Photo of a large contemporary separate dining room in Sydney with white walls, concrete floors and grey floor.

Stephanie Johnson, architect. Jeffrey Jakucyk, photographer. David A Millett, interiors.
Photo of a mid-sized traditional separate dining room in Cincinnati with beige walls, dark hardwood floors and no fireplace.

Moving Water

BANDD DESIGN

A farmhouse coastal styled home located in the charming neighborhood of Pflugerville. We merged our client's love of the beach with rustic elements which represent their Texas lifestyle. The result is a laid-back interior adorned with distressed woods, light sea blues, and beach-themed decor. We kept the furnishings tailored and contemporary with some heavier case goods- showcasing a touch of traditional. Our design even includes a separate hangout space for the teenagers and a cozy media for everyone to enjoy! The overall design is chic yet welcoming, perfect for this energetic young family. Project designed by Sara Barney’s Austin interior design studio BANDD DESIGN. They serve the entire Austin area and its surrounding towns, with an emphasis on Round Rock, Lake Travis, West Lake Hills, and Tarrytown. For more about BANDD DESIGN, click here: https://bandddesign.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://bandddesign.com/moving-water/

Formal Dining & Butler's Pantry

Highland Homes, Inc.

Formal Dining with Butler's Pantry that connects this space to the Kitchen beyond.
Inspiration for a mid-sized separate dining room in New Orleans with white walls, dark hardwood floors and no fireplace.

House on the Hill

Georgia Zikas Design

Youthful tradition for a bustling young family. Refined and elegant, deliberate and thoughtful — with outdoor living fun.
Photo of a traditional separate dining room in Other with blue walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor, decorative wall panelling and wallpaper.

Grennoch

Ashwood Designs and Custom Homes

Beautiful blue barn doors accent the light blue gray on the wall with the white trim. The gold chandelier draws your eyes to the focal point of the room. Great dining room with lots of natural light.

Ashdale Lane

Mark Langos Interior Design

Photo: Meghan Bob Photo
Mid-sized country separate dining room in Los Angeles with white walls, light hardwood floors and brown floor.

A New Entry with Nostalgic Roots

Thompson Remodeling

The owners of this beautiful historic farmhouse had been painstakingly restoring it bit by bit. One of the last items on their list was to create a wrap-around front porch to create a more distinct and obvious entrance to the front of their home. Aside from the functional reasons for the new porch, our client also had very specific ideas for its design. She wanted to recreate her grandmother’s porch so that she could carry on the same wonderful traditions with her own grandchildren someday. Key requirements for this front porch remodel included: - Creating a seamless connection to the main house. - A floorplan with areas for dining, reading, having coffee and playing games. - Respecting and maintaining the historic details of the home and making sure the addition felt authentic. Upon entering, you will notice the authentic real pine porch decking. Real windows were used instead of three season porch windows which also have molding around them to match the existing home’s windows. The left wing of the porch includes a dining area and a game and craft space. Ceiling fans provide light and additional comfort in the summer months. Iron wall sconces supply additional lighting throughout. Exposed rafters with hidden fasteners were used in the ceiling. Handmade shiplap graces the walls. On the left side of the front porch, a reading area enjoys plenty of natural light from the windows. The new porch blends perfectly with the existing home much nicer front facade. There is a clear front entrance to the home, where previously guests weren’t sure where to enter. We successfully created a place for the client to enjoy with her future grandchildren that’s filled with nostalgic nods to the memories she made with her own grandmother. "We have had many people who asked us what changed on the house but did not know what we did. When we told them we put the porch on, all of them made the statement that they did not notice it was a new addition and fit into the house perfectly.” – Homeowner

Kitchen and Dining Room Remodel

Elite Flooring Specialists

Installed 2 1/4" Red Oak Select Hardwood Flooring
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern separate dining room in Burlington with white walls and light hardwood floors.

Craftsman Dining Room

Inspiration for a large contemporary separate dining room in Other with brown walls, slate floors and no fireplace.

Last House on the Left

SV Design

Having been neglected for nearly 50 years, this home was rescued by new owners who sought to restore the home to its original grandeur. Prominently located on the rocky shoreline, its presence welcomes all who enter into Marblehead from the Boston area. The exterior respects tradition; the interior combines tradition with a sparse respect for proportion, scale and unadorned beauty of space and light. This project was featured in Design New England Magazine. http://bit.ly/SVResurrection Photo Credit: Eric Roth

Oakley Home Builders

Photo of a mid-sized traditional separate dining room in Chicago with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace and brown floor.

Buckhead

Dillard Pierce Design Associates

Garden room with trellis walls and stenciled limestone floors. Soft and elegant with sunlight streaming through room.
Traditional separate dining room in Atlanta with beige walls and marble floors.

A Warm Welcome

TKS Design Group

Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW The homeowner and his wife had lived in this beautiful townhome in Oak Brook overlooking a small lake for over 13 years. The home is open and airy with vaulted ceilings and full of mementos from world adventures through the years, including to Cambodia, home of their much-adored sponsored daughter. The home, full of love and memories was host to a growing extended family of children and grandchildren. This was THE place. When the homeowner’s wife passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, he became determined to create a space that would continue to welcome and host his family and the many wonderful family memories that lay ahead but with an eye towards functionality. We started out by evaluating how the space would be used. Cooking and watching sports were key factors. So, we shuffled the current dining table into a rarely used living room whereby enlarging the kitchen. The kitchen now houses two large islands – one for prep and the other for seating and buffet space. We removed the wall between kitchen and family room to encourage interaction during family gatherings and of course a clear view to the game on TV. We also removed a dropped ceiling in the kitchen, and wow, what a difference. Next, we added some drama with a large arch between kitchen and dining room creating a stunning architectural feature between those two spaces. This arch echoes the shape of the large arch at the front door of the townhome, providing drama and significance to the space. The kitchen itself is large but does not have much wall space, which is a common challenge when removing walls. We added a bit more by resizing the double French doors to a balcony at the side of the house which is now just a single door. This gave more breathing room to the range wall and large stone hood but still provides access and light. We chose a neutral pallet of black, white, and white oak, with punches of blue at the counter stools in the kitchen. The cabinetry features a white shaker door at the perimeter for a crisp outline. Countertops and custom hood are black Caesarstone, and the islands are a soft white oak adding contrast and warmth. Two large built ins between the kitchen and dining room function as pantry space as well as area to display flowers or seasonal decorations. We repeated the blue in the dining room where we added a fresh coat of paint to the existing built ins, along with painted wainscot paneling. Above the wainscot is a neutral grass cloth wallpaper which provides a lovely backdrop for a wall of important mementos and artifacts. The dining room table and chairs were refinished and re-upholstered, and a new rug and window treatments complete the space. The room now feels ready to host more formal gatherings or can function as a quiet spot to enjoy a cup of morning coffee.

Hamilton ASID Award 2021

Agape Design Group

Bright neutral palette allows the colorful art and luxurios fabrics and finishes to steal the show
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional separate dining room in New York with white walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace, brown floor and decorative wall panelling.

Annapolis Waterfront Style

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID NKBA

In the dining room we added grey nickel gap planking installed vertically for that coastal-feel. We did the recess for the "label forward" wine storage over a grey mosaic herringbone tiled back wall. The "cork screw" chandelier was the star of the room. Steve Buchanan Photography

Tuxedo House

dSPACE Studio Ltd, AIA

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional separate dining room in Chicago with green walls and dark hardwood floors.

Deering Ct. Kitchen, Living Room and Addition

Alair Homes Plano

Our clients wanted to increase the size of their kitchen, which was small, in comparison to the overall size of the home. They wanted a more open livable space for the family to be able to hang out downstairs. They wanted to remove the walls downstairs in the front formal living and den making them a new large den/entering room. They also wanted to remove the powder and laundry room from the center of the kitchen, giving them more functional space in the kitchen that was completely opened up to their den. The addition was planned to be one story with a bedroom/game room (flex space), laundry room, bathroom (to serve as the on-suite to the bedroom and pool bath), and storage closet. They also wanted a larger sliding door leading out to the pool. We demoed the entire kitchen, including the laundry room and powder bath that were in the center! The wall between the den and formal living was removed, completely opening up that space to the entry of the house. A small space was separated out from the main den area, creating a flex space for them to become a home office, sitting area, or reading nook. A beautiful fireplace was added, surrounded with slate ledger, flanked with built-in bookcases creating a focal point to the den. Behind this main open living area, is the addition. When the addition is not being utilized as a guest room, it serves as a game room for their two young boys. There is a large closet in there great for toys or additional storage. A full bath was added, which is connected to the bedroom, but also opens to the hallway so that it can be used for the pool bath. The new laundry room is a dream come true! Not only does it have room for cabinets, but it also has space for a much-needed extra refrigerator. There is also a closet inside the laundry room for additional storage. This first-floor addition has greatly enhanced the functionality of this family’s daily lives. Previously, there was essentially only one small space for them to hang out downstairs, making it impossible for more than one conversation to be had. Now, the kids can be playing air hockey, video games, or roughhousing in the game room, while the adults can be enjoying TV in the den or cooking in the kitchen, without interruption! While living through a remodel might not be easy, the outcome definitely outweighs the struggles throughout the process.

French Country custom build

Alberino Construction

A new custom built French Country with extensive woodwork and hand hewn beams throughout and a plaster & field stone exterior
Inspiration for a large traditional separate dining room in Cleveland with brown walls, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and decorative wall panelling.

Amherst Avenue

Jamie Keskin Design

Photo of a transitional separate dining room in Boston with blue walls, medium hardwood floors, wallpaper, decorative wall panelling and brown floor.

Separate Dining Room Design Ideas

A dining room can be used for casual dining, integrated into an open plan and connected to the living and kitchen areas; or as a formal space reserved solely for entertaining. While it may not be used frequently, it is a great focal point in the home, and requires little furnishings. Here's what you need to consider before you start planning a new dining room...

How will you use your dining room?

First, consider how frequently you will use the space. If you plan on using your dining room on a daily basis, a casual dining set-up with sturdy, long-lasting furniture is best. As for where you position it – well, any unused space in the home can be converted into a casual dining space, whether it be at the end of a kitchen island, or at the bottom of the stairs. A formal dining room, on the other hand, is more suited to a dedicated space, which is more common in heritage homes where space originally wasn’t at a premium. Perhaps you want your dining room to multi-task and accommodate everyday meals, homework sessions and grown-up dinner parties… If that’s the case, furniture is key. Look for versatile dining tables in either Australian or New Zealand hardwood or weathered timber for a more rustic look. These won’t show up sticky fingerprints as much and can be dressed up for guests.

What size and shape should your dining table be?

Your dining table should be able to seat all family members with some room for additional guests – each person should have at least 60 centimetres of space at the table. The right size, however, also depends on how much room you have. A general rule of thumb is to leave no less than 1 metre from the dining table to the wall or any additional furniture, so people have enough room to comfortably move around the space. Rectangular dining tables are versatile and can work in a variety of settings, while oval dining tables are more traditional and can turn any meal into an occasion. If you have a tight space to work in, a round dining table is best, and also a great option if you want to encourage conversation. A square dining table can be a dramatic addition to a dining room, but only if you have the space. It allows everyone at the table to see each other, but the bigger the table, the harder it will be able to hold a conversation with someone at the other end.

What type of dining chairs should you choose?

Once you’ve decided on a dining table, look for dining chairs that share a common design element. If your dining table legs are curved, for example, try to match them with dining chairs that have a similar curve, either in the legs or back. Next, consider the dimensions of the chair. The height of your dining chairs should allow at least 30 centimetres between the top of the seat and the top of the table. And to keep your tush happy, avoid dining chairs narrower than 45 centimetres.

How can you decorate your dining room?

Dining rooms are relatively minimal spaces, but that makes them a great place to splash a little colour through artwork, especially if yours is a formal dining room. If your dining room is lacking warmth, consider painting the walls a deep shade of red or blue, or go contemporary with black or grey. A cosy rug will make the space feel more intimate, while a sideboard or cabinet of curiosities will further personalise the space. Often overlooked, dining room lighting can also drastically alter the mood of a room, creating drama, spurring romance or encouraging conversation. Opt for soft lighting in the dining area with dimmer switches, and choose oversized pendants in large, open spaces or to make the dining area more of a focal point. Finally, add some table settings, such as a lace tablecloth for a whimsy feel, or a more basic table runner for a chic look. If you need some help designing your dining room, consider checking the Houzz directory of interior designers, home stylists, cabinet makers and more!