Inspiration for an expansive contemporary kitchen/dining combo in Melbourne with white walls, light hardwood floors and brown floor.

Brunswick Parlour

Mihaly Slocombe

Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

Wellesley Residence 2

Elms Interior Design

Photography by Michael J. Lee Photography
Photo of a large contemporary separate dining room in Boston with grey walls, light hardwood floors and wallpaper.

Luxury Grand-scale Open Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen Designs by Ken Kelly, Inc. (CKD, CBD, CR)

Inspiration for a large transitional dining room in New York with light hardwood floors, beige walls and beige floor.

Arcadia Lights

AFT Construction

This is an example of a large transitional separate dining room in Phoenix with white walls, light hardwood floors, beige floor and wood.

Brooklyn Heights Townhouse

Lucy Harris Studio

Notable decor elements include: Bubble chandelier by Pelle, Butterfly dining chairs by De la Espada, Solo oblong table by De la Espada, vintage lacquered oak sideboard by Henry W. Klein, Skultuna candlesticks, Rina Menardi bowl

The Brookfield at Wright's Landing

Landmark Homes

formal dining room with wall detail
Large midcentury separate dining room in Other with black walls, light hardwood floors, panelled walls and brown floor.

Athletic Club Dr

Virtual Studio Innovations

Photo of a large traditional separate dining room in Atlanta with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floor and wallpaper.

Modern Living in Downtown Birmingham

Stalburg Design

When presented with the overall layout of the kitchen, this dining space called out for more interest than just your standard table. We chose to make a statement with a custom three-sided seated banquette. Completed in early 2020, this family gathering space is complete with storage beneath and electrical charging stations on each end. Underneath three large window walls, our built-in banquette and custom table provide a comfortable, intimate dining nook for the family and a few guests while the stunning oversized chandelier ties in nicely with the other brass accents in the kitchen. The thin black window mullions offer a sharp, clean contrast to the crisp white walls and coordinate well with the dark banquette, sprayed to match the dark charcoal doors in the home. The finishing touch is our faux distressed leather cushions, topped with a variety of pillows in shapes and cozy fabrics. We love that this family hangs out here in every season!

Harlem Brownstone

kimberly peck architect

This brownstone, located in Harlem, consists of five stories which had been duplexed to create a two story rental unit and a 3 story home for the owners. The owner hired us to do a modern renovation of their home and rear garden. The garden was under utilized, barely visible from the interior and could only be accessed via a small steel stair at the rear of the second floor. We enlarged the owner’s home to include the rear third of the floor below which had walk out access to the garden. The additional square footage became a new family room connected to the living room and kitchen on the floor above via a double height space and a new sculptural stair. The rear facade was completely restructured to allow us to install a wall to wall two story window and door system within the new double height space creating a connection not only between the two floors but with the outside. The garden itself was terraced into two levels, the bottom level of which is directly accessed from the new family room space, the upper level accessed via a few stone clad steps. The upper level of the garden features a playful interplay of stone pavers with wood decking adjacent to a large seating area and a new planting bed. Wet bar cabinetry at the family room level is mirrored by an outside cabinetry/grill configuration as another way to visually tie inside to out. The second floor features the dining room, kitchen and living room in a large open space. Wall to wall builtins from the front to the rear transition from storage to dining display to kitchen; ending at an open shelf display with a fireplace feature in the base. The third floor serves as the children’s floor with two bedrooms and two ensuite baths. The fourth floor is a master suite with a large bedroom and a large bathroom bridged by a walnut clad hall that conceals a closet system and features a built in desk. The master bath consists of a tiled partition wall dividing the space to create a large walkthrough shower for two on one side and showcasing a free standing tub on the other. The house is full of custom modern details such as the recessed, lit handrail at the house’s main stair, floor to ceiling glass partitions separating the halls from the stairs and a whimsical builtin bench in the entry.

High Summit Drive

Jessica Koltun Home

Coastal contemporary finishes and furniture designed by Interior Designer and Realtor Jessica Koltun in Dallas, TX. #designingdreams
Photo of a mid-sized beach style kitchen/dining combo in Dallas with light hardwood floors, white walls and beige floor.

ISABELLA residence

Symmetry Architects

Photo of an expansive mediterranean dining room in Dallas with white walls, light hardwood floors and no fireplace.

Laurelhurst Tudor

Ore Studios

Photo of a mid-sized transitional separate dining room in Seattle with beige walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace and beige floor.

Elegant Retrohemian Chateau

Mary Hannah Interiors

This formal dining room embodies French grandeur with a modern traditional feel. From the elegant chandelier to the expansive French and German china collection, we considered the clients style and prized possessions in updating this space with the purpose of gathering and entertaining.

North Fork Waterfront

Chango

Architectural advisement, Interior Design, Custom Furniture Design & Art Curation by Chango & Co. Photography by Sarah Elliott See the feature in Domino Magazine

Work

Wimmel Design & Construction

Photo of a mid-sized transitional separate dining room in Houston with white walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace and beige floor.

Dining Room

Matrix Design

Indoor and outdoor dining room with 24ft. suar slab dining table.
This is an example of a large contemporary kitchen/dining combo in San Diego with grey walls and light hardwood floors.

Buckhead Client's Ski Retreat - Dining Room

New Mood Design LLC

Level Three: The dining room's focal point is a sculptural table in Koa wood with bronzed aluminum legs. The comfortable dining chairs, with removable covers in an easy-care fabric, are solidly designed yet pillow soft. Photograph © Darren Edwards, San Diego

Brooklyn Heights Addition

Ben Herzog

Kitchen banquette seen from dining room. Brooklyn Heights brownstone renovation by Ben Herzog, Architect in conjunction with designer Elizabeth Cooke-King. Photo by Michael Lee.

Woodmeister Master Builders - WestWind

Woodmeister Master Builders

A compact dining room. The table retracts and converts into a guest bed.
Photo of a small beach style kitchen/dining combo in Boston with white walls and light hardwood floors.

Dining Room Design Ideas with Light Hardwood Floors

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!