Kelly Hoppen creates the perfect dining room

Interior designer Kelly Hoppen gives advice on creating an ideal dining room

Q. I've just moved house and I'm in the process of doing up each room. The next project is the dining room. Do you have any advice or tips?

Jason Stevens, Sutton

A. 'A well decorated dining room can really impress at a dinner party. Take a look at my ideas for a sophisticated dining room scheme.'


Set a neutral canvas

The background for your dining room should be the same as the rest of your home to create a nice flow and consistency.

Always start by painting the walls and skirting boards in the same colour- I will always advice people to use a neutral shade, as it is unlikely that you will grow tired of it.

The floor and door frames should be done in the same coloured wood- again I am a big fan of dark wood and find that it creates a perfect 'ying & yang' feel with light neutral walls.

Once you've created your perfect canvas, start adding furniture and accessories.

Add layers

Before adding your furniture, you'll need to consider the fabrics and the colour scheme of your room. It's always good to think of it as adding layers so for example your rug would be the first layer, the fabric on your sofa the second, the throws and cushions the third, and so on.

All those layers of texture need to complement each other, which is why I always advise people to work with mood boards that give a comprehensive picture about the fabrics and colours that will be used.

When choosing your furniture, always try and keep it timeless. For example, if you are into the retro look try and achieve that through accessories rather than buying retro style furniture. Furniture is such a big statement and more expensive to replace if you grow tired of their look.

Accessories should be used to add colour and will reflect the style you are into. They can be changed easily according to season or mood.

Create atmosphere

Dining rooms are used less frequently than other areas of the home and are usually reserved for special events, so they offer the chance to do something really dramatic.

They're usually nocturnal rooms; so atmospheric lighting is key. This should include not only carefully positioned down-lighters to wash the walls with light, but also star pieces such as antique chandeliers or fibre optics set into the glass surface of a table.

I often hang pendant lights low over the table. This creates an intimate atmosphere quite different from the surrounding area.



Learn more about Kelly's golden rule of design from her book Style by Kelly Hoppen (£30, Jacqui Small) Buy Kelly's book from Amazon

See more of Kelly's style at www.kellyhoppen.com

Get more inspiration in our dining rooms gallery.

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