Formal Dining in the Summertime
When I think of formal dining rooms, I usually imagine tables set with heavy linens and lots of accessories. I also usually imagine those tables in the wintertime. Maybe it's that summertime meals are often casual - or outside - but in my mind, formal dining is firmly connected to cold weather.
I decided to challenge my assumptions on this and ended up being pleasantly surprised. There are all kinds of formal dining rooms here on Houzz that look perfect for a fancy summer meal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
I decided to challenge my assumptions on this and ended up being pleasantly surprised. There are all kinds of formal dining rooms here on Houzz that look perfect for a fancy summer meal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
This room has a sense of lightness overall - in part due to the table's wiry, spare structure. And as with the room above, its pale, neutral colors are great for the hot summer.
I think modern kitchens lend themselves to multiple seasons - spare minimal lines seem cool, both literally and figuratively.
I like these modern lines, too - and the windows also welcome the outdoors in, giving the room a summery atmosphere.
This is an impressive space in any season, but I think the large windows and open spaces lend it to bright, hot days.
I like the way this room melds rustic elements (the table) with formal pieces (the chandelier). The effect is one that reflects the challenge of entertaining formally in the hot, casual summer.
This room is a great example of how dark wood can work with pale walls and accessories. I especially like the way the plates add texture, so the room doesn't look boring. I might like the whole space even better with one shot of color - maybe green hydrangeas on the table.
I just couldn't get away from including this photo in this book. While it's no fun to sit on plastic in the hot summer (ouch!), there's something undeniably summery about all of this lucite and glass.
I think sometimes it's the heaviliy upholstered chairs that give formal dining rooms a wintry feel. In this case, though, the mix of chair styles and the light fabric keep the space summer-appropriate.
Similarly, these simple stripes and pale colors work perfectly for summer.
And these drapes, though heavy, are summery themselves. I love that green - and I love the windows.
This fabric, too, with its bright blue floral, is summery.
Even though this space is enclosed and formal, the bright blue is summery enough to make the room feel right for summer dining.