Search

12 Dining Rooms Where You’d Never Miss a Family Dinner

09.10.13 | By
12 Dining Rooms Where You’d Never Miss a Family Dinner

It’s true we’ve been looking at a lot of chairs and eating areas of late, but autumn makes us hungry. These dozen dining rooms are perfect for gatherings with friends and family. Better than breakfast nooks but not fancy or formal, they’re just where we want to be at the end of the workday.

Above: Dining room in a single family residence in West London by London-based DOS Architects. It was the firm’s first residential refurbishment project.

modern-dining-room-black-table-79-ideas

The simple slat-top dining table and angular wood chairs have the same matte black finish as the kitchen cabinetry and pendants. The subtle contrast with the dark floor keeps things grounded, while the white walls open up the space, which was designed by Swedish studio Nyström Persia.

modern-dining-room-brian-road-nico-van-der-meulen

Johannesburg-based studio Nico Van Der Meulen Architects re-worked this 1960s home into a contemporary stunner. The open floor plan, with double-height ceilings, is dotted with copper pendant lights, including a trio over the dining table. They add a lovely lustre amidst the neutral floor and black furnishings.

modern-dining-room-osice-house-OOOOX

Radka Valova of OOOOX designed this dining room in a home in the Czech Republic. The wood table and plush upholstery of the molded chairs warm up the glossy lacquer surfaces and concrete floor, as does the cloud-like pendant above.

Photo by Art Grey

Photo by Art Grey

The custom brass branch lighting fixture, suspended by a rope, and the dining table were both designed by San Francisco-based Charles de Lisle Workshop, who handled the interiors of this Bay Area home. Designed in the 1950s by architect William Wurster, the ranch was renovated by Ian Moller of Moller Architecture. The dining chairs are T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.

Photo by Alex Jowett

Photo by Alex Jowett

This cabin in the Canadian woods sports quite the contemporary dining table. The glass top echoes the wall of windows, while the wood benches reflect the tall trees outdoors.

modern-dining-room-sputnik

Design Within Reach paired plush white upholstered Saarinen chairs with the master’s iconic pedestal table, and topped it all off with an oversize brass sputnik chandelier. The sleek, mid-century modern vibe is softened with painted white floorboards.

Photo by Jan Sondergaard

Photo by Jan Sondergaard

This looks like a home, but it’s actually the dining area of The Apartment, a design store in Copenhagen, which was featured in T Magazine last fall. Co-owner Tina Seidenfaden Busck pairs an oak table designed for the store by Kobenhavns Mobelsnedkeri with Eero Saarinen chairs. Michael Anastassiades designed the Tube Chandelier, and the Royal Copenhagen Konkylie tureen is by goldsmith Arje Griegst.

Photography by Line Klein

Photography by Line Klein

Revisiting the cozy idea of adding a kilim under the table, this dining room, featured in Elle Decoration UK, uses the black bordered rug as a stage for a simple wood table and black Wishbone style chairs.

modern-dining-room-marimekko-scandinavian-deko

Marimekko makes everything better. Under the bold black and white oversize polka dot tablecloth (which looks to be just a length of fabric), seems to be the simplest of bare wood tables. The wheat colored images of the framed print picks up on the raw wood tone, while the black chairs hold everything in place.

Photo by Laure Joliet

Photo by Laure Joliet

HGTV star Emily Henderson made over DesignLoveFest blogger Bri Emery’s home. In the dining room, Max Wagner’s “Tulum” photo hangs on the wall behind the dining set, purchased at Mid-Century LA. The amazing light fixture is by Brendan Ravenhill, and the layered kilims add lots of color.

Photo by Andreas Mikkel Hansen

Photo by Andreas Mikkel Hansen

Spotted in Danish design mag Bo Bedre, this Nordic dining area mixes old and new with the marble topped table, earthy bentwood chairs, and fanciful brass chandelier. And the fire is divine.

Marni Elyse Katz is a Contributing Editor at Design Milk. She lives in Boston where she contributes regularly to local publications and writes her own interior design blog, StyleCarrot.