How do I design my dining room so the chandelier fits with decor!

9 years ago

Unfortunately, I don't like the chandelier in this room. I purchased it from pottery barn, and had it installed. Not a cheap endeavor, so now chandelier must stay. The wall color stays, but furniture and curtains can go. I'd like this dining room to look look and feel like a warm inviting space where we can eat most of our meals. I'd like a pottery barn look without the huge expense that goes along with that look. Help please!

Featured Answer

rosiegabby

9 years ago

The furniture is nicer than the light. I would not decorate around something you don't like. The furniture can be painted and reupholstered for a new look if you want.

Annie Sloan chalk paint can be used on the furniture.

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Comments (101)

abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I sooooo remember this room and your attitude about doing anything and everything to make it perfect. The last pics show how hard you have worked and look what an improvement has been made. I love what I am seeing! You are getting your PB room!!!

I know we talked once before about this, but I cannot remember.....can the mirror over the buffet be moved? Talked about what it reflects and if it is that special to deserve to be seen twice and all that. Again, does that piece of art fit over the buffet? And the mirror across from the windows?
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, the lamp in the corner is not necessary as just a space filler there. LOVE the wine rack on the buffet. Try the lantern where the plant is and put the plant on the floor instead??? Then something bigger for the table.......love the runner there, by the way. OR do you have a few more lanterns to try there together?
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Wow, I didn't expect so many responses, thank you so much for your time and ideas. I do know that the art is wrong but had to put something up from our last house while we settle in. I do find the fireplace a bit un-friendly and so I would consider changing the colour of it even just the border of it like one of the photos shows. I'm not keen on the small computer cabinet or the ladder shelving I have to admit. I was thinking more of putting 3 full width cherry wood shelves, bottom one being wider and desk height, changing the light fittings to down lights and maybe having a wallpaper or painted backdrop behind the shelves?? I realise I would have to get rid of or change the wallpaper on the other wall and change the curtains too. I take your point, many of you said it, about the curtains needing to fall straight, but I will need a wider pole to do that. Again many thanks, AnnaMarie ps we are in Ireland now but lived in australia for many years and that picture over the mantle is of an old aussie shed with moon light on it.
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abbyjean
9 years ago
I know.....how about the two pieces by the wine rack on the table and the lantern on the buffet and the plant on the floor?
cindyguent
9 years ago
Agree with Vicky. Leave lamp base black. Really moving in right direction! No $$$ spent yet, even!
cindyguent
9 years ago
Can you swap your chairs to kitchen and leave the black here? I think the plainer design of these black ones works better than the more intricate look of the REAL DR chairs. So just painting them black might not work.
cindyguent
9 years ago
Just looked back at your kitchen remodel after abbyjean mentioned something. Doubt that you would want to swap the chairs.
regina5697
9 years ago
While I'm not entirely sure where you might stand on the idea of painting the walls, I think a strong color would go a long way to helping balance the visual weight of the chandelier.
http://houzz.com/photos/122388
I like what you have done so far! You really are moving in the right direction and are closer than you think. :-)
Some ideas for art....something with an equestrian feel. Classic, Ralph Laurenesque...not western. I'm envisioning a horse sculpture...I'll search for a photo...
Keep plugging away. Nice job!
regina5697
9 years ago
This is close to what I'm thinking.
http://houzz.com/photos/311164
doctornancy
9 years ago
Is the wainscoting only in the DR? Would you consider removing it? It is a very traditional look that is inconsistent with the "pottery barn" look you are wanting.
cindyguent
9 years ago
abbyjean, Elizabeth really liked the style of a pic posted above by regina, and I think was trying to copy it to see if it worked for her.
Here it is again.

http://houzz.com/photos/65447
abbyjean
9 years ago
Gotcha! That is a beautiful room!
ashtonchic
9 years ago
Elizabeth - I almost got that same chandelier! I think you should just go for it. Get the furniture you love and the look you want now. Twelve years is a long time even if the furniture is still in great shape. I would get some pictures from the web of the look you are going for, and then go shopping! Also, doctornancy is right - the wainscoting should go to modernize your look.
User
9 years ago
Great progress. Next step, patterned rug?
Kendrah
9 years ago
What a difference and with no money spent. Great job!

* I too would paint the ceiling 50% of the wall color. It will not darken the room, it will make the space look bigger and more complete.

* I would keep 4 chairs at the table and find another place to stash the extra two. We did this at my house when we were trying to make our formal dining room look more eclectic and it really helps to tone down that formal vibe. Or, if you have an extra board for your table, keep it in all the time and have three chairs facing on each side. It gives it more of a farm table vibe.

* Go to a salvage shop and find a large old piece of rusty something to put on your wall where you currently have the framed picture. Make it a big statement piece that takes up a lot of the wall. If it is darker in color it will look great with the dark color of the chandelier.

* Your curtains look great the way the are now hung. I would replace them though with simple homemade drop cloth curtains. I think the flower print is bringing in too much of the dainty look you are trying to tone down.

* Pet peeve: Can you paint the switch plate the same color as your wall?
tlparks
9 years ago
When I look at your room, one thing that strikes me is the color of the buffet. Does it have a lot of yellow in it? It seems to be an off-color in the room. Would you consider changing the color?
PRO
flair lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
the dark chairs where such an improvement! helped blend the lamp cord! i would also opt for a large live plant rather than the additional floor lamp.
greenyogini
9 years ago
I think you can achieve the look you want (or more of it) by changing out the chairs, as suggested above. The ornate backs on the current chairs compete with and also seem overpowered by the scale of the chandelier. I think the table could still work, though, with more streamlined chairs. I do love that chandelier. :)
mariaed
9 years ago
whatever you do don't paint your dining room set, just sell it and replace it if you don't like it.
Meghan
9 years ago
I love your dinning room now that you have made a few changes! It looks lovely :)
Elizabeth Reilly
Original Author
9 years ago
Updates!
Elizabeth Reilly
Original Author
9 years ago
I took the burlap curtains from my bedroom and put them in here. Great suggestion! I think they look a lot better.
stryker
9 years ago
What a difference!
Valeria
9 years ago
That chandelier would look better in a contemporary/industrial look room. The furniture looks nice but if you really want that light fixture to work in that room you need an industrial table, distressed wood or black, no curtains etc. or a very informal look with rattan chairs and opaque furniture. You should also get rid of the wainscoting. Is that really what you want? I am telling you...if you don't go through MAJOR changes in that room it will ALWAYS look wrong! Option2: get rid of that mistake!
wisneb
9 years ago
I like what you did, Elizabeth. Over time if you feel like changing out anything, you can, of course. Live with it a little while and see what you think. :)
pickyvicky
9 years ago
Elizabeth, this is looking really, really good. If you stopped here, I'd say many kudos to you!

I have no problem with the wainscoting. In fact, I wouldn't have noticed it except for all the comments mentioning its existence.

The room is warm and inviting. Good job taking your negative and turning it into a huge positive.
cindyguent
9 years ago
Italian touch design, you are no pro by the looks of your information and the tone of your answer. Why not just delete your comment and keep your opinions to yourself if that's the only way you can express yourself?
charliebeth
9 years ago
Elizabeth, I love your industrial looking light! I ended up purchasing some very inexpensive dining chairs from Ikea to doll up my space with removable/washable slipcovers. I'm very happy with them, and they look great with rustic farm tables, fancier tables, etc. Maybe you could keep the dining table but try mixing it with something like those chairs to get the Pottery Barn look you are angling for? I'm including a link to google images with Henriksdal chairs from Ikea. You can get them with many different colored slipcovers, long or short slipcovers, and chairs with arms, or not. Good luck! https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+henriksdal&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=BTLgU6KzIc6zyATEz4GAAg&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1239&bih=536
asquithoatley
9 years ago
Read through all the comments and I'm amazed how well this room is coming along! I love the fact that you try lots of things and its looking great.
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I LOVE IT! Does it feel as good in person as it looks online to us???? THREE lanterns.....yes! I like the bigger art and can see the red and blue accents tying in with it. Will you try one itty bitty thing for me with it and then I can give it a rest.....is it possible to try hanging it like a diamond? Is it a canvas and you have that option to slip a corner over the nail? I just want to see what the different shape looks like on that wall.
abbyjean
9 years ago
Oh, and burlap curtains. HELLO! They work! Do the others work in your bedroom then?
regina5697
9 years ago
It's coming together so nicely. Are you happy with it, Elizabeth?
I like both curtains, but I think I like the patterned ones a bit better. Without them, there is no pattern in the room and that makes it interesting.
That being said, I'm sure the burlap's texture is comforting. Either way, it's a welcoming room and I'm sure the family will enjoy many good times in it.
Valeria
9 years ago
This is about Elizabeth and her dining room (let's try to keep intolerance, rudeness and other issues out of this space, please). Elizabeth, I hope you feel good about the room now but if you still feel like something is not exactly right and you really love that light fixture...I would suggest you to go to a furniture store with a pic of it and choose the table and chairs that best suit it (you know what style you need and they may have an expert in the store that can make your life easier and your shopping quicker). This will spare you future headaches and shopping is always fun! I highly suggest you to paint the wainscoting if you want to keep it.
That said, I think you can easily sell that dining set you have because it's really nice and I see why you have tried to make it work. Good luck!!!
I_want_to
9 years ago
I think you did a great job in the end and the room looks really beautiful. Please please don't get rid of that beautiful furniture if you really have to change something change the chandelier (move it to another area of the house) but I think the way it looks now it looks good.
Elizabeth Reilly
Original Author
9 years ago
@abbyjean. It really does feel great in this room now. The curtains really make a huge difference. Even though there is no pattern on them, they make the room feel richer and warmer. I agree that the art work on the wall needs to be changed. I'm scrounging around the house and found these metal abstract pieces. They kind of feel industrial, but the color on them is warm. What do you guys think? They are heavy and hard to hang, so I'm hoping people can see or imagine them up on the wall. I actually have three of them (I have downsized from a much larger home) but I think 3 would be too heavy. Maybe two of them is even too heavy?

I'm happy with the way things are going in this room in general. You all have helped me not to do the first thing that I usually do, which is to run out and "buy a new room". I think that when this room is done, I'll feel a sense of accomplishment (instead if a sense of (crap, this cost a lot of money). I also wanted a room that was unique, and not out of the pages of a pottery barn magazine. With that said, I will have to purchase some things to make it fully work. Maybe chairs. The Ikea suggestion was helpful, I'll look more into those, thanks!
PRO
Rooms About You Design Studio
9 years ago
I think the shape of your table and chairs is terrific with the chandelier. Why not paint them a great color and stencil the top of the table. Put a protective coat over the paint for daily use. Look for some great vintage bark fabric to reupholster your seats and paint the walls above the chair rail in a vibrant color to enhance the "new" dining set. You will save a lot of money and have a one-of- a- kind dining room.
stryker
9 years ago
There's something about that metal artwork that's not working for me. Too dark and heavy, I think. Something lighter with a little more color would be better. I like that the forms within it are simple. You need a piece there that is not too busy.
abbyjean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I love the new pieces, but I, too, am just not sure if they are too dark and similar to the mirror. I think you need some red in the room, which was there with the other two pieces. That last piece was not horrible, though. I went and looked again and wonder if a large plant in the corner that would fill in some wall space would make that colored one feel more at home there. And I see all the sunshine pouring in, which means a plant could be happy there.
abbyjean
9 years ago
And trust me, we have all been there with that mode of decorating......nice to be doing things differently now, huh?
tlparks
9 years ago
I think it might feel too dark and heavy in there with the metal wall hangings. JMHO
greenyogini
9 years ago
I dunno, I kind of love the way those metal pieces look. Why not try them on the wall to see what you think? You can always change it out later. If two of them side by side feels too heavy, you could stagger their height (like the chandelier lamps are), or put one on the long wall and one on a shorter wall across or adjacent to the long wall (I can't seem to picture what the window wall looks like).
greenyogini
9 years ago
What about changing out the potted plant into something like this?

19" Hammered Polished Copper Planter · More Info
hambirg
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
While I think what you've done so far coordinates better with the light, I'm going to be honest. I prefer the original room (please don't throw tomatoes at me folks.) I miss the soft light airy feel. I liked the delicateness of the old chairs. I loved the lighter look of the old curtains, and the beautiful print. But most of all, I miss the way the lighter wood on the buffet really stood out. I think it was the star of the room. Now the buffet, I think, looks a little out of place.

Of course, that is just my opinion and personal tastes run the gamut. If you like this new look better than that's what counts. I wish there was something you could do to bring the focus back on the buffet. Maybe try one large piece in the center or a small grouping of three items. . .maybe white, like ironstone pieces. I think every room that has some black should have a little white too (besides the trim and wainscoting). Idk, just a thought.
hambirg
9 years ago
I don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but try moving the chairs so that there are two on each side of the table. I think that would open the sight line to the buffet and help it feel less like an afterthought.
PRO
flair lighting
9 years ago
i like the new art, but im not sure it belongs, maybe to heavy for the space, and add an industrial tone you dont need. Have you considered getting the Edison bulbs. as for above comment, this light does not have to be industrial. it can be what you want. early Americana has the ability to blend in styles. and i like where the curtains and the light have now given you a little farmhouse feel. so i would keep the wall art in theme with that.
Nancy Travisinteriors
9 years ago
Yeah you light is industrial and furn is formal. Go a updated look, a rectangle glass table fabric chairs end chairs being bigger. A reclaimed wood buffet, art 40x40 instead of boring mirror. Go color and contemporary design in art. Wall color, paint a dove gray. On windows go panels on ends, woven fabric 2 shades darker than walls. Under them add a bamboo shade keep rolled up 1/2 way. Area rug a fun shag in charcoal. On buffet add interesting items. Ck TJMax, Z Galleries, if in Calif or Arizona try Living spaces, for table you want for great price. A reclaimed wood long table would work too if you don't want glass. P.s. I love your light good job. You stepped out of the box, now go for it in rest of room. Pier One has some cool things. West Elm.Go on line.
Nancy Travisinteriors
9 years ago
Another paint color very in right now. Is charcoal. It's stunning on walls. Would look great with your white wainscoting. And moulding. In the future go a wider ceiling moulding 6".
Nancy Travisinteriors
9 years ago
You could use that mirror minus the weath, on wall looking at window.
decoenthusiaste
9 years ago
I was sure you were headed in the industrial direction, but now it turns out you're more country!
Casket Arts Dining Room · More Info
pagosapamie
9 years ago
The problem with the room is scale. The chandelier is slightly too large for the room (which can be a good thing - I often design with oversized chandeliers) and the furniture is slightly too small for the room. You really have to go one way or the other. If you want to keep most of your furniture, paint the chairs and the buffet with chalk paint (possibly charcoal) but (and this is really important) replace your dining table with a much larger and stronger piece. A reclaimed wood piece that is at least 6" wider than yours and longer if you have the room. I would really like to see your 4 chairs on each side of the table and get 2 larger upholstered chairs for the ends. The added weight will work with your chandelier much better. When you are accessorizing think chunky! your mirror above your buffet is delicate - there is a large rectangular one around (I see it everywhere when you type driftwood furniture) that is made of small pieces of driftwood. Rustic and warm. Your chairs are just about perfect. They are the rustic look you need - just the wrong finish. Drapery rod - 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" rusted finish rod that returns into the wall and real Belgium linen drapes on rings. (Best buy EVER - Ikea real linen in creamy off white for $49.00 a PAIR. Good luck!
pagosapamie
9 years ago
amending my comment about belgium linen - OMG just saw your burlap drapes - I LOVE THEM. NOW you are on the right track. Still want to see the other changes though.