How to Remodel a Dining Room
The order the work happens in, and what to settle before anything is ordered. A table, the space to get around it, and one light that decides everything.
BeforeAfter
- 1
Work out what the room has to do
A dining room remodel is mostly about the perimeter. The table position is fixed by the room, so the work goes into what surrounds it — panelling, storage, the light above it, and often removing the wall that separated it from the kitchen in the first place.
- 2
Decide what is actually changing
On this project the work touches wall panelling or paper, pendant over the table, built-in sideboard, flooring — and often opening to the kitchen and skirting and cornice. Settling that list first is what stops a remodel growing sideways once it has started.
- 3
Hold the dimensions
Whatever the finishes, these do not move. Allow 36in from the table edge to the wall; 42in where people pass behind seated diners. Hang the pendant 30–34in above the table top, centred on the table rather than the room. Size the pendant to roughly half the table width — smaller looks lost, larger blocks sightlines.
- 4
Plan the light before the finishes
The pendant is the room. Everything else is support: a couple of wall lights or a lamp on the sideboard so the room is not a pool of light with dark edges. Dimmers are non-negotiable here more than anywhere.
- 5
Check it against the room you have
Photograph the space and render it before anything is ordered. A Standard run costs 4 credits and a new account starts with 4, so the whole thing can be seen before a single decision is paid for.
Questions
- What should I decide first in a dining room remodel?
- A dining room remodel is mostly about the perimeter. The table position is fixed by the room, so the work goes into what surrounds it — panelling, storage, the light above it, and often removing the wall that separated it from the kitchen in the first place.
- What goes wrong most often?
- A pendant centred on the room instead of the table, once the table moved. Chairs that cannot pull out because the sideboard is opposite.
- Will it work in a small dining room?
- A round table seats the same number in less floor and removes the corners people cannot use. In a room under 10×10ft it is the difference between a dining room and a room with a table in it.
- Can I see it on my own dining room before starting?
- Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.