Dining Archives - Orlando Interior Designers | Golson Designs https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/category/dining/ Award-winning interior designer Kathie Golson, C.I.D. Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:19:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/123/2021/06/cropped-Kathie-32x32.jpg Dining Archives - Orlando Interior Designers | Golson Designs https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/category/dining/ 32 32 Exploring Dining Room Design https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/exploring-dining-room-design/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:13:12 +0000 https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/?p=1704 Reading time 4 minutes   Tastes in dining room style are as varied as tastes for food itself. Depending on personal preferences, individuals may choose to incorporate elements from multiple Read More

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Reading time 4 minutes

 

Tastes in dining room style are as varied as tastes for food itself. Depending on personal preferences, individuals may choose to incorporate elements from multiple styles to create a dining room that reflects their unique personality and lifestyle.

Historic Dining

The ancients in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome had communal dining, but it was limited to the wealthy. During the Middle Ages, communal dining halls were still prevalent, especially in castles and monasteries. The great hall was the beginning of multi-functional space for dining, socializing, and other activities.

During the Middle Ages, communal dining halls were still prevalent, especially in castles and monasteries. The great hall was the beginning of multi-functional space for dining, socializing, and other activities.

Formal Dining

Over the centuries, dining spaces became more refined with elaborate furniture, tapestries, and artwork. The Victorian era saw the height of formality with dining rooms often extravagantly decorated and furnished, elaborate table settings, and strict etiquette governing dining practices. In the U.S., it was, perhaps, Thomas Jefferson who set the standard for the grand dining room. Because the dining room was also used as a reception room, the dining tables were designed for folding away.

In the U.S. it was Thomas Jefferson who set the standard for the grand dining room.
Thomas Jefferson’s dining room at Monticello

With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, separate dining rooms became more common in middle-class homes, reflecting a growing emphasis on privacy and family life. The early 20th century saw a move towards more casual dining habits, influenced by changing social norms and the advent of smaller, more intimate family units. Dining rooms in middle-class homes became less formal, often doubling as multipurpose spaces for various activities. In recent decades, the dining room has continued to evolve in response to changing lifestyles and architectural trends.

Selecting the Table Shape

While the area and shape of the available space will dictate many decisions, the selection of the shape and style of the table may be the fundamental building block for creating the design for the space. That decision can help you settle on the overall functionality you want for the space.

A rectangular dining room table is still a very popular space saver.

The rectangular table has been the standard form since the ancients. Through time, they became larger and more ornate with decorative features. The 20th century saw a variety of dining table shapes and styles emerge, reflecting changing tastes and lifestyles. Rectangular tables remained popular for formal dining rooms, while smaller round or square tables became common in kitchens and breakfast nooks. Round or oval tables promote more interaction because each guest can see everyone’s face.

Round or oval tables promote more interaction because each guest can see everyone’s face.

Additionally, modular, and extendable tables have become popular for their versatility and space-saving features, especially in smaller homes and apartments. To make a smaller space look larger, consider a glass top table. Glass creates the illusion of space and gives a room a light, airy feel.

To make a smaller space look larger, consider a glass top table. Glass creates the illusion of space and gives a room a light, airy feel.

Storage

The selection of furnishings for storage also will be dictated by the space being used. Fortunately, today’s variety is greater than ever. Flexibility is key with dining room storage units designed to accommodate various items, from dinnerware and glassware to table linens, serving utensils, and even extra pantry items.

Storage is essential in a dining room and there are many sizes of cabinetry on the market to fit most spaces.

Storage pieces also give you surfaces on which you can display art or other accessories to add personality to your space.

Today’s dining spaces tend to be vastly different from the dark traditional look with intricate moldings, elegant heavy draperies, and large wooden tables. Color is now more common in dining areas. Even a traditional look can have more visual interest with patterns and texture. See these beautiful wallcoverings from Thibault available through your interior designer.

The style choices are numerous. You can have the clean lines, minimalist aesthetics, and functionality of modern/contemporary. Or, yes, farmhouse rustic. Maybe you’d prefer Scandinavian simplicity or an industrial look. There are even more choices with Bohemian, coastal, mid-century modern, eclectic, and, of course, traditional.

The style choices are numerous. You can have the clean lines, minimalist aesthetics, and functionality of modern/contemporary. Or, yes, farmhouse rustic. Maybe you’d prefer Scandinavian simplicity or an industrial look. There are even more choices with Bohemian, coastal, mid-century modern, eclectic, and, of course, traditional.

With so much to consider, you can avoid mistakes by having professional assistance. Contact us or call (703) 936-1772 to schedule an appointment for your dining room makeover.

 


 

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Plan your dining room makeover https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/plan-your-dining-room-makeover/ Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:33:10 +0000 https://golsondesigns.decoratingden.com/?p=1461   It’s that time of year in which we begin to think about upcoming holidays. That might foster thoughts about dining rooms — the usual gathering place — unless you Read More

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It’s that time of year in which we begin to think about upcoming holidays. That might foster thoughts about dining rooms — the usual gathering place — unless you are relegated to the kids’ table.

The dining area reigned supreme in this year’s Decorating Den Interiors’ International Dream Room Competition and the one below was judged the best of 300 entries in 10 room categories by a panel of interior design journalists from the U.S. and Canada.

Award-winning dining room in the Decorating Den annual design competition.

The client wanted this gathering place to be a showstopper in their open floor plan home. It is one of the first things you see when entering the home. Going bold with black and white wallpaper along with the mustard velvet draperies does the trick. The custom live edge table adds an unusual touch. It all makes for a modern industrial look.

The drop pendant lighting in this transitional blue dining room contrast beautifully against the dark walls.

The transformation from a traditional style to a transitional one is shown above. Host chairs in soft navy velvet and side chairs in ivory replaced traditional dining chairs. Lighting was a key component of this update to transitional. The Finhorn Round 15-Light Multi-Drop Pendant has orb-shaped shades covered with small squares of mother of pearl that were painstakingly hand-applied. This makeover was judged second among the 24 dining area entries.

A great example showing how the wallpaper in this vintage home shows off the curved archway over antique built-ins.

The built-in (above) was a natural to be showcased without taking away from the unique windows. To help bring the eye to that wall, a fun two-color wallpaper was used. The two-toned table adds contrast and keeps the room from looking too uniform. A soft watery blue/aqua, pulled from the rug and window treatments, was the backdrop on the walls, which set off the crisp white millwork nicely. It also helped showcase the coved nature of the walls. The multi-colored rug adds some visual excitement. This was the third-place dining area.

These dining rooms show how wallpaper and special lighting can enhance any space.

As noted previously, wallpaper is always a great way to add a design element or make a bold statement. In the above image (left) it is used to frame the stunning buffet with its starburst pattern and make the accessories command attention. This is the alcove adjoining the second-place dining areas shown earlier.

Making a statement with the room above (right) was the objective. Mission accomplished! The stunning black and white wallpaper pulls your gaze around the entire room and complements the modern artwork. The avant-garde oval table works perfectly in the space to provide maximum seating. How about that innovative ribbon chandelier?

This historic Jupe table opens up a circular table hiding the leaves underneath.

The shape of the table (above) is both a design and function decision. Round ones can foster more conversation among the family or friends. A guest is not locked in to talking only with the persons on the right and the left. It’s also often a better game table, too. The one above easily converts from smaller to larger with a historic Jupe style table. Don’t leave these photos without noticing how the colors add pizzaz.

Above is a small dining area in a waterfront home, so a coastal color palette was a natural choice.

Remember to look outside the home for inspiration. This is a small dining area in a waterfront home, so a coastal color palette was a natural choice. The gold chandelier and table and chair legs add glamour without overpowering. The oversized gold and teal abstract piece of artwork is a finishing element that brings harmony into a room packed with visual elegance.

For your dining room makeover contact Golson Designs or call (407) 902-3011.

 


 

 

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