Give Your Dining Room the Ultimate Makeover
Fall has arrived here in Colorado, which means the holiday season is fast on its heels. This chilly, festive season brings with it special opportunities for creating a warm, inviting sanctuary for long conversations and a proper feast. The most important space in your home for these intimate gatherings is the dining room.
Often, the dining room is a space in which families gather to share stories of their day over dinner. Because it is such an important room in the house, the dining room should be carefully treated with the perfect decor. However, many simply do not know what to do beyond their need for a table and chairs.
Is your dining space ready to welcome loved ones in from the cold and provide the perfect ambiance for a holiday nosh? These tips are sure to get your dining room ready for friends and family.
RUG
Decorate your dining room, from the floor up. A beautiful rug will define the space and ground the dining room table. It will add color and texture. Make sure it is large enough to accommodate the chairs when they are pulled out.
DINING TABLE
There are so many decor elements that you may find appealing for your dining room. When choosing a table and chair set, imagine spending time with family and friends with a great bottle of wine or doing a puzzle with the kids. Whether picking a table with exquisite woods, or one of the new trends—free-form or iron and glass—an excellent start for inspiration and design ideas is to spend some time in your dining room and then check out specific pieces in furniture showrooms. See what catches your eye and imagine them in your own space.
Dining tables come in all shapes, makes, and sizes—round, rectangular, wooden, glass. Make sure yours is large enough for a crowd or comes with an extension to accommodate the guest list. The table should be one of the room’s chief focal points, so don’t be afraid to go big.
CHAIRS
There are wooden armchairs, harvest bench seats, French provincial and leather chairs—the choices are endless, and it’s okay to mix and match. While comfort is key, a grand display of seating around a fully set dining table makes an impression on your guests like no other.
It’s also important to consider additional seating in the kitchen—stools around the island or breakfast nook—where guests tend to gather while dinner is being prepared or appetizers are being served.
SERVING SPACE
Even if you’re not serving your dinner buffet-style, it still comes in handy to incorporate a buffet console or bar into your dining space—this is where coffee and dessert or cocktails can be presented.
Find one accessory that you love, and it can be the inspiration for the whole room. Perhaps it is a beautiful floral arrangement or an exquisite hand-etched glass vase. Maybe it is a side table with ornate mother of pearl inlay. No matter what the element, start with this piece and then build the furnishings and decor of your dining room from it. You can use colors that coordinate or contrast and textures that play off of key features from that one piece.
LIGHTING
There is nothing grander in a dining space than a dynamite chandelier or striking light fixture. On top of the visual impact, the intensity of the lighting also plays a key role in setting the right ambiance: Find a happy medium between too bright and too dim. Adding candlelight to the table scape is also a nice touch. A classic chandelier romanticizes the space and adds sophistication to your signature style.
CENTERPIECES
Look at the world around you, as well. Nature brings you so many options that can certainly find their home in your own dining room. Don’t be afraid of color either. Next time the sun sets, look out over the Rocky Mountains and imagine how you could use those dramatic oranges, yellows, and purples in your dining room. You may just find the perfect inspiration to take the big step from plain to dramatically beautiful.
Consider silk floral arrangements, which are a great way to add color, warmth, texture, and a sense of bringing the outdoors in—without hiring a florist. Don’t be afraid to take a big step and make that change you have always wanted. Remember, too, that accessories will play an important role in the completed look of your space.
WALL ART
Whether it’s a meticulous oil painting or a modern masterpiece, create a focal point from the table that creates a mood and expresses you and your home. Adding framed photos of friends and family to the setting can make the space feel more personal, too.
Once your dining space is decked out for the holidays, you can rest assured that your guests will have a marvelous time, in style.
Brent Simon is one of the owners at Colorado Style Home Furnishings, a Highlands Ranch-based furniture showroom that offers a diverse collection of comfortable, sophisticated furniture and accessories. View their profile or contact Brent Simon at (303) 741-4240.
Content for this article provided by Colorado Style Home Furnishings.
