It’s that time of year in which we begin to think about upcoming holidays. That might foster thoughts about dining rooms—the usual gathering place—unless you are relegated to the kids’ table. The dining area reigned supreme in this year’s Decorating Den Interiors’ International Dream Room as the one below was judged the best of 300 entries in 10 room categories by a panel of interior design journalists from the U.S. and Canada. The blue-ribbon room, shown below, was designed by Monique Holland, of Washington DC.
The client wanted this gathering place to be a showstopper in their open floor plan home. It is one of the first things you see when entering the home. Going bold with black and white wallpaper along with the mustard velvet draperies does the trick. The custom live edge table adds an unusual touch. It all makes for a modern industrial look.
The transformation from a traditional style to a transitional one is shown above. Host chairs in soft navy velvet and side chairs in ivory replaced traditional dining chairs. Lighting was a key component of this update to transitional. The show stopping pendant has orb-shaped shades covered with small squares of mother of pearl that were painstakingly hand-applied. This makeover, by Cathi Lloyd, of St. John, Indiana, was judged second among the 24 dining area entries.
The built-in (above) was a natural to be showcased without taking away from the unique windows. To help bring the eye to that wall, a fun two-color wallpaper was used. The two-toned table adds contrast and keeps the room from looking too uniform. A soft watery blue/aqua, pulled from the rug and window treatments, was the backdrop on the walls, which set off the crisp white millwork nicely. It also helped showcase the coved nature of the walls. The multi-colored rug adds some visual excitement. This third-place dining area, designed by Suzan Wemlinger, of Milwaukee is one of my favorites.
As noted previously, wallpaper is always a great way to add dimension and give a room character. I selected this soft natural stone look wallcovering to blur the barriers between indoors and outdoors in this dining area. The sheer drapery diffuse the abundance of natural light. Wood, metal and textile elements lend texture which gives adds warmth to this space even in the depths of winter.
Dining rooms are the perfect place to be more adventurous with color. The lustrous aqua grasscloth paper offers a casually elegant foundation to the room scheme. Soft ivory metallic paint surrounds the dining area with a subtle glow. The colorful faux roman valances and bold rug set a festive tone in this traditional Chester County space.
Similarly the navy grasscloth wallpaper and pops of kelly green on the chairs and accessories establish the lively color scheme of this Mid Century Modern dining area in Exton. The bold pattern of the flat woven rug enlivens the vibe. The wonderful abstract landscape by local artist Georganna Lenssen pulls the whole room together.
Surely these rooms whet your appetite for a sumptuous dining room makeover.
Reach out to me so that together we can feast on creative ideas for your next holiday gathering!
