Beautiful Modern Coastal Dining Room for Small Space

Last Updated on October 15, 2024

Learn how to decorate a beautiful modern coastal dining room in a small space.

When our house was remodeled, the kitchen and dining room were combined to create one large gourmet kitchen and a small section at the end of the kitchen for a dining space. 

I am used to having small dining rooms from our previous houses, but the one in our current house is next level small! We have about a 7’ x 7’ space for our table and chairs to fit without blocking cabinets or walking space. That’s about half the size of a standard dining room. 

I wanted to make our small coastal dining room feel really intentional even though we were working with a really tight space. 

How to Design a Small Coastal Dining Room

Designing a small dining room is totally attainable and easy if you approach it right. First and foremost, you need to figure out exactly how much space you’re working with. I like to measure the space and use painter’s tape to map out exactly where everything is going to go. Then, you’ll have a general idea of your max size for rug, table, and chairs.

Once you have that figured out, you can get to the fun part of picking out your items. Build a mood board of all of your favorite pieces. I love this free mood board site so I can see how everything is going to coordinate. You can also use it to narrow down which items you like the best!

Dining Table | Chairs | Rug | Mirror | Bar Cart | Eucalyptus Stems

Dining Room Rug Size

When decorating any space, my approach is to always select the rug first because it sets the entire tone of the room. You want a minimum of 18-24” of rug once your table and chairs are in place. This allows the chairs to be pulled in and out with plenty of space. Also, leave at least 12” between your rug and adjoining walls to keep the room visually balanced. I found a beautiful light blue 8×5 area rug for just over $100 that fit our small dining room perfectly. 

Small Dining Room Table

Based on the shape of our small dining room, I opted for a rectangle dining table. I also went with a slightly smaller 60” table, so it would fit in the space without overwhelming it. Determine how many seats you need your table to accommodate and choose a table that fits the space and your seating requirements.

I chose this gorgeous solid wood dining table from Wayfair. If you’re going for wood, choose a solid wood table. I’ve started buying only solid wood furniture and WOW – what a difference it makes in look and quality. 

Because we have a 10 ft kitchen island, we have plenty of seating in the kitchen. We eat most of our meals at the island because it’s so convenient! We like to use the dining table when we have guests over or want a more intimate dinner setting.

“Determine how many seats you need your table to accommodate and choose a table that fits the space and your seating requirements.”

For the chairs, I wanted a style that brought in organic materials and was also comfortable. I’ve been obsessing over wishbone chairs for a while, and I finally bought some! These chairs are so versatile and brought modern vibes to our coastal style. I get so many compliments on them! In fact, one of my friends actually bought the exact same ones for her dining room. 

Coastal Dining Room Mirror

Because our dining room is so small, I thought a mirror would be the perfect accent to make the space feel bigger. I absolutely love this mirror from One Kings Lane. It is solid wood in a scrubbed pine finish that is both coastal and elegant.  Use mirrors when decorating to make any space feel bigger.

I found a gorgeous navy and white medallion ceramic vase from Pottery Barn. It’s sold out, but PB is one of my favorite places to buy vases from. If you find one you love, you’d better grab it before it’s gone for good!

I have very few fake plants in the house but these eucalyptus stems from Amazon are really high quality and realistic.

The final piece for our small dining room was the much sought after Serena and Lily side cart. I bought this when we were in our last home, and it is one of my favorite pieces in the house. I am currently using it to store some of our small kitchen appliances, which works out great! This cart is tucked away in a corner of our dining room and it’s beautiful and functional.

Having a small space for your dining room might be a bit of a design challenge, but you can still create a gorgeous space to dine in. I hope this post was helpful!  For more small space tips, check out how I created a pantry for $500. 

This post is about a designing a modern coastal dining room for small spaces.  

Dining Table
Chairs
Rug
Mirror
Bar Cart
Eucalyptus Stems