4 Stylish New Dining Rooms
See how design pros use bold color, delightful decor and eccentric elements to create a fashionably formal space
A special occasion warrants special design. That’s why a formal dining room is a great place to take decor to a bold level. Here, design pros share the details they used to create exceptional looks in four formal dining spaces.
2. Beautiful Balance
Designer: Alethea Sadowski of A. Sadowski Designs
Builder: Lake Country Builders
Location: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Homeowners’ request. “They are big entertainers and enjoy having family and friends over,” says designer Alethea Sadowski, who collaborated with her client using Houzz photos to communicate design ideas. “They wanted the space to be casual, inviting and warm. We nestled the dining room next to their living room and kitchen, which is a completely open concept. Even though the dining space is not large, it works for an evening meal for their family of four or gathering of people.”
Main feature. “Given that the house is open-concept, it was important that we created moments throughout the main level that generated a pause and created an accent,” Sadowski says. “The dining room has a fun, colorful piece of art that balances the scale of the room, while the barn doors create a playful texture and mood.”
Other special features. The walls and trim are Simply White by Benjamin Moore. “This gave us a lot of freedom to introduce natural elements in the furnishings and decor,” Sadowski says. “We had the barn doors custom-stained a fun blue-gray tone to create some contrast and enrich the mood of the space.”
Designer tip. “Play with scale,” Sadowski says. “A room doesn’t have to be palatial to work. Introduce scale with wall art, wall texture or a composition of accessories to make a room more alluring. And have fun with it.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Our ‘uh-oh’ moment was our barn doors,” Sadowski says. “You know when you have a vision in your head and then you execute and you think, ‘Hmmm, that doesn’t look right’? We worked for weeks to develop just the right stain color, just the right level of warmth, and at times it felt like maybe we should just give up. Having clients that trust your vision and your commitment really saved the day. We got there together and we are all so happy we stuck with our plan.”
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Designer: Alethea Sadowski of A. Sadowski Designs
Builder: Lake Country Builders
Location: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Homeowners’ request. “They are big entertainers and enjoy having family and friends over,” says designer Alethea Sadowski, who collaborated with her client using Houzz photos to communicate design ideas. “They wanted the space to be casual, inviting and warm. We nestled the dining room next to their living room and kitchen, which is a completely open concept. Even though the dining space is not large, it works for an evening meal for their family of four or gathering of people.”
Main feature. “Given that the house is open-concept, it was important that we created moments throughout the main level that generated a pause and created an accent,” Sadowski says. “The dining room has a fun, colorful piece of art that balances the scale of the room, while the barn doors create a playful texture and mood.”
Other special features. The walls and trim are Simply White by Benjamin Moore. “This gave us a lot of freedom to introduce natural elements in the furnishings and decor,” Sadowski says. “We had the barn doors custom-stained a fun blue-gray tone to create some contrast and enrich the mood of the space.”
Designer tip. “Play with scale,” Sadowski says. “A room doesn’t have to be palatial to work. Introduce scale with wall art, wall texture or a composition of accessories to make a room more alluring. And have fun with it.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Our ‘uh-oh’ moment was our barn doors,” Sadowski says. “You know when you have a vision in your head and then you execute and you think, ‘Hmmm, that doesn’t look right’? We worked for weeks to develop just the right stain color, just the right level of warmth, and at times it felt like maybe we should just give up. Having clients that trust your vision and your commitment really saved the day. We got there together and we are all so happy we stuck with our plan.”
Shop for dining room furniture
3. Eclectic Elegance
Designer: Alexandra Denburg of M&P Design Group
Location: Pelham, New York
Size: 412½ square feet (38 square meters); 16½ by 25 feet
Homeowners’ request. “My clients requested a room that offered easeful livability for their family while incorporating an incredibly eclectic design style,” designer Alexandra Denburg says.
Main feature. “Without a doubt the most significant design detail in this room is the hand-painted butterfly wallpaper adorning the ceiling,” Denburg says. “At the start of the project, my clients presented me with wonderful inspiration photos of over-the-top public spaces — hotels, restaurants, etc. — that boasted pattern-on-pattern, bold colors and eclectic styling. Streamlining such a wild aesthetic to accommodate everyday living brought me to place a pattern above the eyeline. I knew I wanted a pattern without set directionality, allowing the ceiling to always interact with the viewer properly no matter where they stood in the room.”
Other special features. Large reclaimed-oak dining table. Mint green chairs. Blackened teal blue walls (Gentleman’s Gray by Benjamin Moore). Crystal-and-nickel candelabra-style chandelier.
“While this room isn’t overly crowded, each item chosen is an art piece within itself,” Denburg says. “Balancing the metallic rose gold tea leaf of the wallpaper’s background is a patterned garnet-colored area rug woven with gold metallic threading to anchor the dining room. The mirror above the mantel features a green marble at its center, which helps tie in the dining chairs.”
Wallpaper: Rose Butterflies, Gracie
Designer: Alexandra Denburg of M&P Design Group
Location: Pelham, New York
Size: 412½ square feet (38 square meters); 16½ by 25 feet
Homeowners’ request. “My clients requested a room that offered easeful livability for their family while incorporating an incredibly eclectic design style,” designer Alexandra Denburg says.
Main feature. “Without a doubt the most significant design detail in this room is the hand-painted butterfly wallpaper adorning the ceiling,” Denburg says. “At the start of the project, my clients presented me with wonderful inspiration photos of over-the-top public spaces — hotels, restaurants, etc. — that boasted pattern-on-pattern, bold colors and eclectic styling. Streamlining such a wild aesthetic to accommodate everyday living brought me to place a pattern above the eyeline. I knew I wanted a pattern without set directionality, allowing the ceiling to always interact with the viewer properly no matter where they stood in the room.”
Other special features. Large reclaimed-oak dining table. Mint green chairs. Blackened teal blue walls (Gentleman’s Gray by Benjamin Moore). Crystal-and-nickel candelabra-style chandelier.
“While this room isn’t overly crowded, each item chosen is an art piece within itself,” Denburg says. “Balancing the metallic rose gold tea leaf of the wallpaper’s background is a patterned garnet-colored area rug woven with gold metallic threading to anchor the dining room. The mirror above the mantel features a green marble at its center, which helps tie in the dining chairs.”
Wallpaper: Rose Butterflies, Gracie
4. Graceful Glamour
Designer: Suzanne Manlove of Manlove and Company Interiors
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Size: 375 square feet (35 square meters); 15 by 25 feet
Homeowners’ request. “Our client asked us to update their unique French Country-style home to better suit their modern tastes and family’s lifestyle and to create a warm and inviting home for living and entertaining,” designer Suzanne Manlove says. “The house was custom-built and had some interesting character that they didn’t want to lose, but it needed freshening up and personalized to their tastes.”
Main feature. “This room’s main feature is the custom-made, extra-long dining table,” Manlove says. “Our goal was to create a functional dining space that was casual enough to use every day but versatile enough to transform into a gathering place for their large family. This table ranges from 11 feet to 17 feet, 8 inches long, with the ability to accommodate up to 18 people.”
Other special features. Gold wallpaper. Brass chandeliers. Striped rug. Sheer drapes in a graphic pattern. Oversize abstract painting. “We wanted to lighten the room up by using light-colored furniture with lots of texture for a more modern approach to dining,” Manlove says.
Designer tip. “Sheer drapes don’t have to be boring,” Manlove says. “Choose a fabric with some pattern to add interest to the windows.”
More on Houzz
The Top 10 Dining Rooms So Far in 2022
Get dining room ideas
Shop for dining room furniture
Find pros in your area
Designer: Suzanne Manlove of Manlove and Company Interiors
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Size: 375 square feet (35 square meters); 15 by 25 feet
Homeowners’ request. “Our client asked us to update their unique French Country-style home to better suit their modern tastes and family’s lifestyle and to create a warm and inviting home for living and entertaining,” designer Suzanne Manlove says. “The house was custom-built and had some interesting character that they didn’t want to lose, but it needed freshening up and personalized to their tastes.”
Main feature. “This room’s main feature is the custom-made, extra-long dining table,” Manlove says. “Our goal was to create a functional dining space that was casual enough to use every day but versatile enough to transform into a gathering place for their large family. This table ranges from 11 feet to 17 feet, 8 inches long, with the ability to accommodate up to 18 people.”
Other special features. Gold wallpaper. Brass chandeliers. Striped rug. Sheer drapes in a graphic pattern. Oversize abstract painting. “We wanted to lighten the room up by using light-colored furniture with lots of texture for a more modern approach to dining,” Manlove says.
Designer tip. “Sheer drapes don’t have to be boring,” Manlove says. “Choose a fabric with some pattern to add interest to the windows.”
More on Houzz
The Top 10 Dining Rooms So Far in 2022
Get dining room ideas
Shop for dining room furniture
Find pros in your area
Designer: Jennifer Walter of Folding Chair Design
Location: Phoenix, Maryland
Size: 266 square feet (25 square meters); 14 by 19 feet
Homeowners’ request. “This space was the original formal living room in the house,” designer Jennifer Walter says. “Since the homeowner doesn’t use the dining room as often, they swapped the original location of the dining area and made that a smaller TV room since it was more limited on space and had a square shape. Because this house was built in 1989 as a Colonial, it still had several traditional moldings, casings on the windows and formal trim throughout, like on the fireplace surround. The homeowner wanted to modernize the room while maintaining some of its original charm.”
Main feature. “This room faces east and the sunlight casts over the table area and continues to move as the day goes on, so we knew we could saturate it with color without compromising light,” Walter says. “We embraced the fireplace surround but painted it three parts Iron Ore to one part Tricorn Black (both by Sherwin-Williams) to give it an almost black look without the harsh overtones that black walls can give. We were also trying to avoid the orange velvet curtains looking like Halloween in there.”
Other special features. “We wanted to add a brass moment to pop against the deeper walls,” Walter says. “The focal point became the Regina Andrew pendants that boldly hang over the table. They’re over-scaled, so they draw attention as you walk in the front door. At night, they create a wonderful glow inside the milk-glass-like dome.
“The driftwood on the table is a sculptural piece sourced from a man on the eastern shore of Maryland who combs local beaches from Maryland down to North Carolina for large, interesting-shaped driftwood along the coast.”
The fireplace surround is Carrara marble. The floors are red oak stained in Jacobean.
Walter uses Houzz Pro business software for project management and product sourcing.
Designer tip. “Don’t be afraid to paint walls dark,” Walter says. “Everything else in the room pops against the painted walls in this dining room. It provides a cozy, warm and inviting space that draws you in. The window treatments, marble and art throughout draw the eye in different spots of the room because they are able to be noticed.”
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