Our favourite festive dining rooms

Better off red

"A controlled colour palettepresents a dynamic picture in the dining room. Suiting the home’s streamlined look, the holiday tabletop is elegant and understated, achieved through glass candle holders and crystal wineglasses and restrained punches of red in the amaryllis, table runner and small accessories." - Iris Benaroia   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.

Colourful Christmas

"Summery fabric, used on the dining chairsand as table linens, is also wrapped around hurricane vases. Hits of bright turquoise keep the table from looking too fussy, while juicy oranges make a healthy holiday flavour." - Lesley Young   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.

Elegantly glam

"A lush garland of boxwood, crystal beads and silver pine cones frames the graceful arched doorway in homeowner Dee Dee Taylor Eustace's dining room." - Kathleen Dore   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.

Silver and gold

"Silver and gold shine on their own, so feel free to skip the heavy tablecloth, even for a formal affair. This table has a more modern aesthetic with its polished wood surface, which allows the low-key lustre of the colour paletteto take centre stage." - Heather Camlot   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.

Festive feast

"The English Regency dining tableand chairs had been sitting in Michele's basement in London, waiting for the perfect home. The table can seat up to 16, and at Christmas, Michele sets up a second table allowing her to seat 25 for dinner. The late 18th-century English Georgian linen press holds family heirlooms and other table linens Michele has collected. Three pieces of fragile decalcomania are displayed on top." - Kathleen Dore   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.

Golden glamour

"The key to creating this kind of drama at a holiday dinner party is surprisingly guileless: just don't stray from your existing decor. When you commit to a particular palette, you'll be astonished by how much you can experiment amping up a room. Glitter? Bring it on. Asian-inspired accents for the holidays? No problem! A black feather Christmas tree? You're just getting started." - Lesley Young   To see the rest of this holiday space, click here.

Pretty in pink

"'Use a beautiful wallpaper pattern or interesting fabric as your inspiration,' says stylist Lara McGraw, who created the sparkling look of this dressed-up dining room. 'It's an instant mood board.' Lara's jumping-off point was a sari fabric, and she made the leap from there to Bollywood, an aesthetic that's all about saturated colours, rich textiles and glittering jewels. 'Keep it modern and sophisticated by choosing a colour palette and staying within it,' Lara adds." - Nancy Won   To see the rest of this holiday space, click here.

A white Christmas

"With a more refined design, the dining room is clean-lined but not slick. The eight-arm chandelierbalances classic design with a contemporary elliptical shape, creating interest and visual tension. THe lush grey linen rug softens the space. A low botanical centrepiece feels modern." - Kathleen Dore   To see the rest of this holiday space, click here.

Winter greens

"If you're looking for complementary colour inspiration for your green colour scheme, think in terms of nature - stone, earth and sky hues work best. The greens, from citrine to deep forest, will pop when presented on a neutral backdrop." - Bethany Lyttle   To see the rest of this holiday home, click here.