boring dining room help

last year

last modified: last year

Dining room decorating help continues. We have new chairs but the cushions are navy now (see pic).

I like these curtains. How do I match them in the kitchen with valances (which can be seen by the dining room)? Same pattern? Solid?

I like this buffet but its sold out. What style is this so I can look for another one?

When I pick out the curtains Ill move on to the rug but can anyone suggest one that might go well?

We are finishing up a kitchen renovation so I am on a fairly strict budget. Dining room is 11’x11.5”. The table and carpet stay for now but I am looking for new chairs, a buffet, and then other ways to decorate our dining room. The kitchen (which you can see from the dining room) color scheme is white, black, brass the walls are a warm greige. No BS yet but eventually it will be something with some blues in it. Dining room is navy and white with brass chandelier. I am open to changing the light. I lean MCM and my husband leans more traditional. What can I do for the window and walls to make this less boring but on a budget for now 😊? I am open to any style honestly. Would someone be kind enough to help me 🤗

Featured Answer

ms72

last year

last modified: last year

I like the wall color and the wainscoting, and the cabinet is a great addition. This room is just lacking pattern and texture, in my opinion.

The chandelier is way too high. Rule of thumb is that it should be about 30" above the table.

If you're open to replacing the rug, I think it should be slightly larger.

As for the window, since you appear to have electric baseboard heating, try a beautiful patterned/textured roman shade to coordinate with the trim and wall color. But, I'd prefer floor length curtains! Possibly add coordinating artwork with some complementary tones on the adjacent wall also.

Finally, given that the wall color and the table color are complementary and rather saturated colors, they produce an annoying contast (for me at least). Perhaps you could tone down the finish on that table to be more natural.

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Comments (17)

Chris H
Original Author
last year
Dining room.
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Design Fan
last year
last modified: last year
I like the wall color and built in china cabinet.

What is a ”BS” per your post?

What color is the wall paint (manufacturer and color name)?

What is the measurement from the floor to window sill bottom?

What are the table measurements?

Add a photo of the light fixture. It looks too high - what is the measurement from the fixture bottom to the table top?

Allow at least 3’ around the table for the chairs to be easily used and the walkways. If your oval table is 42”x60” (before adding more leaves), that leaves maybe 18” for another piece of low furniture on the one window wall. Perhaps a narrow console or server.

Choose the chairs, console/server and perhaps a new fixture and larger rug, then focus on a piece of great art for the wall with the narrow doorway and table top decor. Aside from that, I don’t think the room will fit or need anything else.
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Susie .
last year
I would usually suggest using the rug as your jumping off point for decor, but the current one seems a bit small for the space. You want all the legs on the rug even when pulled away for seating. Also color may not be the best with the dark blue. If you don’t want to replace it now, then I would just remove it. Not sure a buffet will fit in there with a decent sized table and chairs. The chandelier is much too high - 30” above the table is good for an 8’ ceiling - you can raise it a few inches if the ceiling is higher. The current wall paint actually makes the room seem shorter. I would do one color in a smaller room. Drapes on the window will make the room feel taller, especially if you take them nearly to the ceiling. Also a good way to add texture to a room with a lot of hard surfaces. Look for some art for other walls - that’s a personal choice so think about what you would like to see in there. Sometimes a mirror is nice, but you want to make sure it reflects something worth seeing twice. If you have room for a console, add a lamp or two - they’re always good for ambiance.
wsea
last year
The rug is too small, id remove it and if a new rug is not in the budget now, just go without. lower chandelier and replace or remove chair slip covers with something less muddy colored..

Finally the blue on the walls is good but you despeately need art to breath some life into the room. that alone woul lift the room from boring to lively.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Thank you both. I will get those measurements as soon as I get home. Yes, the chandelier is actually clipped up bc the table had been moved and my husband kept hitting his head 😂 I forgot to lower it! I really appreciate the rug suggestion and will absolutely look into replacing at some point. Is that the best place to focus first? At this point it is functional so what I’m looking to do is make it feel and look nicer. The chairs are annoying bc they are too big and they are actually our outdoor chairs with covers on them. I thought about turning the table to make more room for a narrow buffet
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Thank you for the additional comments. At some point I will get a new table. Any suggestions on one that would not make such a harsh contrast? Darker colors? I also have the ability to refinish this one.
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
If the room is 11”x11.5” how large of a rug should I look for?
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Design Fan
last year
last modified: last year
The table size factors into the rug size.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Oh ok. I am very design challenged. Maybe I should wait to find a rug until we’ve gotten a new table. In the meantime I can take the leaf out of this one which will make it round instead. Would that be better with the current rug or is it just too small overall? We are a family of two adults and one child. So it doesn’t have to be this big most of the time. It’s nice to have when we have others over on the holidays.
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Susie .
last year
Here are some guidelines for dining rugs. If you're handy with refinishing, it may be worth it to refinish your table. IMO pedestal tables are nice in many scenarios.

Medium brown is a versatile wood tone. It will give you some contrast with your lighter more yellow floor and looks good with blue.

Before you rush out and buy anything, start putting idea books together and try to understand what you like about the different photos and how it would work in your space. Window shopping and trying out chairs for comfort is helpful. Dining chairs vary in seat height and depth, and you want it to be a good height for your table - tables sometimes vary a bit. Our dining table is an antique and is a little higher than average so we had to find chairs that were higher.
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Susie .
last year
Here are some ideas for blue dining rooms - blue looks great with a "sand" color, natural wood and white. You can probably find indoor/outdoor rugs that will work well. You may not like any of these (that's ok) just think about what you don't like or do like.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
These are such beautiful rooms. I especially like that chandelier in the first photo. I do have the ability to refinish the table myself but probably not until summer. I wonder if a table cloth for now might help tone it down? I had a navy blue one but it felt like a lot of blue!
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
I love the idea of indoor outdoor rugs. Seems like a good option to look into! Thank you.
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
Would this color rig look ok here? It says “sand” but seems to have a mustard tone to it. We both like it but I’m not sure if it would work. The table is 59.5” x 41.5” with the leaf and 41.5” x 41.5” without the leaf. Would an 8X10 be a sufficient size? The next down seems too small and the next up wouldn’t fit in the room. Pretty sure it is an ok size based on the chart above but would it look too big when we have the leaf out?
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
I can’t get a good photo of our floors to show the color, they are natural oak (no stain). My pictures show them much more yellow than they are. They do have slight red undertones though as it is red oak.
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
I can’t tag anyone for some reason. I hope some of you might see these updates. Do you think something like this would look out of place? I’m having a very hard time finding a buffet that I like. I am drawn more to MCM but my house really isn’t decorated in this style. Not really decorated at all. Could this work in this space on the wall with the small doorway, with a new rug and new chairs (keeping the table and refinishing in the future). It would sit just under the chair rail.
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