Dining room featuring built in cabinetry and seating with storage. Great little reading nook. VJ panelling in Dulux Kimberley Tree
Inspiration for a mid-sized beach style open plan dining in Sydney with white walls, light hardwood floors and panelled walls.

East Toowoomba Cottage

Ivy + Piper Pty Ltd

This is an example of a country dining room in Brisbane with white walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and planked wall panelling.

dining project

Inventory Interior

Photo of a contemporary dining room in Sydney with grey walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, beige floor and panelled walls.

Bay Pearl

Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

Inspiration for a large modern dining room in Melbourne with grey walls, porcelain floors, grey floor, wood and wood walls.

Willoughby Residence

Studio Noema

Inspiration for a modern dining room in Sydney with white walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and wallpaper.

Weather House

Mihaly Slocombe

Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

Grange House

Shane Marsh Architects

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury open plan dining in Brisbane with white walls, light hardwood floors, brown floor, timber and brick walls.

Rosanna

DSdezines Interiors

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary dining room in Melbourne with white walls, laminate floors, brown floor, recessed and panelled walls.

Dining Room

Order & Grace

Inspiration for a large beach style kitchen/dining combo in Sydney with white walls, porcelain floors, grey floor, coffered and planked wall panelling.

Barkly Street

S&A Stairs

Where form meets class. This stunning contemporary stair features beautiful American Oak timbers contrasting with a striking steel balustrade with feature timber panelling underneath the flight. This elegant design takes up residence in Mazzei’s Royal Melbourne Hospital Lottery home.

Timber-Lantern House

Mcmahon and Nerlich

View to double-height dining room
Inspiration for a large contemporary open plan dining in Melbourne with white walls, concrete floors, a wood stove, a brick fireplace surround, grey floor, exposed beam and panelled walls.

Kitchen/Dining

Drift Interiors

Design ideas for a large contemporary open plan dining in Wollongong with white walls, light hardwood floors and a two-sided fireplace.

Flinders , Sailors Whisk

Mermaid Bay Interiors

Inspiration for a mid-sized beach style kitchen/dining combo in Melbourne with light hardwood floors, white walls, a concrete fireplace surround and planked wall panelling.

A classic family home, Hampton's style

My Beautiful Abode

With a strict instruction to avoid a coastal theme, the brief for this home was to create a classic style that is easy for family living.
Photo of a beach style dining room in Melbourne with white walls, light hardwood floors, beige floor and decorative wall panelling.

Midcentury inspired new build

Cat Dal Interiors

This new build architectural gem required a sensitive approach to balance the strong modernist language with the personal, emotive feel desired by the clients. Taking inspiration from the California MCM aesthetic, we added bold colour blocking, interesting textiles and patterns, and eclectic lighting to soften the glazing, crisp detailing and linear forms. With a focus on juxtaposition and contrast, we played with the ‘mix’; utilising a blend of new & vintage pieces, differing shapes & textures, and touches of whimsy for a lived in feel.

Cozy Traditional Colonial New England

Corinne Acampora Interiors & Art

Design ideas for a traditional kitchen/dining combo in Boston with blue walls, carpet, no fireplace, red floor and wallpaper.

Eclectic Glam

City Homes, LLC

This is an example of a contemporary separate dining room in Minneapolis with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor, decorative wall panelling and wallpaper.

Gull Lake - Cottage

Glas Associates

A comfortable, formal dining space with pretty ceiling lighting Photo by Ashley Avila Photography
Photo of a mid-sized beach style dining room in Grand Rapids with blue walls, recessed, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and decorative wall panelling.

Meydenbauer Bay

Dandi Interior Design Studio

PNW modern dining room, freshly remodel in 2023. With tongue & groove ceiling detail and shou sugi wood accent this dining room is the quintessential PNW modern design.

Pinecrest Home Remodel Japandi Style

Janet Patterson Interior Design (JPID)

Open modern dining room with neutral finishes.
Design ideas for a large modern kitchen/dining combo in Miami with beige walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, beige floor and panelled walls.

All Wall Treatments 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!