What’s the difference between a design classic and an overdone cliché? In the dining room, it comes down to the ideas and elements that work for longer than just one season but without becoming eye-rollingly predictable. The design experts I spoke to all agree that the best spaces subtly challenge perceptions while enhancing usability, rather than simply repeating the same design formulas.
Some ideas, of course, are timeless for a reason. Suspending a pendant over the table, for example, makes more sense than adopting other lighting solutions that’ll swiftly become overdone. While the latest dining room trends are worthwhile design tools for visual and textural contrast, be wary of clichés that can trap your space in predictability.
So, what are the dining room clichés that are going out of style this year — and what should you do instead? Pull up a chair and find out.
1. Wood, Wood, and More Wood
DO INSTEAD: Embrace distinctive materials for a functional space that looks and feels more layered.
(Image credit: Rebecca Reid. Design: Waldo Studio)
No one’s going to do a double-take when they walk into your dining room and see a wooden table with matching chairs. Yes, they can work beautifully, but yes, they’re also the most obvious choice. It’s far more design-forward, then, to use materials that really encourage a second glance.
We’re noticing this shift away from predictability in a number of projects, including the London dining room by Studio Waldo, pictured above. “In this space, we could ditch the wood as the wallpaper creates a very warm backdrop,” explains Tom Bartlett, the studio’s founder. “Vintage leather chairs and a lacquered metal table by Barber Osgerby create depth and add even more warmth.”
Layering different materials also provides the opportunity to introduce color. “In this dining room, the combination of blues and reds extends the small space into the view beyond,” says the designer. “The red leather is matched exactly to the color of brick seen in the buildings outside.”
Westwing Collection
Extendable Dining Table Samos
Tom founded Waldo Studio in 2000. With offices in London and New York, he leads the architectural and interior design practice and spearheads its residential, commercial, and hospitality projects.
2. A Formal Mood
DO INSTEAD: Create a practical dining room that can be used all day, every day, not just for special occasions.
(Image credit: Dean Hearne. Design: Laura Stephens)
The finest china, an achingly expensive centerpiece, the most gorgeous glassware — dining rooms have long been a space to showcase. That’s changing, though. “The cliché that dining rooms should be formal and only get used a handful of times a year is over,” says Laura Stephens.
Nowadays, you’re as likely to find a laptop on the table as a carefully laid place setting, or spot a cozy armchair in the corner rather than a carefully curated cabinet. “The move is very much toward friendly, welcoming, and relaxed spaces that genuinely get lived in,” the London-based interior designer explains.
That said, elegance still matters. “Dining rooms don’t need to feel stiff to be sophisticated,” says Laura. “Formality can make rooms feel untouchable, but being flexible means you’re inviting people to linger rather than creating a space that feels overly staged.”
3. The Bigger, the Better
DO INSTEAD: In beautiful veiny marble, six-seater tables can look much more glamorous than sixteen-seater ones.
(Image credit: Astrid Templier. Design: Rebecca Hughes Interiors)
For those with the square footage to have a separate dining room, there’s logic in filling the space with the largest table that’ll fit. The cliché for seating as many people as possible, though, is on the way out, particularly as we adopt a more laid-back, less formal approach to entertaining and hosting.
There’s a sense of glamour in more intimate seating arrangements, and keeping things more compact (even when the proportions of your space might instinctively suggest otherwise) is the way to go.
“There’s a real shift away from dining rooms that feel more like boardrooms,” agrees interior designer Rebecca Hughes. “The idea of simply maximizing seating capacity is being taken over by more convivial setups that encourage real conversation and connection.”
AM.PM
Elipso Ceramic Ellipse Table Top
4. Mismatched Dining Chairs
DO INSTEAD: Subtle variety looks far more elegant than a higgledy-piggledy seating arrangement.
(Image credit: Tim Williams. Design: Liz Caan)
Sleek metal armchairs at the top of the table, ornate wooden versions in the center, and armless Perspex designs bookending the arrangement – the overly eclectic, totally random, mismatched look is overdone. But there’s no need to abandon creativity altogether, though.
“In this space, the client had a set of matching chairs, but I wanted to give the dining room more personality and interest,” explains its designer, Liz Caan. “I wanted to break the monotony of the same chair, but in a way that felt sophisticated rather than chaotic.”
In a more modern approach to mismatched dining chairs, the designer replaced the bouclé upholstery with several different Fermoie fabrics in the same shade of blue, using different patterns and geometrics. The silhouettes of the chairs match, but the mix of fabrics provides visual interest. “The chairs give the space a little wink, but in a controlled manner,” she says.
Based out of Massachusetts, Liz leads a team working on residential projects across the United States. From coastal retreats to period properties, her design studio is known for seamlessly blending classical principles with contemporary flair.
5. Statement Storage
DO INSTEAD: Opt for useful, practical pieces with surfaces that can be adapted at will.
(Image credit: Michael Sinclair. Design: Banda)
Wow-factor open shelving, packed to the brim with china and serveware, and ‘look-at-me’ freestanding bars, complete with bottles, glassware, mixing surface, and all, are retreating into quieter, subtler forms as dining rooms become more multi-functional.
“People are moving back toward furniture that feels useful, adaptable, and lasting,” explains the team at Banda, who designed the London space pictured above. “A well-designed sideboard can anchor a room architecturally without feeling like a single performative feature.”
“Dining rooms are no longer just formal entertaining spaces, and furniture is responding to that shift,” they say. “In this project, the sideboard supports storage, display, and atmosphere in a much more natural way than a staged, trend-led piece.”
Habitat
Grooved Storage 4 Door Sideboard in Pine
The best dining room ideas feature classic design principles with a layer of individuality — they feel like personalized spaces that invite conversation long after the plates are cleared away. Clichés do the opposite: once a look or an idea becomes overdone, it makes your whole room look dated and feel tired.
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