Photo Credit: Vic LeDan Photography

The problem with safe is that it almost never gets you WOW. – Karina Jones

One of my favorite things about interior design is that I get to work on projects that have a beginning and an end. Unfortunately, it always takes way longer to bring a project to completion than I prefer.

Since the start of the year, I have been working on a very special dining room makeover. Dining rooms have become one of my favorite rooms to design because my husband and I spent so many years without one. Now that we have a dining room, I totally have an excuse to host major holidays and special events in there.

Photo Credit: Vic LeDan Photography

As you can see in the before picture, this particular dining room was already a beautiful space to begin with. Still, the homeowner wanted to take this prominent space in her home up a few notches.

Luckily for me (and the homeowner), this dining room has a slew of traditional architectural features including 9 foot square columns at the entrance, chair rail, picture molding, and crown molding. The traditional cherry wood table, chairs and server were a solid financial investment by the homeowner and will be incorporated into the final design.

The Design Plan

Source: Houzz

In order to get things rolling, I did an online search for a few inspiration images. Typically, clients send me their inspiration images, but I know this particular homeowner really well. I came across the above image and used it as a basis for re-designing the space. Before hiring an interior designer, you should collect 3-5 inspiration images. This is a clear way to communicate your vision to him or her.

Everything started to come together once we found the perfect work of art. Art is such a personal and subjective thing so I was elated when we found a canvas that really spoke to her. Although the dining room color scheme started out as cream and burgundy, the homeowner actually prefers colors in the blue-green family. My favorite color to decorate with is teal so I was all in with this color palette! In addition, the palette will also include a mix of gold and silver metal tones.

Initially, the homeowner was hesitant about using such a bold color in the space because strong colors can be off-putting. This reaction is completely normal; most clients tend to err on the side of safety when it comes to design. The problem with safe is that it almost never gets you WOW. My job as an interior designer is to gently nudge a client towards a bold choice without making them uncomfortable. Good thing I am a Libra! Ha!

Since this family of four is young and hip, we ultimately decided to go with a transitional design style. The transitional style is way less traditional since it marries both traditional and contemporary elements. The funky artwork, gold lamps, stylish mirror, colorful window treatments and a geometric rug will help to bring in some more contemporary touches. I like to ground a dining room with a rug for very practical reasons; the constant pushing and pulling of the chairs can really do a number on your wood floors.

The biggest changes in the entire space are the addition of a subtle but elegant wallpaper and a bold tray ceiling. The bold teal color is somewhat unexpected in a dining room, but it is also fun and youthful. Because the dining area is a formal space, we made certain to tone things down with neutrals, gold and silver accents.

Final Thoughts

Even though dining rooms tend to be these formal spaces that we barely ever use, they should always represent the homeowners to the fullest. In this case, we wanted the room to be elegant, but not overly fussy.

As I mentioned before, the project is taking longer than expected due to lots of backorders and a slight adjustment that the homeowner and I agreed needs to be made. But in the end it will be stunning! I guess that when it comes to interior design, good things do truly come to those to wait!

Stay tuned for the grand reveal in a few weeks!

Cheers!

Karina

The post Design Project Sneak Peek: Transitional Dining Room Makeover appeared first on Superior Interiors by Karina Jones.