A custom kitchen can be decoratively tied to a formal dining room.
Open concept living means that one space flows naturally into the next. If the style of furnishings in one room clearly denotes it as a formal space, the challenge becomes carry that formality into the adjoining room. Fortunately, the function of both the kitchen and dining room is the nourishment of family and guests, immediately giving them something in common, a thread that can be worked into a design theme.
Instructions
1. Find a natural stone countertop that coordinates with your dining room table.
Give the kitchen an air of formality. The dining room is already formal, so dress the kitchen up. Add upscale items such as stained glass cabinet insets, a temperature-controlled wine rack, a professional refrigerator, a professional-grade gas stove and oven and natural stone countertops that coordinate with dining room table. If possible, use the same gleaming hardwoods or tile flooring throughout the kitchen and dining room area.
2. Use color to unify the space.
Treat the color palette as one unified space. Few things tie two areas together like a continuous color palette. Paint the walls of both rooms the same color or a variation of the same color. Choose accent colors as though they're occupying one single room. For example, if your dining room chairs are covered in burgundy fabric, use burgundy dish towels in the kitchen and ensure that any flower arrangements or artwork contain at least a touch of the color.
3. A painting hung in the kitchen will help formalize the area.
Omit any kitschy, cutesy kitchen art. As you blend the two spaces, introduce kitchen decor that might generally be found in other, more formal, settings. A large portrait in a heavy frame or a colorful tapestry hung from a fine rod would both help dress the space. You can also divide the art. For example, if you have a series of nature-inspired sketches that you would like to hang in the dining room, hang some of them there and display the others in the kitchen. The idea is to introduce elements that belong together to both spaces.
4. Clutter will detract from your design.
Control the clutter. Once you've created a design that unifies the dining room with the kitchen, keep clutter out of the space. The dining room and kitchen are historically places where families have left piles of correspondence, homework assignments and other items that need to be organized. Make it easy on the eye by not allowing it to become a catch-all for everything that comes into the house. All extraneous items will detract for your overall design scheme.
Tags: dining room, color palette, dining room table, kitchen dining, kitchen dining room, natural stone, room table