Interior Design: 3 Huge Mistakes We Make in the Dining Room

An Interior Designer’s Tips for Making Your Dining Room More Appealing

1. Lack of emphasis Creating a focal point with your table in the dining room gives you the opportunity to create a dramatic look, perfect for a dinner table or family gathering. Here in this Mission Hills dining room our interior design firm began with an existing table and buffet along with selecting a fabulous hand knotted wool rug. Then we took the design to another whole level but introducing more contemporary elements from the stunning Swarovoski crystal chandelier that compels you to take a closer look to the bold abstract art beyond, contemporary sculpture, and rich leather squares on the wall.

2.  Cold uninviting space –  One of the most common issues I see as an interior designer are dining rooms filled with all hard shiny surfaces such as crystal, glass, or ceramic along with hard flooring like wood or tile and no art on the walls. To solve this dilemna try warming up your dining space with lots of texture. Here in this Overland Park room the client requested we use their heirlooms – a table and armoire, along with leather chairs. To warm up this cold stark space, we introduced a piece of gnarled wood, two beautiful blue vases that look handmade, a custom cloth runner, and a thick hand knotted wool area rug underneath.

3. Looks Unfinished  When we walk into an interior design client’s home one of the first things we often see is an undone dining room or area. To enhance this space and make it more updated, I recommend adding color or texture like this dining area next to the existing kitchen. In this dining area we refinished a door in a soft neutral gray, replace the dark dated light fixture with two light airy ones, repainted the dark walls white, covered existing leather chairs with custom slipcovers, and add an interesting centerpiece plus a cheerful piece of blue art that reflected our client’s love of the ocean.

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