Stoffer Home dining table, but pair it with mid-century Bertoia side chairs and a centerpiece approved by an enthusiastic green thumb, and you’d swear she thrifted the entire setup.
An easy route to modern farmhouse glory: split duties between the two furniture main events. In other words, keep the classic long farmhouse table and surround it with aggressively modern chairs. Architects Alan Barlis and Jessie Goldvarg of BarlisWedlick struck a balance between formal and casual in this Hudson Valley house with an Andrianna Shamaris table and velvet-swaddled Paul McCobb chairs.
Designer Luke Havekes made violet the diva of his farmhouse dining room, laying down a sangria-hued rug. Where that color could’ve gone gloomy and overpowering in such a beam-heavy space, he lightened things up around the corner with super-gauzy curtains.
If you’re all-in on a wood-on-wood dining set, sneak in a fresh finish via your lighting. Brass, as LaTonya Yvette demonstrates, is the perfect plus-one for orange-toned wood—especially when the tabletop is delightfully gritty (she never bothered sanding or staining the vintage piece she scored from Woodward Throwback).
Fully upholstered chairs don’t always scream ‘modern farmhouse,’ but you still want guests to feel they can slouch, lounge, and overstay—sheepskin throws will glue them to their seats. The founders of Hawkins New York draped one on every chair in their New York home, making even a random Tuesday dinner feel like a holiday feast.
Fashion stylist Dani Michelle pinged the reigning queen of modern farmhouse design, Leanne Ford, when renovating her Los Angeles home. Early on, Ford tipped her off to SureCrete, a skim coating that slaps Mykonos-worthy texture onto walls—and, in Michelle’s case, onto a built-in dining bench.
The only thing more charming than the sherbet-hued cluster of linen slipcovered chairs in this dining room is the plate wall. Naturally, the decorative dishes in this Australian farmhouse aren’t just stuck on plain drywall—shiplap was, obviously, mandatory.
Lydia Geisel has been on the Domino editorial team since 2017. These days she writes and edits home and renovation stories—house tours, before and afters, DIYs—and runs our design news coverage. She lives in New York City, where square footage is a cruel joke but the inspiration is endless.
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