Dining Room Design

I spoke with Angela Parker, ASID of Interior Places and Spaces, LLC on dining room design, here is what she had to say.

Dining rooms are the jewel of entertaining for every home. The art of family dining brings visiting guests and family together for conversation, communication, and enjoyment. 

Flexibility
First, determine how often one will be seated at the table. Note how many immediate family members will be dining daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night meals. Next, think about holiday meals, and whether the entire clan will be over for special events. 

The dining room space often has to allow for comfortable and intimate seating for two one moment, and then expand to allow seating for eight to twenty. While remodeling and designing kitchens, clients have requested opening up the wall to their dining room to allow expansion of the dining table. This expansion will allow for all the family to be seated together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, and other special events. 

Designer top five picks for a fresh new look without breaking the bank

1.Apply a fresh coat of paint to your dining room. One of my favorite serene colors for a dining room is Wythe Blue (HC-143- See Hirshfield’s Photo). Your guests will look radiant with this chameleon color. 

Transform a beige dining room into a salsa blend. For this client, Angela designed columns to be faux finished in an orange-red marble, accentuated with faux bois and gilt trim. Mango upholstery, bench and draperies were added to complete this space(Interior Places and Spaces, LLC photo).

2.Recover chairs with textured fabric to the cushions of the chair, with a tailored skirt set with antique nail heads. Brentano has lovely mohair in apple green, forest green, and canary for a fashion forward space. 


3. Wall paper an accent wall with a large scale motif. The exquisite Anna French designed wall paper
St. Germain, exclusively at www.annafrench.co.uk. is a traditional design that will sparkle any room.

4.Install a glass chandelier for a more elegant and timeless appeal. www.filamentlighting.com. The whimsical wrought iron frame in silver leaf finish accented with clear glass embellishments is a showstopper. 

5.Change out the mirror over the side board, reframe it at a local frame shop, or paint it yourself with a new shiny new coat of lacquer. Mirrors give the appearance of a larger space and increase the light level throughout the room. 

Visit the American Society of Interior Design www.asidmn.org. for a qualified interior designer to assist you in designing and developing a custom interior dining room.

Angela Parker, ASID

ASID President Elect Minnesota Chapter