Decorating & Design
25+ Dining Rooms That Invite The Outdoors In
Updated on November 28, 2023
That majestic time of the year is upon us, when it’s not too hot and not too cold. This perfect weather has us digging into summer salads and hot-off-the-grill eats served alfresco, but on days when we’re stuck inside we’re drawn to dining rooms with an indoor-outdoor feeling. Here we’ve gathered the best H&H dining rooms that welcome the great outdoors — indoors!
On a hot summer day, this Boundary Bay, B.C., beach home has its double doors wide open. The rustic dining table — custom-made from salvaged materials from an old train station — is the perfect spot to enjoy a BBQ feast, and then venture into the backyard for dessert.
A generous dining table grounds the room and comfortably seats a large number of guests. The double glazed bifold doors lead to the screened room, where you can overlook the walkout terrace through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
This sophisticated dining room feels like you’re one with nature, boasting sweeping views of the lake and the beautiful trees surrounding the property. Sleek, minimal pendants don’t distract the eye.
When you have the beach in your backyard, putting the dining room next to a wall of black-framed French doors seems like a no-brainer. Who doesn’t want to watch the waves while you eat the catch of the day?
What makes this eating nook so special? The cottage’s original log cabin frame turns the space into a private oasis. Simple, Scandinavian-inspired furniture keeps all of the focus on the towering evergreens.
The subtle beach themes (like the beaded chandelier) in this serene dining room contrast beautifully with the backyard’s handsome stone hearth in the distance.
Mid-century modern elements — like the Louis Poulsen pendants and Cesca chairs — elevate this Craftsman-style home‘s dining room. A terrace creates a secret garden feeling in the formal space.
It’s all about the sightlines in this artful dining room. “I custom designed the wall divider based on a side table I saw with a little circle in it,” says Snob shop owner Denise Zidel. It feels like a porthole to the bright and airy view beyond.
Breezy and beachy are just two words that come to mind when we think of this dining area by designer Montana Burnett. Light-as-air pendants mimic fluffy clouds, and black-framed windows act as a picture frame to the outdoors.
This modern cottage melts into the rocky terrain outside, so it’s no surprise the dining room took inspiration from the land. The table is topped with a slab of guanacaste wood, hand-finished with a live edge.
Large windows, framed in custom bronzed steel, give this dramatic dining room an indoor-outdoor vibe. The slatted white oak wall plays off of the home’s exterior wooden accents.
At first glance, this dining room seems formal, but thanks to the cast-resin chandelier by Oly Studio, earth-toned neutrals and lush view, it’s equally laidback.
Between the slipcovered chairs to the earthy color palette and pops of greenery, this lakeside home‘s dining room embodies the easygoing vibe of alfresco dining — indoors.
This dining room’s large doors open up to a tiered terrace, while the live-edge wood table doubles as natural art.
A custom-made banquette invites guest to gather casually for meals in this Hudson River Valley country house.
Simple foraged maple tree branches are an apt centerpiece in this wood-clad cottage dining room.
A photograph of a misty outdoor scene and a bouquet of garden blooms bring a breath of fresh air to this grasscloth-wrapped dining room.
An oversized dining table made of reclaimed bowling-alley flooring and a coat of vibrant blue paint create an easygoing atmosphere in this sunlit eating nook.
The polished concrete floors in this Vancouver home are heated — perfect for days when the warm sun isn’t pouring into the Japanese-inspired space.
An oversized chandelier that resembles a piece of coral casts a beachy note above this eclectic cottage dining area.
This dining table, made from 200-year-old pine flooring, is surrounded by doors and windows that let the Atlantic Ocean breezes blow in.
A slim wrought-iron chandelier doesn’t block the view of the mountains visible from this Palm Springs home.
A combination of wicker and painted dining chairs feel appropriately casual for this relaxed cottage porch, located in Ontario’s Kawartha region.
Sunbrella slipcovers protect these upholstered dining chairs from fading in the scorching summer sun.
Raw wood, large windows and foraged greenery make this cottage dining area feel like it’s nestled in a tree house.
Expansive windows and French doors embrace views of this Vancouver home’s rose, boxwood and hedge-filled garden.
Cascading plants and screened-in windows create a breezy indoor-outdoor vibe in this back sunroom, while a perforated pendant illuminates late-night meals.
Full-height windows offer up a prime view of a lake in Ontario’s Muskoka region.
Industrial-style aluminum windows and a graphic gallery wall cocoon this mod eating nook.