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Home Decor

Dining room decorating ideas: Five looks for the entertaining season

Get inspired with these unique designs perfect for entertaining – from soft modern to bright retro
By Virginie Martocq
dining table, dining room, modern

Nico Stingue

New antique

Give heirloom pieces a fresh, modern look by pairing them with crisp white paint and sculptural blooms. Skip fussy drapes and precious rugs to create a casual vibe that’s very au courant.



Get this look: Table, console and drawers, CDI International. Similar chandelier, Ribbehege & Azevedo. Similar frames, SMASH.

dining table, dining room, antique, home decor, styleNico Stingue

Soft modern

Use texture and minimal colour to create a subtle, elegant room. Take your cue from interior designer Colleen McGill and mix antiques with simple pieces like an oversized paper globe. Insider trick: Make high ceilings feel more intimate by painting them a striking dark hue.



Get this look: Similar drapes, inVU Drapery Co. Nelson ball pendant lamp, Design within Reach. Similar chairs and table, Elte. Pottery, Teatro Verde. Design, Colleen McGill. Paint: Trim, pointing no. 2003, ceiling, off-black no. 57, both Farrow & Ball.

dining table, dining room, modernTed Yarwood

Girlie boho

Bring bright, playful energy to a formal dining room with watermelon-colour walls and vibrant table linens. Complete the look with classic Wegner wish-bone chairs and a pink shag rug.



Get this look: Wegner chairs, Design Within Reach. Gold chargers, Teatro Verde. Simposio table, Kiosk Design. Similar tablecloth, Homesense. Painting by Bobbie Burgers, Bau-Xi Gallery. Paint: Trim, simply white, walls, peony , both Benjamin Moore.

dining table, dining room,  bohoRoberto Caruso

Bright retro

Mix classic pieces in sophisticated white with vibrant pops of colour to get a room that’s both timeless and cool. Here, a Saarinen tulip table and executive chairs and a Sarfatti Sputnik chandelier are paired with whitewashed floors and colourful striped drapes for a look that’s equal parts Mad Men and The Jetsons.



Get this look: Table, chairs, Design Within Reach. Similar chandelier, Universal Lamp. Paint: Ultra white, Benjamin Moore.

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dining table, dining room, retroTed Yarwood

Gothic farmhouse

Bring edgy style to a traditional room. Combine deep hues, full-length drapes and a statement-making bronze chandelier with Windsor-back chairs and a classic harvest table. Insider trick: Designer Rebecca Lapres painted the trim and walls the same colour to downplay the panelling’s formality.



Get this look: Similar chairs and table, Ethan Allen. Similar chandelier, Absolutely Inc. Paint: Trim and walls, chelsea gray, Benjamin Moore Paints. Design by Rebecca Lapres, Riesco & Lapres.

dining table, dining room,  farmhouseJanis Nicolay

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