What does “dining room” mean to you? A grand Downton-esque space stuffed with silver and crystal? A cosy nook to eat with friends and family or a full-on open plan kitchen/diner marrying practicality with style? Standalone dining rooms seem to have gone a little out of fashion in recent years though judging by this years Home Awards entries, there are still plenty out there!
Whether you are lucky enough to have a dedicated room or are looking to optimise a more multifunctional area, there are plenty of dining room designs to create something indulgent and theatrical, yet practical, for dining and conversation. This year’s entries displayed some thrilling dining room decor ideas along with creative dining room layouts and clever lighting to craft amazing spaces to entertain. Whether on a budget or aiming for luxury, for great inspiration look no further than our talented finalists.
Explore the Entrants' Rooms
There’s something special about sitting down around a dining table at home, whether it’s part of the daily life cycle or a gathering of friends and family. Our entrants for this year’s Best Dining Room category ably demonstrated that whatever sized space you are dealing with, your dining room layout can be adapted to work within your budget.
Our category winner, Anouska Lancaster (@noushka_design), has really taken the dining room to the next level with this stunning transformation that wonderfully blends the proportions of a period property with modern design features and a bold colour palette. This substantial space manages to look both comfortable and stimulating and must provoke some great conversations!
One of our finalists, Charlotte St Paul (@charlottestpaul), has also made great use of strong colours, this time within an open-plan kitchen/diner setting. In addition, she has brought the garden outside into the overall setting through the glass sliding doors along with a vibrant moveable room divider.
Another finalist, Natasha Landers (@untillemonsrsweet), has taken a more “industrial” approach to this kitchen/diner, using a combination of dark colours and yellow tones along with bespoke lighting that cleverly makes use of intricate copper piping on the ceiling and multiple simple hanging bulbs. The bare brick wall, softened by artwork and plants creates a clever feature, in keeping with the overall design but hinting at the family use of the room.
Elsewhere, Leah Govier (@homeymchomeface) proved that you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact. This DIY creation made use of high street furniture adapted to create a built-in feel, a homemade dining table and recycled soft furnishings. The monochrome palette has been augmented with the single wall mural to give a chic and sophisticated look without spending a fortune.
Our last finalist, Liz Goulding (@the_midcentury_maximalist), used period and upcycled furniture, though her original inspiration was the wallpaper. She chose a mixture of strong colours for both the paint colours and hand-crafted artwork, creating focus points around the space, including the table settings.
Styles seen across Entrants' Rooms
Dining rooms come in all shapes, sizes and layouts and our talented awards entrants showcased their creativity across all of these formats. We saw a huge variety of colour palettes with some opting for bright colours and others more muted tones but overall perhaps a greater willingness for a more dramatic approach than other rooms in the house. In all cases, the dining table is the centrepiece of the room, albeit in all shapes, sizes and seating capacity!
How to apply these styles in your home
Unless you are prepared to move house or undertake some significant building work, you need to work with the space you have! Rest assured there is a lot that you can do to refresh the look and feel of your dining room without incurring significant costs. Whilst your dining room or area needs to be in synch with your lifestyle for day-to-day use, seasonal celebrations and home entertaining, be realistic about how often you might need to seat a large number of people and think about what the majority use would be. Whether you already have a dining area or are thinking about converting an existing room into a dining room, be sure to consider the flow of the room relative to the kitchen – food prep and the easy flow of conversation are both important!
Before focusing on what furniture you need in your dining room, think about the style you are looking to achieve. Are you looking for sleek and modern with neutral or monochrome tones, a countryside vibe or a bright and bold statement? With both your ideal style and the size of space in mind, consider:
1. Dining table – how many do you need to seat? What about an extendable table for high days and holidays? What material are you looking for – wooden, glass or metal?
2. Dining chairs – style is important to blend with your table but the number of chairs is also key – consider folding chairs for the extras you might need to occasionally accommodate.
3. Storage – do you need a sideboard, wall cabinets, drinks trolley or display cabinets? Are you looking to match materials with your table or contrast?
4. Lighting – are you looking for a statement pendant light? spotlights? Floor lamps or table lamps? Building in flexibility in lighting allows you to cope with gloomier days as well as brighter ones.
5. Mirrors & wall art – what would compliment your theme and colour scheme whilst also adding space and light?
6. Window coverings – are you looking for functional blinds or theatrical draped velvet curtains with flashy tiebacks?
7. Floor coverings – there is often no need to replace existing flooring as a new rug can change up the look whilst tying into the overall colour scheme.
Once you have decided on the “big” items for your new look, think about the finishing touches that can make all the difference. Whether you prefer a coordinated look or a more eclectic one, china and glassware can quickly transform the look of your table. Likewise, table linen, mats and napkins - whether contrasting or coordinating - can be a clever way of switching up your look without spending a lot of money. Let uFurnish.com help you discover the items and styles to bring your dining room makeover to life.
The spaces featured in the uFurnish.com Home Awards 2025 celebrate creativity, individuality and the many ways people shape their homes to reflect who they are. Each entrant offers inspiration that can be adapted to any style or budget, showing how thoughtful choices and clever details can transform everyday rooms. We hope these ideas inspire you to reimagine your own space and create a home you love spending time in.
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