November's here, which for many us means the holidays, entertaining and the possibility of lots of people visiting our spaces. They're fun thoughts, but slightly overwhelming ones, too, if you're not quite ready for the season. We've got your inspiration if you need it.

If you haven't quite decked your dining room out the way you've dreamed or if you just feel like it's not quite ready for guests, we present a collection of some quite lovely spaces in recent Apartment Therapy house tours. "Modern" is a bit hard to define; it means a lot to different people. For this post we're using it to refer to refreshing, open, airy-feeling dining spaces. Spaces with minimal furnishings and color palettes that equally relax and invigorate. These are the kind of spaces that will allow the people — and the food — to take center stage, and hopefully keep the host calm and centered.

Top Row:
1) Chris & Kenny's New Santa Barbara Home
2) Laura's Mid-Century Melrose Place
3) Jody & Joe's Cozy Contemporary Condo
4) Drew & Mindy's Delightful Mix in Melrose
5) Alon & Betsy's Clean & Classic French Countryside Home

Bottom Row:
6) Erin's Vintage-Filled Austin Home
7) Peter & Margaret's Happy-Making Music-Loving Home
8) Kathleen & Bradford's Heritage of Harmony Home
9) Sabrina Soto's Penthouse Pops with Color
10) Jesse & Lucas' Simply Stylish Home + Studio

How's your dining room faring when it comes to being ready for the holiday season? Is it in a state to receive guests or do you need a little inspiration? Let us know!

Images — 1: Nancy Neil; 2: Leela Cyd Ross; 3: Bethany Nauert; 4: Kyle Freeman; 5: Alon and Betsy Kasha; 6: Erin; 7: Peter & Margaret; 8: Marcia Prentice; 9: Jill Slater; 10: Juan Enriquez