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Sensational Shades for Dining Rooms

Check out these Benjamin Moore paint colors for your dining room, they’re favorites of N.J. interior designer Linda Principe.

 

  • Gold
  • Desert Tan
  • Golden Tan
  • Acorn Yellow
  • Deer Path
  • Bridgewater Tan
  • Twilight Gold
  • Squire Hill Buff
  • Tawny Bisque
  • Guesthouse
  • Dijon
  • Tapestry

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  • Updating Your Traditional Dining Room

    Tips and ideas to give your dining room new life.

    by Monica Young

    Forget those dated, shiny, piano finishes of generations past. Today’s dining rooms combine formality and usability with warmth and eclecticism.

     

    Mixing and Matching Styles

    If you’re looking to refresh your dining room, start with the furniture. Adam Tilley, vice president of product management for Stanley Furniture, notes that the eclectic movement has entered dining room furnishings. Antique chairs can be paired with a contemporary table, while an antique table may be paired with modern chairs. “Mix-and-match is definitely fashion-forward in the dining room. We’re seeing great designs of traditional pieces but with modern finishes,” says Tilley.

    For example, a Chippendale chair may now be available with a distressed black finish. This traditional styling combined with a modern finish adds to livability. As do new graphic-patterned fabrics on traditional chair frames.

     

    Seating Considerations

    Increased function is another important characteristic when updating the dining room. Does the table you like expand and contract as needed? Perhaps a table for six fits your space best, but special dinners require seating for 10. Look for tables with self-storing leaves as well to maximize storage space.

     

    A Variety of Shapes

    With eclecticism on the forefront of design, updating a dining room may be as simple as choosing a table in a new shape. Square dining rooms call out for round tables. Or choose a completely new shape, such as the hexagonal dining room table in Stanley Furniture’s Grand Continental group.

     

    What’s Underfoot?

    The rug often sets the tone for the dining room. A new rug can create an entirely new color palette for a dining room. The problem many homeowners face is finding a rug that pairs traditional styling with contemporary color. Capel Rugs has introduced two rugs that meet this homeowners’ demand.

    • Color: Susan Reynolds, product development and design assistant for Capel, recommends the Mumtaz in pistachio for homeowners who want a conventionally designed dining room rug in a brighter color than traditional styles. “It’s traditional in form but vamps up the color,” says Reynolds.
    • Formality: Capel’s "Classic Chobi" in spa blue can update a dining room's look while still helping it retain a formal atmosphere. “The Chobi does come in more classic colors like reds and browns, but the spa blue really pops,” says the rug designer.

    When choosing a new rug, be sure to consider sizing. Chairs should remain on the rug when pulled out from the table. This typically means adding two feet to the width and to the length of the table to determine the best size of rug for a room.

     

    Color Trend: Going for Gold

    In refreshing or redecorating a dining room, paint and accessories add depth and richness. New Jersey interior designer Linda Principe says that shades of gold and beige continue to be popular in dining rooms on walls and drapery fabrics. Principe predicts that the golden hues will be joined by eggplant and purple tones as dominant colors in the coming years.

    “The deeper these golden tones, the more formal and dramatic a room will become. A darker tone creates a richness that can’t be felt with a lighter color. A deep wall color as a backdrop to traditional cherry furniture creates a real ‘wow’ effect,” says Principe.

    When it comes to window treatments, Principe recommends pairing bronzed accessories with these rich colors. She notes that not only does bronze complement golden wall colors, the bronze intensifies against it. “Bronzed decorative hardware with interesting finials and rings brings the accessory up to eye level in a room. Or think about using two tones on your hardware. The rod, finials and brackets can be in one finish, and the rings can tie in the drapery fabric in a different finish. It really makes the rod look striking.”

     

    Looking Out

    Window treatments are another key design element to the well-designed dining room. Principe shares a few of her favorite styles:

    • Drapery panels are perfect for framing a window. Fringe and tassels can be added to give interest to a solid or basic drapery. 
    • Empire valances give a formal look to the top portion of dining room windows.
    • Swags are a classic, timeless treatment.
    • Textured fabrics on a decorative rod, such as a twisted or reed pole, make a window treatment stand out more than on a plain pole. Popular textures include silk, fabric with viscose, and faux silks with rayon embroidery. Look for fabric-wrapped finials as well.