Most of us think of dining rooms as a thing of the past- stuffy, formal, and definitely not a place to linger with your guests. Dining rooms of the past are covered in dark wooden formal furnishings, oriental rugs, and uncomfortable seating. Instead, these rooms are meant for enjoyment and for entertaining, whether it's a casual or a formal occasion. Take a look at these dining rooms and let us know which one is your favorite. Maybe one of these images will truly inspire a change!
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"The white chairs and coral chandelier make a big mahogany table feel lighter than it is," says designer Ashley Whittaker. "The contrasts make it work. I consider that a universal rule in decorating." We totally agree! Mixing the dark table with the light accents makes this dining room feel young, chic, and stylish! The diamond seagrass rug also lightens the space and adds to the more casual feel of the room.
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Designed by Markham Roberts, this dining room just feels warm and cozy. We are not sure whether it is the Clarimont fabric on the walls and table skirt, or the mink colored velvet chairs that make this room feel so inviting! Again, he mixes a light colored rug, fabricated dining table, with a more formal chandelier to create that perfect mix between formal and elegantly casual.
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Designed by Barbara Westrbook and Kim Winkler, we love the way the charcoal/deep brown fabric on the chairs ties in with the wall color. The use of the light linen on the table skirt makes the dark walls envelope you while you dine. This is a dining room that one could have a glass of wine in for HOURS!! Don't you agree?
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We love the black and white chevron rug with the yellow Jonathan Adler dining chairs. He did a great job incorporating such bright colors without them overpowering each other. This dining room is surly one that will inspire!
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Suzanne Kasler's Dining Room is such a great combination of materials, colors, and textures! We love the out of the box peony pink walls (not to mention the fresh bouquet of peonies on the table), raffia Oly Studio dining chairs, Neiman Weeks console and the dark lacquered dining table. What a mix!
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We love this light and airy dining room by Palmer Weiss. The pear colored draperies add just the right amount of color to this space. Of course we LOVE the Imperial Trellis fabric by Kelly Wearstler on the chairs flanking the console. (again with the slight accent of the pear color) The pair of cream garden stools could always be used for extra seating, however if we were dining in this space we would opt for the comfortable clean lined parson chairs! And the piece that tops off the entire space, is the exquisite mirror above the console - how amazing is it?!
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The Marjorie Skouras turquoise chandelier absolutely makes the space! Not to mention the mix of seating for the table - ottomans and chairs! How fun!
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This room designed by Kay Douglass has been all over the bloggisphere, and we can't get enough of it either! We love the textured pecky cypress ceiling, the relaxed slipper chairs, the "antiqued" mirrors and the sisal rug.
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The combination of the French chairs, framed Intaglios, Venetian chandelier, & Herringbone patterned wood floors help make this dining room sophisticated and timeless.
Sara Scaglione kept this dining room simple and relaxed using upholstered slipper chairs and a neutral palette. Color is subtly introduced by the rugs.
This dining room by McAlpine, Booth, & Ferrier was featured in Veranda back in 2007, and it is still one of our favorites. Notice the combination of upholstered stools and slipper chairs for seating.
Images 1) housebeautiful.com 2) housebeautiful.com 3) housebeautiful.com 4) housebeautiful.com 5) paloma81.blogspot.com 6) paloma81.blogspot.com 7) Atlanta Home and Lifestyles 8) housebeautiful.com 9) veranda.com 10) housebeautiful.com 11) mcalpineboothferrier.com
