Room by Room Design - Dining Room

Formal dining rooms. A waste of space or must have? The answer seems to vary from person to person, family to family. The open concept is so popular in new homes and among families with young children, that the formal dining room is considered wasted space. An extra room is never wasted space to me. An office, a game room, cocktail space or... a way to completely go bold with your dining room design. Let me convince you of the later!  
The best part of the dining room is that large wall. To some it seems daunting but there are so many possibilities, a bold wallpaper, wainscoting, or a wood patterned wall. If you are going to do an 'accent wall' this design is the best. See the picture below of the wall I designed for a client. The home is in the historic district and has a long formal living and dining room. A patterned wood accent wall was the perfect way to draw the eye to the end of the room and make a great statement. 

I designed the pattern, and my carpenter/painter did a fabulous job executing it.  He did a very detailed job going around the light switch and the vent. ​ We picked out a great dark green that would coordinate well with the lighter color in the room, Sherwin Williams, Sea Salt. The feature wall color is Sherwin Williams, Jasper Stone. It has come to be my favorite gray-green. We also painted the front door this same color. It creates a great flow throughout the space. 
The design boards below include an inspiration photo with this type of feature wall. From farmhouse modern to mid-century design they all include a bold color. Who wouldn't want to have great weekly gatherings in a dining room that is designed to suite their personality and styled to impress.

A great mid century design is not complete unless there is a great sputnik light fixture! This one is from West Elm, which is a great place to find mid-century modern elements. A large round table is a great compliment to the square lines of the walls. Etsy is a great place to find unique wall decor and art at all prices. Downloading prints of orginal art and getting them framed is a great cost effective way to bring in unique pieces. 

Modern farmhouse is still a popular look, the classic wood pieces that are used in the style is always appealing. Adding muted colors to farmhouse style gives the style a unique personality. Wainscoting is always a great feature in farmhouse design. A bench is a great alternative to an array of chairs around the table, not to mention it can fit lots of little bodies. I would stay away from fabric benches with lots of little ones though. 

A common style we use with staging homes is transitional. It is a combination of traditional and modern style. It appeals to most people and can be a great compromise when you are combining individual styles. If adding bold color to the walls is not ideal, you can start with a neutral palette and bring in bold color with rugs and upholstery.
After all the time we have spent social distancing, I feel the dining room will make a great comeback once we can gather around the table again.  Who will you have around your table?
gather transform gain - gtg

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