New This Week: 4 Fresh Dining Rooms
See the colors, materials and finishes these homeowners embraced to breathe life into their dining rooms
Special features. Light blue walls (Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue). Town gave the table a fresh coat of white paint, added user-friendly chairs and placed two slim acrylic console tables on either side of the archway to give the family additional tabletop surface for serving.
Designer secret. “I think the gallery wall is what really makes this space stand out and be special,” Town says. “The client really wanted a space to display family photos and, being that this is the heart of their home, I love that we were able to give her a personal space but also blend in different art mediums to create a cool focal point.”
Chairs: Cost Plus World Market; consoles: CB2; stools: Target; rug: Rugs USA; table lamp: Circa Lighting; face artwork: Sally Benedict; abstract paintings: Amanda K. Hawkins; frames: West Elm (brass), Ikea and Target (white); table and buffet: homeowners’ existing; chandelier: original to the home; see more chandeliers
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Designer secret. “I think the gallery wall is what really makes this space stand out and be special,” Town says. “The client really wanted a space to display family photos and, being that this is the heart of their home, I love that we were able to give her a personal space but also blend in different art mediums to create a cool focal point.”
Chairs: Cost Plus World Market; consoles: CB2; stools: Target; rug: Rugs USA; table lamp: Circa Lighting; face artwork: Sally Benedict; abstract paintings: Amanda K. Hawkins; frames: West Elm (brass), Ikea and Target (white); table and buffet: homeowners’ existing; chandelier: original to the home; see more chandeliers
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2. Eclectic and Entertaining
Designers: Kiera Kushlan and Jessica Centella of Residents Understood
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 10 by 14 feet (3 by 4.2 meters)
Homeowner’s request. Keep the dining table and chairs while “infusing some personality into the space,” designer Kiera Kushlan says. The homeowner’s “favorite colors are green and pink, so we wanted to balance the feminine pink in the new rug with a darker, more masculine shade of green on the walls.”
Style. “The room had wonderful bones from the original early-1900s building, so it was all about finding ways to accentuate those and balance the more modern furniture she already owned,” Kushlan says.
Designers: Kiera Kushlan and Jessica Centella of Residents Understood
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 10 by 14 feet (3 by 4.2 meters)
Homeowner’s request. Keep the dining table and chairs while “infusing some personality into the space,” designer Kiera Kushlan says. The homeowner’s “favorite colors are green and pink, so we wanted to balance the feminine pink in the new rug with a darker, more masculine shade of green on the walls.”
Style. “The room had wonderful bones from the original early-1900s building, so it was all about finding ways to accentuate those and balance the more modern furniture she already owned,” Kushlan says.
Special features. Midcentury furniture. Pinkish rug. Green walls. “The Benjamin Moore Lafayette Green paint really makes the room,” Kushlan says. “Without it, the space certainly wouldn’t have as much visual impact.”
Designer secret. “Don’t be afraid of color,” Kushlan says. “Working with a professional to find just the right hue is also helpful. What works in one home may not be right for another, so remember, paint isn’t a one-size-fits-all.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We went through several shades of green before finding the right one,” Kushlan says. “We would see them one day, think we had the perfect one and then come back the next day only to change our minds. Because paint can change so much in different light, it’s essential to see it morning, noon and night before taking the plunge and deciding on a single color.”
Paint: Lafayette Green, Benjamin Moore; dining table, chairs, bar cart and chandelier: West Elm; artwork: Minted; ceiling fan: Rejuvenation; mirror: Anthropologie; rug: Lulu & Georgia; table accessories: CB2
See more of this home | Browse modern dining tables
Designer secret. “Don’t be afraid of color,” Kushlan says. “Working with a professional to find just the right hue is also helpful. What works in one home may not be right for another, so remember, paint isn’t a one-size-fits-all.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We went through several shades of green before finding the right one,” Kushlan says. “We would see them one day, think we had the perfect one and then come back the next day only to change our minds. Because paint can change so much in different light, it’s essential to see it morning, noon and night before taking the plunge and deciding on a single color.”
Paint: Lafayette Green, Benjamin Moore; dining table, chairs, bar cart and chandelier: West Elm; artwork: Minted; ceiling fan: Rejuvenation; mirror: Anthropologie; rug: Lulu & Georgia; table accessories: CB2
See more of this home | Browse modern dining tables
3. Classic and Current
Designer: Michael Carter of Carter & Co.
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: 342 square feet (31.7 square meters); 18 by 19 feet (5.4 by 5.7 meters)
Homeowners’ request. Add more interest to a boxy dining room inside a house that was originally a contractor’s model home.
Style. “Modern classic, incorporating family antiques with contemporary art and classic detailing,” designer Michael Carter says.
Special features. Geometric plaster ceiling tracery. Textured wallpaper. Wingback and Chippendale chairs.
Designer secret. “Hands down the ceiling detailing was truly transformative,” Carter says.
Window treatments: Barbara Barry for Kravet Fabric; custom hand-knotted rug: J.D. Staron; custom wingback chairs in Zoffany fabric: Gina Berschneider; chandelier: Niermann Weeks; buffet lamps: Visual Comfort; artwork: Jules Place; dining room table and side chairs: antique; wallpaper: Phillip Jeffries
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Designer: Michael Carter of Carter & Co.
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: 342 square feet (31.7 square meters); 18 by 19 feet (5.4 by 5.7 meters)
Homeowners’ request. Add more interest to a boxy dining room inside a house that was originally a contractor’s model home.
Style. “Modern classic, incorporating family antiques with contemporary art and classic detailing,” designer Michael Carter says.
Special features. Geometric plaster ceiling tracery. Textured wallpaper. Wingback and Chippendale chairs.
Designer secret. “Hands down the ceiling detailing was truly transformative,” Carter says.
Window treatments: Barbara Barry for Kravet Fabric; custom hand-knotted rug: J.D. Staron; custom wingback chairs in Zoffany fabric: Gina Berschneider; chandelier: Niermann Weeks; buffet lamps: Visual Comfort; artwork: Jules Place; dining room table and side chairs: antique; wallpaper: Phillip Jeffries
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4. Transitional Treasure
Designers: Barette Widell and Christina Boschetti of Widell + Boschetti
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 210 square feet (19.5 square meters); 14 by 16 feet (4.2 by 4.8 meters)
Homeowners’ request. A more comfortable room that would work with the rest of the home, with higher-quality furnishings.
Style. “The style of the dining room is modern chic,” designer Barette Widell says. “We wanted to keep the dining room warm, so we chose elements like washed oak, feathers and wool.”
Designers: Barette Widell and Christina Boschetti of Widell + Boschetti
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 210 square feet (19.5 square meters); 14 by 16 feet (4.2 by 4.8 meters)
Homeowners’ request. A more comfortable room that would work with the rest of the home, with higher-quality furnishings.
Style. “The style of the dining room is modern chic,” designer Barette Widell says. “We wanted to keep the dining room warm, so we chose elements like washed oak, feathers and wool.”
Special features. Paneled wainscoting painted in a classic gray (Sabre Gray by Benjamin Moore). Watercolor-style wallpaper. Large amber crystal chandelier. Vintage rug. Washed oak table. Modern credenza with wavy textured front. Feathered juju hat decor on wall for warmth and depth.
Designer secret. “Originally we only were going to put one juju above the credenza, but during the install we felt two were necessary,” Widell says. “Layering adds so much depth to the room and is sometimes necessary to make a space actually look complete.”
Rug: vintage; Zinnia dining table in washed oak: CFC; Finley high-back dining chairs in worn velvet: West Elm; credenza: via Surroundings; Royalton chandelier: Rejuvenation; Margate wallpaper in neutral: Thibaut; panel, baseboard and trim paint: Sabre Gray, Benjamin Moore; juju hats: Cost Plus World Market and vintage
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More
Key Measurements for Planning the Perfect Dining Room
How to Choose a Dining Table Light
5 Questions to Ask Before You Design Your Dining Room
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Browse dining furniture
Designer secret. “Originally we only were going to put one juju above the credenza, but during the install we felt two were necessary,” Widell says. “Layering adds so much depth to the room and is sometimes necessary to make a space actually look complete.”
Rug: vintage; Zinnia dining table in washed oak: CFC; Finley high-back dining chairs in worn velvet: West Elm; credenza: via Surroundings; Royalton chandelier: Rejuvenation; Margate wallpaper in neutral: Thibaut; panel, baseboard and trim paint: Sabre Gray, Benjamin Moore; juju hats: Cost Plus World Market and vintage
See more of this home
More
Key Measurements for Planning the Perfect Dining Room
How to Choose a Dining Table Light
5 Questions to Ask Before You Design Your Dining Room
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Browse dining furniture
Designer: Barbara Town of Town Lifestyle + Design
Location: Houston
Size: 189 square feet (17.5 square meters); 13½ by 14 feet (4.1 by 4.2 meters)
Homeowners’ request. “The family entertains a lot, and this room sits in the middle of the house and acts as a main hallway to get to the kitchen and the family room,” designer Barbara Town says. “They were hoping to bring in a more finished look, add a pop of color, [and have it] be kid-friendly and be a space that blended with the rest of the home design.”
Style. “The style of this space is transitional,” Town says. “We have mixed the traditional-style dining table and chandelier with a midcentury buffet, modern consoles and dining chairs. The pop of bright colors also helps tie these two styles together, being a mix of sophisticated and youthful.”