Dazzling Dining Rooms

They often sit unnoticed in silent isolation. They awake from their deep slumber to the aroma of turkey and their walls ring with the happy laughter of voices. They have a short and hectic holiday life but like a bear seeking hibernation, they fall back into their state of peaceful sleep with the turn of the calendar year. I think dining rooms are often the neglected souls of our home but in an open floor plan a neglected dining room can ruin the entire space. In the world of decorating an open floor plan is an opportunity to create large visually cohesive spaces with different functions. Let’s take a peek into two dining rooms that are so inviting the homeowners use them year round somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Elm dining room
The first homeowner’s dining room is very closely connected to the living room and serves as the main eating area so it must dazzle. The homeowners like a bright modern coastal look and wanted that reflected in their dining room style. The furniture was already in place and captured the modern edge they liked but it was lacking in color and dazzle.

• Rug is the first splash
The walls and tile were two different shades of grey that provided us a neutral pallet. We infused the space with navy and shades of lighter blue by placing an 8×10 rug under the table. The pattern of the rug looks a like waves in the water creating the seaside feeling. The rug is the first color splash!

• Art
The art is the second color splash and we went big! The picture is titled, “Clarity” and it is an intense color portrait of water in The Keys near the Dry Tortugas. I have stood in that water and it looks just like the photo on a bright sunny day! The picture is framed in a floating frame so that the art is the focus and a floating frame works well with a modern look. We hung the picture above the buffet because that is the natural focal wall of the space.

• Mirrors
The mirrors are as modern and sleek as the furniture. We hung them side by side to make a strong visual impression. These mirrors reflect light and the art work so they provide two things for the price of one.

• Light fixture
The light fixture came with the house and looks great with the homeowner’s style. We did raise it so that it would not interrupt the art and it looked better up high.

• Begonia dining room
The Begonia dining room is also very close to the living room but not the only eating area in the home. In most Begonias the homeowners eat at the bar or the eat-in kitchen or on the enclosed lanai. However, the dining room has to look good and visually connected to the rest of the space.

• Rug
We started with a rug in this space too! We chose a subtle rug because the furniture was black. The striking richness of the black needed a soft note and we found that in the 8×10 jute and chenille rug.

• Art
These homeowners loved the coastal look as well but with a more traditional twist. They chose two large pictures for a visual punch on each side of the china hutch. The pictures have intense blue colors and palm trees! We framed them in a traditional dark frame to complement the art and the furniture.

• China hutch
The china hutch needed a pop of color to look visually cohesive with the space. We purchased blue plates to install along the back plate rail inside the cabinet. These plates lining the back of the cabinet look amazing and make everything else in the cabinet come to life. With the addition of the plates, the cabinet was now visually connected to the blues in the space. This is such a simple and inexpensive technique to make it all come together!

• Arch mirror
The back wall of the dining room received a large arch mirror to reflect light from kitchen. In a Begonia the kitchen window is missing and we placed another mirror in the kitchen nook so they will reflect one another

• Chandelier
The chandelier is new! The Beau Orb is visually impressive but does not take up any real visual space. We hung this chandelier a little higher than usual because it looked better to have the orb higher.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! I give free decorating programs! It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below