My Dining Room, Finally Done Right

by Diane Henkler on November 6th, 2012

I have lived in my house for 18 years. In this time, my dining room has gone through 3 wall color transformations. It has been builder beige, persimmon, and currently, warm gold. I used to think that a dining room should be formal and filled with color.

Before

I learned over the years however, that this is not the way to decorate a dining room. I have come to this conclusion because I only use this room a few times a year—on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The problem I found was that when we were in the room entertaining or sitting down to eat, the seasonal table settings always clashed with the décor. Even more importantly, the food and the people were upstaged since the décor took over the room. I wanted family, friends, and the food to take center stage.

Slowly I began to strip the room of color and pattern, and painted the walls for a third time. I chose a deep warm gold. I chose this color because it is a dark neutral. It goes with everything, and adds drama to the room. Since we use this room mainly at night, the color also looks beautiful by candlelight. I painted the builder grade chandelier and added crystals to it to give the room simple elegance. I also painted a few pieces of furniture white. This helps keep the room from appearing dark and dreary.

After

When not in use, the room simply says quiet elegance.

When I entertain my family and friends in this room, no matter what the color or style of my seasonal table settings and décor, they all go together perfectly.

It took me some trial and error, but as the saying goes, the third time’s a charm. I finally got the color of my dining room right.

Categories: Before & Afters, Dining Rooms

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