Tag Archives: dining room ideas

Day 3: How Do You Actually Use This Room?

The room you have to plan for is the one you live in on a Tuesday, not just the one you picture on Thanksgiving. Day 3 of the room challenge is about how your dining room really gets used, because that is what a good dining room layout is built on.

Jill Seidner's dining nook board: a corner banquette, a dining table and chairs, lighting and finishes, above her own floor plan of the nook with the banquette and table sizes marked.
My dining nook board and floor plan: plan the room around how you really use it.

YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | ROOM CHALLENGE | DAY 3

Welcome to Day 3.

On Day 1 you took your photos and scored the room. Yesterday, in Day 2, you chose your three direction words.

Today we get honest about what this room really does all week. Not what it’s supposed to do. What it actually does.

I ask every client the same question before I draw a single line: “Walk me through a normal day in here.” The answers always surprise them, and they shape the whole plan.

Step 1: Track one ordinary day in your dining room

Today (or tomorrow, if today’s already half over), notice every time someone uses the dining space. Jot it down on your phone as it happens:

  • Who sat there, and for how long?
  • What were they doing: eating, homework, working on a laptop, paying bills, wrapping gifts?
  • What got left on the table afterward?

Don’t judge any of it. A table that holds the mail and the homework is telling you something useful.

By tonight you’ll have a list. That list is more valuable than any picture on Pinterest.

In this guide, you’ll get

  • The room jobs list: every job your dining space does, written in one place
  • The “lands on the table” fix: a home for the things that always pile up
  • The everyday seat count vs. the holiday seat count, and why both matter
  • The keep / add / let go list your plan is built on
  • A printable Day 3 checklist plus a job list worksheet to fill in

The rest of Day 3 is for paid members. Read the full post on Substack.

Read the full post on Substack

From my shop

Want the layouts, dimensions and lighting for every room in your home, dining space included? It’s all in my 151-page Complete Home Design Guide.

Cover of The Complete Home Design Guide by Jill Seidner Interior Design.
The Complete Home Design Guide: layouts, dimensions and lighting for every room.
Get The Complete Home Design Guide

Want help with your own room?

If you’d love a designer’s eye on how your own dining space works, book an online design consultation and we’ll talk through your room together.

Online design consultation with Jill Seidner Interior Design.
An online design consultation for your own room.
Book an Online Design Consultation

Dining room planning: FAQ

Why track how you use your dining room before planning it?
Because the plan has to fit the room you live in on a Tuesday. Before I draw a single line, I ask every client to walk me through a normal day in the room, and the answers shape the whole plan.

What should I write down?
Who sat there and for how long, what they were doing (eating, homework, a laptop, bills, wrapping gifts) and what got left on the table afterward.

What if my dining table is always covered in mail and homework?
Don’t judge it. A table that holds the mail and the homework is telling you something useful, and the full Day 3 lesson gives those things a home.

Do I plan seating for every day or for the holidays?
Both matter. Day 3 compares your everyday seat count with your holiday seat count so the room works for a Tuesday and for Thanksgiving.

Read more on Substack: follow along with the room challenge, or subscribe for all the perks, including the full Day 3 lesson and worksheet.

Subscribe on Substack

Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the full post on Substack: Day 3: How Do You Actually Use This Room?

Day 2: Find Your Dining Direction

Day 2 of the dining room challenge: before you measure a wall or buy a thing, you choose a direction for your dining room style. Three words for how this room should feel.

YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | ROOM CHALLENGE | DAY 2

Welcome to Day 2.

Yesterday you looked hard at the room you have: three photos, one honest score and the one dinner this month is working toward (if you missed it, start with Day 1: Start With the Dining Space You Already Have).

Today, before we measure a wall or move a chair, we decide where we’re going.

This is the step people want to rush. But every dining room that really works starts with a direction, not a shopping list. Without one, you end up with a table you like, chairs you like and a rug you like, and a room that still doesn’t feel like anything.

Jill Seidner's breakfast room mood board: a white pedestal table, a white corner banquette, a walnut and cream dining chair, black and white accessories, art and a lucite bar.
Day 2: a direction is what makes the table, the chairs and the light belong together.

Step 1: Gather 10 to 15 dining rooms you love

Open Pinterest, a magazine or your saved photos and pull 10 to 15 dining rooms or nooks that make you stop. Don’t overthink it, and don’t worry about budget yet.

  • Choose quickly. If you have to talk yourself into it, skip it.
  • Mix it up: big dining rooms, small nooks, a restaurant or hotel you loved.
  • Include one you could never live with. It helps more than you’d think.

Lay them out side by side, the way you did with your photos yesterday.

Jill Seidner's How to Create a Dining Nook guide: choose the space, a round pedestal table, banquette and bentwood chairs, a round rug, a pendant light and layered accessories, with the key pieces for a dining nook.
Nooks count too. Save the cozy corners you love, not just the big dining rooms.

Here’s what most people don’t expect: the rooms you love have far more in common than you think.

In the full Day 2 lesson, you’ll get

  • The 3-word direction method I use with every client
  • The “what repeats” scan, with my Dining Nook and Built-In Banquette guides
  • 24 direction words, plus my own breakfast room board as an example
  • The one-image test that tells you if a piece belongs in your room
  • A printable Day 2 checklist to download and keep
Read the full post on Substack

From my shop

Need more dining rooms to pull from? The Big Book of Mood Boards has 140+ designer-made boards for every room, each with the pieces that make it work, so finding your direction gets a lot easier.

Cover of The Big Book of Mood Boards 2026 Edition by Jill Seidner: 140+ designer-made interior design mood boards for every room.
The Big Book of Mood Boards: 140+ designer-made boards for every room.
Get The Big Book of Mood Boards

Want help with your own room?

If you’d love a designer’s eye on your own dining room, my $397 Complete Room Design gives you a furniture plan, furnishing selections, a paint palette and a resource list for one room, all done online.

The $397 Complete Room Design by Jill Seidner Interior Design: a furniture plan, furnishing selections, a paint palette and a resource list for one room.
The $397 Complete Room Design: a full plan for one room, done online.
Get the $397 Complete Room Design

Dining room challenge Day 2: FAQ

What is a dining direction?
It’s how you want the room to feel, decided before you shop. A direction is what makes the table, the chairs and the light belong together, instead of three pieces you like that never become a room.

How many inspiration photos should I gather?
Ten to 15 dining rooms or nooks that make you stop. Choose quickly; if you have to talk yourself into one, skip it.

Why include a room I could never live with?
Knowing what you don’t want sharpens what you do. It helps more than you’d think.

Do small dining nooks count?
Yes. Save the cozy corners you love, not just the big dining rooms, and mix in a restaurant or hotel you loved.

Read more on Substack: follow along with the challenge, or subscribe for all the perks and the daily lessons. New here? Start with Day 0.

Subscribe on Substack

Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the full post on Substack: Day 2: Find Your Dining Direction

Day 1: Start With the Dining Space You Already Have

Day 1 of the dining room challenge: before you measure, move or buy anything for your dining space, you look. Three photos, five questions, one honest score.

YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | ROOM CHALLENGE | DAY 1

Welcome to Day 1.

Yesterday you cleared the table (if you missed it, start with Day 0: Tomorrow, We Start With the Table You Already Have). Today, we look at the dining room around it.

This is the step almost everyone skips. They go straight to “I need a new table” or “I need a bigger rug,” and they buy the fix before they know the problem.

When I walk into a client’s dining room, I don’t start with ideas. I start by looking. Today, you’re going to do the same.

A calm dining nook with a round white pedestal table, a cushioned corner banquette, a green dining chair, a cream dome pendant light and abstract art on the wall
Day 1: before you change anything, look at the room around the table: the table, the chairs, the light and the rug.

Step 1: Take three photos of your dining space

Don’t tidy first. We want the room the way you actually live in it.

  1. From the doorway, the view you see when you walk in.
  2. From the far corner, looking back toward the door or kitchen.
  3. Straight on, at table height. Sit in the chair you use most and take the photo from there.

Here’s why: a photo shows you what your eye has stopped seeing. The light that hangs off-center. The rug that ends under the chairs. The sideboard wall that’s been bare since you moved in.

Look at your three photos side by side. Something will jump out at you right away.

That first reaction is useful. But it’s usually not the real problem.

What the full Day 1 lesson covers

In this guide, you’ll get:

  • The Day 1 worksheet (a printable page you’ll use again on Day 30)
  • The “what’s bothering you” checklist: the 6 problems I see most in dining spaces
  • The everyday vs. hosting test, so you plan for how you really use the room
  • The one-dinner plan: the date and headcount everything this month works toward

The rest of today’s lesson, with the five questions and the honest score, is for paid members on Substack.

Read the full post on Substack

New to the challenge? Here’s how it works and what each week covers: Join the November Room Redesign Challenge.

From my shop

Want the layouts, dimensions and lighting for every room in your home, dining space included? It’s all in my 151-page Complete Home Design Guide.

Cover of The Complete Home Design Guide by Jill Seidner: a 151-page designer handbook with layouts, dimensions and paint picks.
The Complete Home Design Guide: layouts, dimensions and lighting for every room.
Get The Complete Home Design Guide

Want help with your own room?

If you’d love a designer’s eye on your own dining room, my $397 Complete Room Design gives you a furniture plan, furnishing selections, a paint palette and a resource list for one room, all done online.

The $397 Complete Room Design by Jill Seidner Interior Design: a furniture plan, furnishing selections, a paint palette and a resource list for one room.
The $397 Complete Room Design: a full plan for one room, done online.
Get the $397 Complete Room Design

Dining room challenge Day 1: FAQ

Should I tidy my dining room before I take the photos?
No. Don’t tidy first. The point is to see the room the way you actually live in it, so the photos show what your eye has stopped seeing.

Which three photos do I take?
One from the doorway, the view you see when you walk in; one from the far corner, looking back toward the door or kitchen; and one straight on at table height, from the chair you use most.

Why look at photos instead of just looking at the room?
A photo shows you what your eye has stopped seeing: a light that hangs off-center, a rug that ends under the chairs, a sideboard wall that’s been bare since you moved in.

Do I need to buy anything on Day 1?
No. Day 1 is about looking, not buying. Most people buy the fix before they know the problem, and this step is how you avoid that.

Read more on Substack: follow along with the challenge, or subscribe for all the perks and the daily lessons.

Subscribe on Substack

Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the full post on Substack: Day 1: Start With the Dining Space You Already Have

Day 0: Tomorrow, We Start With the Table You Already Have

The November Room Redesign Challenge starts today. Here’s how this dining room challenge works, and the one thing to do before Day 1.

YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | ROOM CHALLENGE | DAY 0

Welcome to November.

And welcome to the Dining Nooks + Dining Rooms challenge.

We are not starting by shopping for a new table.

We’re starting with the one you already have.

Because the most common thing I see in dining rooms is a room planned around a purchase. Someone falls in love with a table, buys it, and then tries to make the rug, the light and the chairs work around it.

Sometimes that works.

A lot of the time, the table is the wrong size, the light is hanging over the wrong spot, and the chairs scrape the wall every time someone sits down.

So this month, we’re doing it the way I’d approach a real design project: first we look, then we measure, then we plan, and only after that do we decide what (if anything) is worth buying.

It doesn’t matter whether you have a formal dining room, an open-plan dining area, a breakfast nook or one awkward corner off the kitchen. If it holds a table, it counts.

Your Design Guide November Room Challenge roadmap: Day 0 kickoff, then Days 1 to 7 figure out what you're working with, 8 to 14 build the dining plan, 15 to 21 color, walls and storage, 22 to 25 get ready to host, 26 to 30 finish it like a designer.
Thirty days, one short lesson a day. Thanksgiving lands on Day 25, so your dining room is ready first.

How the dining room challenge works

Every day from tomorrow, I’ll publish one short written lesson with one clear next step. Most take 15 to 30 minutes.

  • Week 1 (Days 1–7): Figure out what you’re working with.
    Photos, your design direction, shopping your own house, measuring, the table math and the flow.
  • Week 2 (Days 8–14): Build the dining plan.
    Chairs, banquettes, the rug, the light, and your own dining board.
  • Week 3 (Days 15–21): Color, walls + storage.
    Paint, wall finishes, art, windows and the sideboard.
  • Week 4 (Days 22–25): Get ready to host.
    The dinner plan, the table setting, the centerpiece and the buffet.
  • Final days (26–30): Finish it like a designer.
    Mix old and new, edit, and make your final shopping list.

There’s a catch-up day at the end of each week, so if Tuesday gets away from you, you won’t fall behind.

You can follow along daily or go at your own pace. The lessons stay in the archive.

What we’ll cover this month

Things like:

  • how big your table should really be
  • round, oval or rectangle
  • chairs that are comfortable for a long dinner
  • when a banquette beats chairs
  • the rug size that keeps chairs on the rug
  • how big the light should be, and how high to hang it
  • a color story for the room
  • art and the sideboard wall
  • storage for dishes and linens
  • setting a table that feels like you
  • a centerpiece people can talk over

And plenty of small things that make a surprisingly big difference.

  • Lowering a light six inches.
  • Swapping the two end chairs for a pair that doesn’t match.
  • Turning the table.
  • Moving a rug that’s two sizes too small to another room.

Sometimes the fix isn’t expensive.

It’s just something you wouldn’t have thought to change.

Week 1 includes the table math. If you want a preview, here’s the dining table math I do before anyone buys a table.

Jill's Dining Room Design Ideas guide: a round wood table with mixed chairs, a sculptural pendant and a styled sideboard, with design tips.
A round table with mixed chairs: one of the ideas we'll test in your own room in Week 2.

Print your dining room checklist

If you haven’t yet, grab the free Dining Nook + Dining Room Checklist (it’s linked in the challenge welcome post). It has what to measure, the clearances that make a table comfortable, the rug and lighting rules, and a hosting list for the week before Thanksgiving. We’ll use it all month.

Your one thing for today

Clear the table.

All of it. The mail, the laptop, the fruit bowl, the stack of things that “live” there.

Don’t style it, and don’t tidy the rest of the room. Just clear the table, so tomorrow we can see the room honestly.

Then tell me in the comments on Substack: what kind of dining space are you working with, and what’s the one thing that bothers you most about it?

I read every comment, and your answers help me shape the lessons ahead.

Tomorrow is Day 1. We start with photos, a fresh look at your space, and figuring out how you really use it before we change a thing.

Join the challenge

Days 1–30 are for paid subscribers: $9 a month or $90 a year. Free gives you the ideas. Paid gives you the plan.

From my shop

Want a head start on Day 2, when we find your dining direction? The Big Book of Mood Boards has 140+ finished boards for every room of the home, plus a holiday section, to help you see what you like before you buy a thing.

Cover of The Big Book of Mood Boards by Jill Seidner: 140+ finished room boards, with sample pages and a living room mood board.
The Big Book of Mood Boards: 140+ finished boards for every room.
Get The Big Book of Mood Boards

Here’s to a table you love gathering around.

Jill

Want help with your own room?

If you’d rather talk your dining room through with a designer before you buy anything, book an online design consultation with me. Bring your photos and measurements, and we’ll sort out the table, the rug and the light together.

Book an online design consultation

Dining room challenge: FAQ

Do I need to buy a new dining table for this challenge?
No. We start with the table you already have. First we look, then we measure, then we plan, and only after that do we decide what (if anything) is worth buying.

What if I only have a breakfast nook or a corner off the kitchen?
It counts. A formal dining room, an open-plan dining area, a breakfast nook or one awkward corner off the kitchen: if it holds a table, it works for this challenge.

How much time does each lesson take?
One short written lesson a day, with one clear next step. Most take 15 to 30 minutes, and there’s a catch-up day at the end of each week.

Will my dining room be ready for Thanksgiving?
That’s the plan. Thanksgiving lands on Day 25, and Week 4 is all about getting ready to host: the dinner plan, the table setting, the centerpiece and the buffet.

Read more on Substack: follow along with the challenge, or subscribe for all the perks and the daily lessons.

Subscribe on Substack

Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the post and the comments on Substack: Day 0: Tomorrow, We Start With the Table You Already Have