Decorating Dining room

Conversation Starter

Setting a chatter-provoking table is as important as the food you serve. Here, a mix-and-match approach guarantees guests will take notice. The different chairs work together thanks to similar shapes and aged finishes. Even the place settings are a mix of old and new.

Conversation-Friendly Dining

A small circular dining table is the centerpiece of this small-space dining area. Chairs from a catalog were reupholstered in stain-repellent fabric. To-the-floor chair skirts contrast with the exposed table legs, making a nice transition to the floor.

Cozy Cottage Dining

A simple banquet is the perfect solution for a small space dining room. To add a bit of cottage flair, this room pairs a mix of antique inspired chairs with an oak table.

Dine in Style

Using modern materials in a vintage home gives it a young energy. This once-formal dining room was given a pared-down casual style more appropriate for daily use. Fiberglass chairs are child-friendly and provide a contrast to the dark patina of the table.

Dressed in Plaid

In this vibrant dining room, a curvy valance adds height and impact to the arched windows. Instead of an expensive arched rod or curved board, the valance is secured directly to the wall by hooks. The fabric is pulled into casual pleats and "horns," then tied with a rope trim that runs the length of the treatment.

Easy Elegance

A formal dining room is all about entertaining. This dining table seats six for an intimate affair or can expand to accommodate a party of 12. French doors around the room allow dinner parties to spill out onto an adjoining patio. A traditional sideboard, which stores extra linens and dinnerware, can serve as a buffet.

Formal, Not Serious

Easy elegance and theatrical touches set the tempo for this casually divine dining room. Traditional elements that might be expected in such a room are given elements of surprise. Chippendale dining chairs, normally finished in a mahogany stain, wear a matte gold.

Function First

A wall of cabinets holds china and glassware while providing a long and useful buffet top for entertaining. Highly reflective, the tabletop contrasts with the matte textures of jute carpeting and linen draperies.