The Art of Great Dining Room Design

The art of designing a dining room is a creative adventure.

The purpose of a dining room is to have a place in which to dine, is it not? So, the centrepiece of your dining room should be a dining set. How do you go about choosing from the many dining sets available?

Do you want a dining set that is a show-stopper, requiring no additional elements in the room to make people do a double-take? How about this Knoll table/chairs:

Or, this Calligaris set:

Or, do you want a dining set that is just one part of a total look, which would work well with a china cabinet, buffet and accessories? How about this more traditional set:

What about you? What kind of dining set do you lean toward?

What do you have in mind when you think of great dining room design?