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.
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.
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.
From the doorway, the view you see when you walk in.
From the far corner, looking back toward the door or kitchen.
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.
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: a full plan for one room, done online.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Big Book of Mood Boards: 140+ finished boards for every 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.
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.
If you’ve ever looked at your dining room, or the corner where a dining room is supposed to be, and thought:
We only use this table for mail. It doesn’t feel finished, but I don’t know what it needs. The light is wrong, the rug is wrong, and I can’t tell which to fix first. I have people coming for Thanksgiving and I’m not ready.
This month is for you.
The monthly 30-Day Room Redesign Challenge is back, and November is Dining Nooks + Dining Rooms, just in time for Thanksgiving and holiday hosting.
Instead of trying to redo the whole room the week before guests arrive, or buying a new table and hoping it fixes everything, we’ll take it one manageable step at a time.
I’ll walk you through the same process I use as an interior designer: understanding what isn’t working, figuring out the layout, making design decisions in the right order, and then choosing what actually makes sense for the room.
How to create a dining nook: the right table, comfortable seating, a properly scaled rug and lighting that anchors the space.
November: Dining Nooks + Dining Rooms
We begin November 1.
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.
You don’t need to start from scratch.
You don’t need a new dining set.
In fact, we’ll start with what you already have.
We’ll look at what works, what doesn’t, what can be moved or reused, and what (if anything) is worth replacing.
One short lesson a day, in the order I’d work through the room for a client:
Week 1: Figure Out What You’re Working With (Days 1–7)
Week 2: Build the Dining Plan (Days 8–14)
Week 3: Color, Walls + Storage (Days 15–21)
Week 4: Get Ready to Host (Days 22–25)
Final days: Finish It Like a Designer (Days 26–30)
Day 0, the kickoff, is free for everyone on November 1. Days 1–30 are for paid subscribers, one lesson a day through December 1.
Week 4 lands right before Thanksgiving on purpose. By the time you set the table, the room around it will be ready too.
One of my dining nook + kitchen selection boards. We’ll build yours in Week 2.
Get the free Dining Nook + Dining Room Checklist
Before Day 1, print this. It’s the two-page checklist I’d hand you if I walked into your dining room: what to measure, the clearances that make a table comfortable, the rug and lighting rules, and a hosting-ready list for the week before Thanksgiving.
It’s free. Join the challenge (or just follow along) and use it all month.
As a paid member of Your Design Guide, you’ll get:
The November Room Redesign Challenge: one actionable written lesson each day
Designer instructions instead of generic inspiration
Dining layout + table sizing guidance
Seating, banquette + chair help
Rug, lighting + scale rules
Color, paint + wall finish guidance
Art, storage + window treatment help
Table setting, centerpiece + buffet styling for the holidays
Guidance on what to keep, move, remove or replace
Shopping + sourcing guidance
Printable, checklist-style guides
Paid subscriber Chat for questions + community
The Design Toolkit, with my guides free while you’re subscribed
The full archive of challenges while subscribed, including September’s Entry + Living Room
How the challenge works
The format is simple.
Each day, I’ll publish one focused written lesson with a clear next step.
You can follow along daily or move through the lessons at your own pace. There’s a catch-up day at the end of each week.
Some days will be about planning.
Some will be about layout.
Some will be about the table, the chairs, the rug and the light.
And some will be about deciding what not to buy.
The idea is to take the overwhelm out of the room by breaking it into smaller decisions.
A built-in banquette can turn a corner into the most-used seat in the house. We cover banquettes on Day 9.
The order matters
One of the biggest reasons dining rooms go wrong is that people buy the table first and plan the room around it afterwards.
We’ll work through the room in a logical order:
Inspiration + direction
Inventory
Measurements
Layout: table, seating, rug, light
Color + walls
Selections + storage
Styling for hosting
By the time you start making purchases, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what the room actually needs.
Who this is for
The challenge is for you if:
your dining room has turned into a drop zone
you have a corner that could be a dining nook but isn’t
your table, rug and light don’t feel like they belong together
you’re hosting this season and want the room ready
you want professional design guidance without hiring a designer for a full-service project
you want to work with what you already own before buying more
you want a clear plan instead of more inspiration
You do not need a perfect home, a huge budget or a separate dining room.
You just need a table you want to gather around.
A breakfast room furnishings board: proof that a small dining spot can still feel designed.
Free vs. paid
Free subscribers will continue to receive design ideas, inspiration, practical tips and selected posts, plus the free Day 0 kickoff and the checklist.
Paid subscribers get the deeper guidance:
Free gives you the ideas. Paid gives you the plan.
That includes the monthly challenge, step-by-step lessons, subscriber-only resources, sourcing help, guides, Q&A and the full challenge archive while subscribed.
Know someone who’s hosting Thanksgiving this year? Send them this. The challenge is better with a friend working on their table the same week.
If your dining area is really a layout problem (the table blocks the walkway, nothing fits, you’re not sure where it should go), The Room Layout Fix is my step-by-step guide to planning the room before you buy anything.
If you’d rather hand your dining room to me, my Complete Room Design is the full plan done for you: two layout options, a concept board, paint colors and a shopping list with links, all designed online from your photos and measurements.
When does the November Room Redesign Challenge start? November 1. Day 0, the kickoff, is free for everyone; Days 1–30 are for paid subscribers, one lesson a day through December 1, with Week 4 landing right before Thanksgiving.
Do I need a separate dining room? No. A formal dining room, an open-plan dining area, a breakfast nook or one awkward corner off the kitchen all count. If it holds a table, it counts.
What should I buy first for a dining nook? Usually nothing yet. Most dining rooms go wrong when the table is bought first and the room is planned around it afterwards. Take inventory, measure, then plan the layout (table, seating, rug, light) before you shop.
Is there anything free? Yes: the Day 0 kickoff and the Dining Nook + Dining Room Checklist, a two-page list of what to measure, table clearances, rug and lighting rules and a hosting-ready list for the week before Thanksgiving.
