Formal dining rooms

We've had a pretty casual approach to sharing meals in the past few years, from a bar leaner at the kitchen bench to tea's on knees or alfresco dining outdoors. However, the latest trend to covet is the formal dining room. Style director Louise Hilsz shares how to create a new space to share a special menu with friends and family. Dressing up for dinner in one of these rooms never felt so good.

Lush Botanical

Bring the outdoors inside with this trend. Blend glossy green and sky blue shades, add a touch of antique gold, and you've got a dynamic summer-inspired canvas to match a fresh, seasonal menu.

Resene Orinoco paint available from Resene ColorShops. Helen Bankers artwork, $600. Knoll Platner dining table, $POA from Studio Italia. Love Tree Medusa dining chair, $689.

---

Artful dining

Find your dining room inspiration from art. Then, build the dining room style around that artist's colour palette. It's ideal for making a formal area in the home if you're short on space.

Molteni&C Ava dining table, $34,649. Giorgetti Elisa chair, $POA. Judy Millar artwork, $POA. Alma Light Drop 19 pendant, $2155.

---

Mid Century Glam

One of our favourite design styles, think eye-catching bold stripes with pops of pretty colour. Allows yourself to run free with clashing soft furnishings and entertaining accessories - your goal is to balance playfulness and practicality.

Resene Wallpaper Collection E300140 available from Resene ColorShops. Jonathan Adler Gilded Dora Maar urn, $919. Love Tree Grace dining chair, $749. Missoni Home Yuza cushion, $462.

---

Modern Luxe

This style sets the tone for the rest of the house via furniture choices and accessories. One of the easiest ways to define a modern dining room is a clean-looking space. Give the walls a fresh coat of paint, and add detail with eye-catching velvet, marble, and glass.

Republic Atra dining chair, $495. Gallotti&Radice Bolle Pendant, from $5225. BoConcept Granada table, $5819. Pols Potten Small Log vase, $89.

---

Pretty Pastels

Some of our favourite decor ideas start with pastel paint colours. Then, amplified by stark white trims, all that is left to do is add a sumptuous rug and an artful mirror - bring on the dinner parties, we say.

Ralph dining chair, $POA from Deluxe Interiors. Resene Spray paint. Missoni Home Rajmahal round rug, $7768. Resene Alluring paint available from Resene ColorShops.