Members’ favourites: 16 elegant dining rooms by members of The List
This room is more than just a place to eat, it's a space where we gather with loved ones, celebrate important milestones, like birthdays or anniversaries, and enjoy a quiet everyday meal. When thinking about how you'd like to design your space, there is only one logical place to start: the dining table. Whether it be a round design or a large rectangular one that can extend to accommodate more people, this crucial piece of furniture will act as the cornerstone of your dining room scheme. The List has an abundance of furniture makers to choose from, bespoke pieces like those made by Greg Cox or ready-to-buy options from Neptune and Pinch's collections. Be sure to pick up some comfortable dining chairs too, as there is nothing worse than sitting for hours in an uncomfortable one!
Once you have these staples, you're ready to decorate. We've rounded up 16 of our favourite schemes from members of The List by House & Garden that are great examples of how to decorate your room for every occasion you might need to use it for. From bright colourful rooms to neutral earthy schemes, modest kitchen diners or formal rooms, we're sure you'll find some inspiration in this gallery. If you find a scheme you especially love, click the link in each caption to learn more about the designers behind the design on their List profile.
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1/16Tamsyn Mason Interior Design Studio
Tamsyn Mason's client asked her to redesign this rather awkward corner in a kitchen into a space you want to spend time in. She answered the brief by creating a comfortable and colourful dining space. Banquette seating was the perfect choice as it allowed the team to make the most out of the very high window.
2/16Carden Cunietti
This dining room, designed by Carden Cunietti, uses warm finishes such as brass, horsehair, bronze and dark wood with barn oak cabinets to create a rich mix of textures and a strong, dramatic feel. The vibrant palette and textures are continued throughout the house to create a luxurious and relaxing home.
Joshua McHugh3/16Studio McGrath
Studio McGrath was tasked with designing a new home on an old apple orchard in Connecticut for a couple who recently relocated with their growing family. In this dining space, a distressed blue-and-white diamond pattern was added to the existing wood floors.
4/16Studio WANDA
A large Georgian property with sea views has been reimagined for multi-generational family living by Studio WANDA. A custom burnt orange dining table from My Home Collection makes for the perfect centrepiece to the dining room's scheme.
5/16Flint Architects
For their project in Buckinghamshire, Flint Architects completed an extensive renovation including a two-storey extension that includes this lovely open-plan kitchen and dining room. In addition to working on the architecture of the house, the team also designed the interiors.
M J Heritage6/16Nadia Oliver Interiors
Nadia Oliver and her team were asked by their client to add character to this new build property in Cornwall. As with all of her projects, Nadia integrated colour and pattern into the schemes for this space.
7/16Andrea Benedettini
Interior designer Andrea Benedettini used a warm neutral base palette and added soft accents of colours to each s to give each room their own unique personality. He also included timber and bronze accents to enrich each scheme.
8/16Antrepo by Ozge Caglayan Studio
Designed to support modern family living, the dining area from Antrepo's project in Richmond features a sculptural chandelier above the dining table that adds visual interest and helps define the area within the open plan layout. The house's original exterior brick, now exposed on internal walls, adds texture and warmth to the scheme.
9/16House Nine Design
This beautiful house in Chiswick underwent a significant renovation by House Nine Design, whose brief was greatly influenced by the time the client spent in Los Angeles and Ibiza. The striking arches in the dining room let an abundance of natural light into the space.
10/16Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay
This dining room from Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay's project overlooking the South Downs is a riot of colour and texture thanks to a gorgeous rug from Luke Irwin and walls lined with Penny Morrison’s red ‘Inca Vertical Stripe’ cotton.
11/16Pia Design
The team at Pia Design wanted the garden to feel incorporated into this open plan space, so they opted for a neutral backdrop and introduced a pop of colour through the rust sofa, which picks up the colour of the corten steel panelling in the garden.
NIck Guttridge12/16Christina Nielsen Design
A love for textiles and old school craftsmanship is evident throughout Christina Nielsen's sophisticated yet refined spaces. This dining room is a great example of her style, mixing antiques with modern pieces to create a cohesive scheme.
Michael SINCLAIR13/16McLean Quinlan
With a brief to utilise modern sustainable practices while referencing the local vernacular, this new build by McLean Quinlan focuses on organic materials and energy efficiency. At the heart of the house is a green-oak-framed barn with double-height ceilings that houses the kitchen, dining area, and sitting room.
14/16Katie Harbison Design
Katie Harbison's style draws heavily on the timeless elegance of European architecture and a pared-back, California-inspired aesthetic. This blend of old-world charm and modern sensibility results in sophisticated and warm spaces, like this dining room from her project near Regents Park.
Ray Main15/16Cherie Lee Interiors
To inject life back into this Victorian House in Hertfordshire, Cherie Lee Interiors knocked down the walls between the ground-floor rooms to create an impactful hybrid living space to provide a meaningful focal point to the property.
Christopher Horwood16/16Rachael Gowdridge
Rachael Gowdridge used her holistic approach to design to transform the interiors of this Georgian townhouse in Clerkenwell into a warm and inviting home. The small dining room features Zellige tiles on the fireplace as well as a striking Pinch Design light above the table.
