A graceful chandelier highlights this dining room.
Your dining room may be a place where your family gathers to eat meals together and enjoy quality time or it might be reserved for holidays and other special occasions. But if it is beginning to look a little lackluster around the edges, think about ways to bring it up-to-date. One possibility is to change or polish the room's decorating theme.
Mediterranean
This decor style draws its colors from nature. Warm shades such as olive green, pear yellow and dove white, think Tuscan farmhouse, warm your dining room walls. Punches of red in linens, dishware and accessories bring the room to life. A rectangular table, stained mahogany with copper accents, brings to mind a Spanish hacienda. Surround it with leather high-backed chairs and couple it with a matching sideboard featuring hand-carved doors and copper pulls. Anchor the room with an Oriental carpet and accessorize with copper and wrought iron wall accents and tapestry wall hangings.
Contemporary
A dining room in a contemporary theme is all about clean lines, sleekly designed furniture and minimal but effective accessories. If you are looking for a sophisticated space, choose the uncluttered, monochromatic look of modern decor. A table finished in shiny black surrounded by sleek, low backed matching chairs centers the room. Place three sculptural glass vases of different heights off center in ascending order as a minimal centerpiece. Leave them empty or put a single white flower in each. A vintage Danish modern sideboard adds a Scandinavian flair that is quintessentially contemporary. Light gray walls are the perfect backdrop for a large, art deco painting.
English Country
Creating an English country theme in your dining room is easy if you picture an English country home a little down at the heels where things are refurbished rather than thrown out. Consider floral wallpaper or a white or pale pink wall stenciled in a floral motif as a backdrop for the room. Wood plank floors warmed by a vintage hooked or Oriental area rug will anchor a polished antique oak rectangular table with turned legs surrounded by high-back dining chairs upholstered in a tapestry brocade fabric. Add an antique pine sideboard topped with a rustic linen runner. Set the table for tea with mismatched china cups and saucers in floral designs in the same color palette. Add a vintage lace table cloth centered by a crystal vase filled with hydrangeas or roses.
Modern Country
A modern country dining room has an uncluttered, eclectic feel. Consider an antique pine farm table coupled with chairs from a vintage diner and lit by pendant lights with tin shades. Center the table with a copper weather vane. Pottery dishware and silverware with brightly colored plastic handles make an interesting pairing. Substitute a drop leaf table with peeling paint for a side board. Feature a few first-class examples of folk art rather than displaying an entire collection. Dress the windows with vintage flea market drapes in a floral pattern.
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