We use cookies to operate the website and for analytics. By staying on the site, you agree to their use. Learn more
Interiors by room
A dining area follows simple rules, and they're the ones most often broken. The table needs at least a metre of clearance on the side where people get up; the pendant above it hangs low enough not to shine into the eyes of anyone seated and high enough that no one hits their head on it; the light over the table is always on its own circuit, otherwise dinner ends up lit by the main ceiling lights.
In our projects the dining area is usually connected to the kitchen and living room rather than closed off. So its materials and lighting are chosen as part of the shared space, and the table becomes the centre where the three areas meet.
.webp%3F2026-09-18T17%253A11%253A25.230Z&w=3840&q=75)
.webp%3F2026-09-18T17%253A10%253A41.296Z&w=3840&q=75)
.webp%3F2026-09-18T17%253A10%253A15.432Z&w=3840&q=75)
.webp%3F2026-09-18T17%253A10%253A23.889Z&w=3840&q=75)
.webp%3F2026-09-18T17%253A10%253A10.648Z&w=3840&q=75)
Where the table and chairs go is decided by the clearance on each side, not by the middle of the wall: anyone sitting down or getting up needs a metre of free space behind them, or the chair hits a cabinet or the next table every time. The shape of the table (round, oval or rectangular) is often chosen to fit the geometry of the walkway, not just the number of guests: a round table has no corner to get in the way where a rectangular one would jut out towards the corridor wall.
In our projects the pendant over the dining table almost always has its own switch, separate from the ambient lighting of the kitchen or living room; otherwise dinner with guests is lit by the same cold light as tidying up the kitchen. The hanging height is worked out so the light doesn't shine into the eyes of the person sitting opposite and no one hits their head on the shade when standing up from the table. It's a difference of a few centimetres, and it decides whether the table is comfortable. This circuit almost always goes on a dimmer too: the same table needs different lighting in the morning and in the evening.
A dining area rarely gets its own materials in our projects: the floor usually continues from the kitchen, and the furniture echoes the living room in colour and texture, so the three areas read as one continuous space. In that sense, the table becomes the centre of the composition, where the routes meet as well as the furniture: from the hob, from the sofa, from the doorway.
A sideboard, display cabinet or built-in cupboard near the dining area provides storage for the crockery, table linen and cutlery that shouldn't be kept in the kitchen units mixed in with the pans. In the design, this storage goes next to the table, not in a far corner of the kitchen; otherwise laying the table for guests turns into a trek across the home and back.