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Home Decorating Furniture Design Dilemma

Need help with formal dining area

last year

last modified: last year

Hi All! i really want to uodate and brighten up our formal dining area. The hutch has to stay, since it is my husband's inherited favorite piece of furniture. i do not like the darkness of the room and the table and chairs are not my style. I will definately get a lighter rug, but can I mix more contemporary brighter colored dining set with this hutch? colors are tough to find these days that would coordinate with the dark warm wood of the hutch.

Featured Answer

kandrewspa

last year

Whether you keep the table and/or chairs is partly a budget issue. But off white upholstered chairs are frequently used to update traditional tables. It is informative to see how the dining room is open to the rest of the house. The hutch is a classic piece, so as long as you don't get something too contemporary you could get a less traditional table. It would fit in better with the rest of the house. If you keep the table you could still get new chairs, a more modern rug a new chandelier, and the room will look much different.

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Comments (13)

ShadyWillowFarm
last year
Turn on the lights. If the room is not bright enough, add lighting. The table looks squished, but the angle makes it hard to tell. How many people do you seat on a regular basis? You may need to move the chairs at the head and foot and stash them in a corner if you are not seating 6 regularly.
E Madsen thanked ShadyWillowFarm
jck910
last year
I would a larger more contemporary rug (lighter colors) & chandelier and paint a lighter color. Then I would evaluate the furniture.
E Madsen thanked jck910
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E Madsen
Original Author
last year
Hi, yes was definately planning on a light rug no matter what. The paint is actually navajo white, so pretty light, just hard to tell with my camera that makes it look gold.
kandrewspa
last year
Can you post pictures of some additional views of the room and a better shot of the hutch? Were you planning on the new rug being the next size up? I'm not sure, but it looks like you could use it. Would you be interested in keeping the table but buying new chairs, or visa versa? If you're interested in keeping the table, please pull the chairs away from it and give us a good picture of what it looks like. What style is the rest of the house decorated in? Were you going to buy a new chandelier? Any of these appeal to you?

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E Madsen
Original Author
last year
@kandrewspa

Hi , I'm terrible at photos with my cell phone.. the colors and angles are off but heres so far... and yes, I would get a bigger rug. im also sending a closeup of the table pedestal area underneath ( i dont care for the carved "claw leg" look) I love the off white upholstered chairs in the photo you sent; would those type of chair legs coordinate enough with my current "carved leg" table"? thanks so much
lisaam
last year
You might try a stylish new chandelier (splurge here), cool modern upholstery fabtic on the current chairs, and a fresh color on the walls
E Madsen thanked lisaam
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
last modified: last year
Pale yellow would go good on walls and on rug
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
last modified: last year
Silver with brown
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
Warm white or off-white
E Madsen
Original Author
last year
@Celery. Visualization, Rendering images

wow ! that makes a difference, thank you 😊 may i ask one more question of you? not sure if you saw my other photos of the great room/kitchen that flows into the dining area.... wiukd you say the off white would go with the warm travertine kitchen? thanks again !
Rho Dodendron
last year
It's your husbands favourite inherited piece & it's being hidden away in a dark dining room? What if it were put in a foyer? Or upstairs hallway?
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
last modified: last year
You wanted to make dining room brighter? yes? So yes, brighter colors ( warm white, off-white, ivory or pale yellow) would do it and would go good with the rest of the house.
E Madsen thanked Celery. Visualization, Rendering images

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