Light and Bright Dining Rooms

This bright dining room combines a range of different styles, fabrics and finishes. Thanks largely to its size and clean lines, this Shaker-style dining table with a natural pine finish mingles well with ultra-modern chairs covered in white, wipe-clean leather. Even a bamboo console is at home in the eclectic mix.

By limiting confident citrus hues to a single element, you can create a focal point of color. Here, a large-scale pendant becomes a visual treat, offering a dose of vivid color in an otherwise neutral room. Make your own pendant by creating a frame, covering with fabric, and fitting with a light kit.

A wall-encompassing picture window dominates this pretty and polished dining room, allowing for light to filter in and for an unencumbered view of the outdoors.

Carve out smaller rooms within a larger one by defining spaces with carpet, lights or drapery. This dining area—a section of a large, open living room—didn't feel like a well-defined space at first. The homeowner added paisley print curtains, which complement the $900 flea-market rug), and Herman Miller chairs, and suddenly the space had its own identity.

Modern furniture mingles with classic accents in this clean, white dining room.

Slate-gray castle stones contrast nicely with the natural wood table and chairs in this bright, open-area dining room.

Maximize small spaces by making them wear many hats. The table in this dining room does double duty, serving casual dinners or accommodating a laptop for a few hours' work. It can move out for lazy-day lounging on the sectional in the sun. The open base keeps the table from being too heavy in the small room, and the modern lines next to traditional dining chairs mix up styles beautifully.

The classic contrast between black and white takes a modern twist in the light and airy dining room.

White is anything but plain in this beautiful dining room, where neutral walls accent cream-colored chairs and white porcelain china, and a crystal chandelier reflects light coming in from the balcony.

A white fabric-covered wall highlights the organic feel of this open dining room, which comes together in the white, antiqued wood dining table.

Jade green walls enliven the gentle curves of the light fixtures and wood dining set in this light-filled dining area.

Wood cabinets and paneled accents in this kitchen provide a nice contrast to the starkly bright white floor, walls and dining furniture in this en suite kitchen-dining room.

An otherwise-austere rustic dining room is brightened with the addition of a royal blue table frame.

The light walls of this large dining room catch the warm glow from the big windows and reflect the light throughout the room.

Basic, functional and natural, clean white walls and a wood dining set are a match made in heaven in this cabin dining room.

An exposed brick wall gets star treatment in this brightly white dining room, with several coats of whitewash.