Dining Room Makeover (July 23, 2009)

There are those who would trade anything to have a separate dining room, others pooh-pooh the one they have as a wasted bit of space and shut the door.

The first group has nothing to envy since there are myriad ways to forge comfortable, part-time dining areas in other rooms. The naysayers can take heart, too. With some adjustments, their forlorn rooms can be made as satisfying as mom¡¯s home cooking.

Almost any space can be transformed into a spectacular
dining room.

Glamorous Dining Spaces
Add a dash of glam to your dining area by employing some easy tricks of the trade.

Creating a Modern Dining Room
Ultra-modern decor in a dining area can create a feeling of drama and luxury. Explore modern dining room decorating ideas that fit your lifestyle.

Traditional and Formal
Those who enjoy throwing formal dinner parties and hosting holiday banquets at home often long for a traditional dining room that can handle all the accessories needed for large-scale entertaining. Find out how to create a traditional, formal dining area.

Romance and Color
Create an atmosphere perfect for intimate dinners for two, or host creative and inspired wine dinners with friends in a colorful, romantic room. Find out how by reading this article.

Any room with a few square feet to spare such as family rooms and dens ¡ª particularly those lined with books or French doors ¡ª make spectacular mealtime settings. Position a table to one side of the room, figuring about 8 square feet for a table for 4, plus around 36 inches for the chair pull-out. Or hire a carpenter to build a stationary bench flush against the wall. Place a skinny pine table in front and ladder-back chairs opposite.

Tuck a drop-leaf table that¡¯s ready to do double duty in a spacious entry hall. One moment it¡¯s a hall table, the next it seats special guests. The round table beside the family room sofa? A romantic oasis. Cover the table with a colored cloth, pull up some seats, and light the fire.

Diverse chair styles add drama: wing chairs, love seats, and even ottomans (as long as they roll). Flexible dining should be as easy as pie. Collect benches that slide or feather-light wicker chairs to nestle up to a salvaged garden table.

Add drama to a dining room with diverse chair styles, paint, and fabric.

Storage? In addition to cabinetry, consider plate racks, wall shelves, and corner china cupboards. All these use little space while providing handy inches.

Reinvent forlorn dining rooms with suitable furnishings, paint, and fabric. The right table ¡ª set on a bright area rug or centered on a window ¡ª can be your anchor. A round table, the favorite for conversation, softens a boxy room; a small square table does well in tight quarters; long farmhouse-type tables work best in rectangular rooms. And for ambience find a stunning electric or candle-holding chandelier.

Warm colors stimulate conversation. Paint walls a soft red, or cover them with a richly textured or patterned wallcovering. Soft contemporary hues like hydrangea-purple and pistachio-green teamed with crisp white moldings will imbue the room with a Monet-garden air. Slipcover dining chairs, or add simple seat cushions in a contrasting color or a pleasing floral pattern.

Whether you dream of a glamorous, modern, traditional, or romantic look for your dining room, this article has the decorating tips to help you achieve your goal. On the next page, learn how to make your dining room gleam with glamor.

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