The Cozy Living Room Essential That Belongs In Your Dining Room

I strive for a warm, welcoming atmosphere when I'm entertaining, as nothing gets conversation flowing and keeps laughs coming like happy, relaxed guests. This means the cozier the vibe, the more comfortable and catered to they feel. So how do you achieve this ambiance at your dinner parties? As an interior designer, I create a hygge vibe in my dining room — light some candles, cook nourishing food, pour some delicious wine, put on just the right music, and dress up the table to make my guests feel special. But why not take things a step further and take some notes from the notoriously more comfortable room next door: the living area? Everyone knows the best budget-friendly item that makes your living room so much cozier is a soft throw pillow, so borrow this snug idea and use it as a way to soften the aesthetic of your dining room for the ultimate comfort of your dinner guests.

Throw pillows create layers of texture, color, and pattern, adding visual interest and personality to a space while also being a functional comfort tool. They are used in relaxation-focused spaces like living rooms and bedrooms every day, so why not add throw pillows to your dining room to level up the warm, inviting feeling that makes guests want to stay a while? Just be sure to follow these tips for using pillows in your dining space in a chic and practical way.

If you are ready to incorporate throw pillows into your dining space, don't just grab the nearest 24x24 off your living room sofa and plop it onto a dining chair. Scale is essential, since dining chairs are so much smaller in both width and depth than a lounge chair or sofa. If the scale of the pillow and chair are out of proportion, it will end up looking silly and out of place. For more petite or open dining chairs, opt for a small lumbar or round pillow to float completely within the chair (no sticking out allowed!). For more substantial upholstered dining chairs, you can go a little larger, but not so big that the seat becomes too shallow to sit comfortably. My favorite way to use pillows in a dining room is on a banquette. Whether it is a built-in style like a breakfast nook or a freestanding option like a loveseat or upholstered bench with a back, this style of dining room seating looks like a cozy dream layered with a curated collection of pillows.

A word of caution: if you have kids, fabric pillows and sticky hands don't generally mix well! But if you want to forge ahead, be sure to choose the best throw pillows for the space with removable, washable covers. Add your new throw pillows to your regular cleaning routine to keep them looking their best, not just after a bad run-in with crumbs or spills.