Dining Room Surprises and Options You'll Love Linda Hubbuch, senior designer with Hubbuch & Co., admits her family uses the dining room only a few times a year but says she wouldn't consider not having it be an integral part of her home. Designing a dining room can present a challenge that may seem overwhelming. The challenge may be less daunting if broken down into individual steps instead of thinking of it as a huge project demanding talent and skills you don't feel you possess. First, seriously think about how you're going to use the room, letting form follow function. Robin Miller, interior designer with The Lee W. Robinson Company, says it's easy to make a room pretty, but it's much more difficult to make it work. Function is also of paramount importance to Wilson who says dining room design should be predicated on the "seasons of the lives of the family", referring to the family's lifestyles, how the dining room will be integrated into their everyday lives and how it will be used for special occasions. Young children may prefer to gather in the kitchen, but as they transition into teenagers and young adults, they may enjoy the special ambience of a dining room, and may appreciate a more gracious style of dining. Miller sometimes encourages clients to create zones, such as a sitting area that's differentiated from the space occupied by a dining table or buffet. This increases the functionality of the space and presents a wide range of design options. Taking into consideration the size and scale of the room is essential. Without proper space planning, selecting furniture that best suits the room becomes more difficult. Furniture that was artfully displayed in a store can look cramped and out of place, and can impede traffic flow once it's placed in a dining room. Choosing the color of a dining room helps establish the overall ambience. "Red is a good choice for a dining room because it makes people hungry. I also do a lot of neutrals. But when it comes to color, it's not only about the wall color, but about how colors work together in the room. I recently designed a semi-formal dining room that's characterized by a damask wallcovering and a traditional dining table and at least fourteen chairs. The client's mother needle pointed every one of the chairs using a coral color, but with a different pattern for each chair. We used window treatments of a contemporary fabric that picked up the coral in the chairs. The room's use of color was subtle but very effective," says Hubbuch. Larry Wolfe, an architect and the owner of Scorpio Interiors, believes that expressiveness coincides with a sense of color adventurousness. "Deep purple walls combined with a white ceiling and trim provide a background for a room rich with drama," he says about one of his recent designs which he further describes as "making a statement without hitting you over the head." The sunken dining room's floor is covered in a medium gray tone-on-tone textured carpet in which a circular pattern mimics the mirrors in the foyer. A 5' long chandelier sparkles with 150 small glass bubbles. High gloss metal frame chairs with purple and black upholstered backs surround an Italian glass top table that has an angular stone base. Wilson asserts that a dining room presents the perfect opportunity to create or enhance architectural features, such as ceilings. "If there's not a room located above the dining room, the ceiling can be highlighted with coffers, double trays, stacked crown molding, and even vaults. You start with bland and uninteresting, and end up with stunning. If the ceiling doesn't appear to have any special design attributes, it's still possible to have a fabulous ceiling. Ways to do that include incorporating a medallion with the light fixture or applying moldings that don't have a deep projection. Another option is to create a focal point by using a different paint color or faux finish on the ceiling, or using decorative trim, laid in a pattern, allowing the applications of different intensities of colors," says Wilson. Window treatments can also provide a focal point. "Curtains add fabric, mood and tone to what can be a lot of hard surfaces. They can bring in gold and silver to complement fine china and can be banded with trim to match the seat cushions. Children and pets don't often hang out in the dining room, so you can push the envelope with embroidered silks or a hand stitched sheer," says Amanda Tyler, of The Curtain Exchange. "There's a trend away from cornices, valances or anything that chops up the room. Since a dining table is already low and covers a lot of space, curtain panels can add an eye appealing dimension to the room. There are so many simple things that can be done with curtains to achieve a unique look. For example, if the windows are close together, split the pair of panels and tie them back at each of the two windows," she suggests. Although tricky to accomplish, melding more than one style can result in an impressive room. Linda and Glenn Hubbuch, both design professionals, mixed contemporary and traditional in their Tudor style home in the Highlands. When embarking on the project, they knew they wanted to incorporate two serving pieces and two antique mirrors that had belonged to Glenn's parents when they had lived in the house. But being contemporary minded, the Hubbuch's purchased a directional dining table that has inlays of rosewood, butternut and walnut, and paired it with Mies van der Rohe chairs like those that are in the Museum of Modern Art. Their woven cane seats and stainless steel base are the epitome of contemporary design and beautifully complement the table. A traditional painted terra cotta chandelier with shades, contemporary art, and pieces of marble with hurricane shades and large candles placed on the table complete the look. The old story of the shoemaker's children having no shoes sometimes applies to interior designers who are so busy with clients' homes that they lack the time to devote to their own homes, at least at a leisurely and enjoyable pace. But Robin Miller found the time and creative energy to create a multifunctional space that has great style. Preferring not to have distinctly separate living and dining rooms, she designed a long rectangular room close to the foyer to be an inviting living/dining area that has a contemporary influence accentuated with clean lines similar to Art Deco. A piano and two antique chairs that belonged to her husband's grandmother give both individuality and special meaning to the room. The room is ideal for entertaining, which Robin loves to do on a regular basis. Although there are usually eight chairs around the table, it can accommodate more, which is a good thing because we frequently have more than eight guests. I didn't want to clutter the room with additional chairs, so I bought good quality folding chairs with cushion seats and covered the seats in the same fabric as the other chairs," she says. Larry Wolfe works with many young people whose casual lifestyles and, sometimes limited space, preclude a formal dining room, or even a dedicated dining table. For them, he has a unique solution. "A newly debuted convertible dining table/pool table, available in several wood finishes, is a neat concept that addresses the situation. When used as a dining table you'd never know it's a pool table. Three leaves fit on top of a waterproof cover that's placed over the felt pool table. Because pool tables are about three inches higher than a dining table, the table can be automatically lowered for dining." Here are a few more designer tips to help you make your dining room one of your favorite rooms in the house: * Good lighting is critical in a dining room. Although there are myriad styles of chandeliers, other lighting such as sconces, recessed fixtures, a linear pendant or three smaller art glass pieces can also be effective. When moving the electrical box isn't a viable option, Larry Wolfe sometimes installs a monorail lighting system that can be formed into various shapes, such as a "lazy S" or a circular pattern. Regardless of the type of light, put everything on dimmers so that you can control the mood. And bring out the candles for a soft ambience, even if it isn't a formal occasion. * If the dining room features a large piece of artwork, it deserves its own lighting. Use a picture light or recessed fixtures to illuminate it to its best advantage. * "Don't fill up the dining room with pieces of furniture you don't really need. Unless the room is large, having a table and chairs, china cabinet, buffet and an incidental piece of furniture can look very busy. Less really is more. That also applies to the walls. One or two large pieces of art are usually better than several smaller pieces," advises Larry Wolfe. * A buffet may not be the only serving piece that could work for you. Put your imagination to work and come up with a unique solution for your particular room. Long shelves can double as serving space for parties and for the display of books and artwork when you're not entertaining. Linda Hubbuch installed a 10' slab of granite between two storage cabinets in a great room, providing both a serving area and unexpected design component to the room. For one home without a formal dining room, there wasn't a china cabinet or buffet, so Liz Wilson installed a niche with custom cabinetry pieces that coordinated with the butler's pantry and kitchen cabinetry. * Robin Miller advocates buying pieces that are practical as well as decorative. "If you serve big crowds, a buffet with a granite top will be useful as well as beautiful." * "Chairs aren't the only seating available. For a different look, I like to use a settee in place of chairs on one or both sides of the table. There are many designs from which to choose, or you can have one custom made," says Hubbuch. Also advocating the idea of using something other than chairs in a dining room, Larry Wolfe takes a slightly more casual approach than a settee and suggests that benches, with or without backs, can easily vary the character of a room. * A wood table, especially if it is a dark wood, can overpower a small room, whereas a glass top table will open up the space. * A rectangular room will probably dictate the use of a rectangular table. However, if the room is square, you might want to consider using a round table. Not only does it provide a less traditional look, it's great for entertaining. "A formal dining room gives you the freedom to get a little fancy and use some frills. I like accent fabrics or drapery fabrics that are slightly reflective or have some sheen. A dining room also invites the mixing of textures. If you select something sleek and shiny on the windows, don't feel like you have to carry out the texture in the entire room. Cover the seat cushions in a fabric that's a bit nubby. The room's personality will partially reveal itself through texture," says Miller. Liz Wilson also sees a trend toward softness and a blend of colors that are picked up from other parts of the house. "And they're realizing that the dining room has the potential to be wonderfully expressive," she says. "Over the years there have been several mindsets about dining rooms. Everyone used to have a dining room. Then there was the move toward openness. Even now, some builders and homeowners consider the dining room wasted space. But they are most definitely making a comeback," says Liz Wilson, of Liz at Home. She believes a home should be thought of as a story, or a good book, that enfolds as one walks through it. "Entering each room should be like turning a page so that you experience a saga and a range of emotions. Good design is dependent on good flow throughout the house. No one room should stand alone. I consider,dining rooms so important that I think the design that's presented there should dictate the design of the rest of the house. In essence,it should be the first chapter of the book, in essence, starting the story," she says.
Hearth rooms, family rooms and eat-in kitchens may have stolen the space of the traditional dining room in some homes, but dining rooms hold a special place in the hearts of many people and are still very much a part of home design. There's no pigeon holing today's dining rooms. Some are relaxed and casual, some are opulent and formal. They may not be as predictable as in the past, and may turn traditional design concepts upside down. Some of us think they're superfluous and some of us can't imagine living without them.
