New This Week: 3 Breezy Dining Rooms Ready for Summer
These spaces welcome the warmer months with laid-back style
Mitchell Parker
June 23, 2017
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Dining rooms in the fall and winter tend to be a bit more buttoned-up for the formal holidays. But in the spring and summer, it’s time to relax these formal spaces, remove those tablecloths and prepare for breezier, more casual dinners with family and friends. These three dining spaces show how laid-back mealtime is done.
1. Farmhouse
Designer: Ally Whalen
Location: Cornelius, North Carolina
Size: 195 square feet (18.1 square meters); 15 by 13 feet (4.5 by 3.9 meters)
Style: “The space is a mix of modern farmhouse and European chic,” designer Ally Whalen says. Simple farmhouse table. Louis-style chairs. Antique-looking lighting. Sea grass rug.
Other special features: The large mirror on the sideboard adds depth and enhances natural light.
Designer secret: “Mixing up the dining table and chairs brings interest to a space,” Whalen says. “Otherwise a room can feel boring if everything is matchy-matchy.”
Wall paint: Silver Marlin, Benjamin Moore; table: Four Hands; lighting: Currey & Co.; console: Eloquence; mirror: Ballard Designs; rug: Jaipur Living
See more of this home
Designer: Ally Whalen
Location: Cornelius, North Carolina
Size: 195 square feet (18.1 square meters); 15 by 13 feet (4.5 by 3.9 meters)
Style: “The space is a mix of modern farmhouse and European chic,” designer Ally Whalen says. Simple farmhouse table. Louis-style chairs. Antique-looking lighting. Sea grass rug.
Other special features: The large mirror on the sideboard adds depth and enhances natural light.
Designer secret: “Mixing up the dining table and chairs brings interest to a space,” Whalen says. “Otherwise a room can feel boring if everything is matchy-matchy.”
Wall paint: Silver Marlin, Benjamin Moore; table: Four Hands; lighting: Currey & Co.; console: Eloquence; mirror: Ballard Designs; rug: Jaipur Living
See more of this home
2. Contemporary
Designer: Saffron Case
Location: Malibu, California
Homeowners’ request: “We wanted to design a space that allowed for casual everyday dining and would work when the homeowners wanted to dress up the table in the evening for a fun dinner party,” designer Saffron Case says.
Style: Wood table that “looks better now that it is stained and scratched from years of use,” Case says. Floating shelves displaying a collection of ceramic plates and bowls. Statement brass light fixture. Fiddleleaf fig plant.
Designer secret: “The Lawson-Fenning chairs, which were originally covered in a beautiful Knoll fabric but had become torn and spoiled, were reupholstered in an unexpected pattern,” Case says. “If a piece of furniture has good bones, we are big fans of refinishing or reupholstering.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “We originally hung the light fixture far too close to the table, which resulted in pretty much everyone banging their head on part of the fixture every time they sat down,” Case says. “I think we were so excited by the beauty of the fixture that we wanted to make sure it made a big impression. We definitely made an impression.”
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; table: ABC Carpet & Home; candleholders: Ralph Lauren; chairs: Lawson-Fenning; light: Lindsey Adelman; pottery: Heath Ceramics
See more of this home
Designer: Saffron Case
Location: Malibu, California
Homeowners’ request: “We wanted to design a space that allowed for casual everyday dining and would work when the homeowners wanted to dress up the table in the evening for a fun dinner party,” designer Saffron Case says.
Style: Wood table that “looks better now that it is stained and scratched from years of use,” Case says. Floating shelves displaying a collection of ceramic plates and bowls. Statement brass light fixture. Fiddleleaf fig plant.
Designer secret: “The Lawson-Fenning chairs, which were originally covered in a beautiful Knoll fabric but had become torn and spoiled, were reupholstered in an unexpected pattern,” Case says. “If a piece of furniture has good bones, we are big fans of refinishing or reupholstering.”
“Uh-oh” moment: “We originally hung the light fixture far too close to the table, which resulted in pretty much everyone banging their head on part of the fixture every time they sat down,” Case says. “I think we were so excited by the beauty of the fixture that we wanted to make sure it made a big impression. We definitely made an impression.”
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; table: ABC Carpet & Home; candleholders: Ralph Lauren; chairs: Lawson-Fenning; light: Lindsey Adelman; pottery: Heath Ceramics
See more of this home
3. Beachy
Designer: Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Size: 197 square feet (18.3 square meters); 20 feet by about 10 feet (6 meters by about 3 meters)
Homeowners’ request: A dining space with good circulation, lots of light and casual yet sophisticated style.
Style: White shiplap walls. Whitewashed wood chairs and floor. Watery blue patterned head chairs. “Due to the proximity to the ocean and the house’s use as a summer retreat, creating a light-filled environment was the goal,” designer Matthew MacEachern says.
Other special features: A steel-cable staircase serves as a backdrop for the dining space.
See more of this home
More
Key Measurements for Planning the Perfect Dining Room
10 Ways to Create a Warm and Welcoming Dining Room
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Designer: Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Size: 197 square feet (18.3 square meters); 20 feet by about 10 feet (6 meters by about 3 meters)
Homeowners’ request: A dining space with good circulation, lots of light and casual yet sophisticated style.
Style: White shiplap walls. Whitewashed wood chairs and floor. Watery blue patterned head chairs. “Due to the proximity to the ocean and the house’s use as a summer retreat, creating a light-filled environment was the goal,” designer Matthew MacEachern says.
Other special features: A steel-cable staircase serves as a backdrop for the dining space.
See more of this home
More
Key Measurements for Planning the Perfect Dining Room
10 Ways to Create a Warm and Welcoming Dining Room
More Resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Shop furniture and accessories
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Beautiful wall color on number one! And love the contrast host and hostess chairs!
Confused by the "farmhouse" label for the first dining room. Take away a wood table and you have a pretty formal looking arrangement.....
Maybe if the chairs were painted, it would give off more of a farmhouse vibe.
I love the first photo with the mix of the table and chair styles! This really spoke to me as we have a new home under construction and I am looking for ideas. I actually loved a lot of the elements in this home, very similar to my tastes. Also love the wall color.