I struggled for years to style my dining room until I saw Joanna Gaines's 'quiet luxury masterpiece' – it is the perfect blend between chic and calm

Some have heralded the end of the dining room as social lives become less formal. Others believe there remains a place for decanting to a room that's only used for special occasions. Then there's interior designer, entrepreneur, and star of HGTV's Fixer Upper who believes that a dining room is essential for everyday life – you just have to know how to plan, design, and style it for multiple uses.

Whether used for hosting large gatherings or for more intimate family dinners, dining rooms should be inviting, relaxing spaces that have a timeless charm. However, it can be challenging to know where to start. The key to creating a dining room with enduring appeal lies in marrying elements from the past with modern comforts to establish a scheme that perfectly meets your needs and reflects your personal tastes.

Gaines's Lake House dining room – designed by Joanna and her husband, Chip using products from their Magnolia collection – is a masterclass in how to make a dining room look classy and sophisticated. The duo found the perfect balance between chic and calm, and it is one of the best dining spaces I've seen all year.

From walls, floors and window treatments to furniture, storage and lighting – not forgetting the all-important finishing touches – there are multiple elements to consider with each playing their own part in creating a balanced and harmonious scheme.

A restrained color palette can have a calming and elegant effect. For a room that works through the seasons opt for natural simplicity, leaving bold patterns and brighter hues in favor of muted tones, subtle patterns and natural materials.

Here, a traditional round wooden dining table and simplistic chairs continue the calm feel, while candlelight provides an atmospheric glow. Decoration has been kept to a minimum, with a glass vase, foraged greenery, and cream-hued serve ware, while the theme is followed to the wall with a large scenic artwork that mimics the soothing color palette. The scheme is cozy and convivial.

When it comes to deciding between a round, rectangle, or lozenge-shaped dining table, it’s a question of taste and space, believes Simon Temprell, interior design manager at Neptune. ‘Round tables are better for conversation but take up more space. However, round tables create a lovely sense of unity providing the number of people matches the scale of the table. Bigger isn’t always better. You want to be close enough to your friends or guests to hear what they are saying.’

When not in use, dining tables make for the most wonderful display surfaces. With a little effort, they can be transformed into a mini exhibition space for gathered collectibles, which can then be whisked away when the table is called into action for entertaining.

Joanna Gaines demonstrates how to best dress a ‘resting’ table in this scheme. A decorative mix of vases, bowls, ceramics, glass and napkins keep the space visually interesting. Also important to this room is the display of art on the wall, the oversized light fixture above the table, and the tall planting in the corner; the asymmetrical arrangement further enhances the relaxed, informal nature of the room. It is so simple yet so effective.

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