Dazzling Dining Rooms

Now that you have your guest room in order, there is still time to address your dining room in time for Thanksgiving! 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 an Elm model dining room and a Begonia model dining room 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.

• First splash
The walls and tile were two different shades of grey that provided 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 like waves in the water creating a 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 an enclosed lanai if they have one. Though the dining room is a large part of the home and centrally located but left mostly unused, it has to look good and visually connected to the rest of the space.

• Accent wall
This large wall in the dining room had been painted a lovely shade of coral and we decided to keep the color as an accent wall. Also, a presiding factor in decision to keep the accent wall was that the kitchen and kitchenette were painted the same coral color.

• Display
A common issue with china hutches is how to use them for display. Often dishes are stacked and there a so many glasses and collectibles they look cluttered. However, china hutches are for display and should always look their best. We did that by adding teal plates along the back plate groove. The color teal in the cabinet will now pop against the coral wall. Also, the teal plates will help show the other pieces in the cabinet for display by providing a backdrop of color. Color makes other items stand out better than the dark wood of the china hutch. This is an inexpensive way to give the china hutch a visual boost. We added twelve plates.

• Art
We needed to add more color and break up the large coral wall just a bit more. We added two very large birds by Gene Rizzo, one great blue heron and one Egret. The focal wall looks great with larger items and less of them.

• Rug
This rug had all the colors of the space in the pattern with the main color of the rug being teal. The rug tied all the art and colors in the room together in great big visual bow!

• Mirror
The Begonia has no window in the kitchen. We used the arch mirrors to add the window back into the space. We hung an arch mirror on the back wall of the dining room, and we hung an arch mirror on the back wall of the-eat in kitchen. They reflect off one another in the same way a single mirror would catch light from the kitchen window of the Gardenia. They add the light that is missed by not having that precious kitchen window.

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

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