THE RETURN OF THE FORMAL DINING ROOM
Dining while binging Netflix has finally had its backlash. The whole eat ‘n run thing centering around the kitchen island may still have its place, but these days interior designers are focusing on the family and bringing it all back to that spot in the house where memories used to happen around a good ol’ meal, the True Fashionista dining room.
Your formal dining room can offer much more than mere storage space for your china and sterling silver. In 2020, the design experts at Houzz expect homeowners to treat their dining rooms as the exclusive spaces they have the potential to be, with striking colors, patterns, eye-catching light fixtures and artwork that make it a unique atmosphere unto itself. Here are some trends to look for in the coming months that can transform that room with the big table and six chairs into a focal point for the whole house.
STANDOUT LIGHTING FIXTURES
As the host of many a gathering, the dining room screams for creative lighting opportunities. Think about the infinite possibilities in oversized pendant lamps and chandeliers as your task lighting. If you’ve got the room, then these lamps come in an array of styles and will look great as a focal point illuminating dinner over your table. Be it refined industrial like branch chandeliers, or romantic and playful such as capiz shells, feathers and bubble glass, your lamp can add a little glam to modern styles. And hey, this is Florida, where wicker rarely goes out of style, given its versatility. Oversized wicker pendant lamps can hang properly in your dining room, right along with the other True Fashionista bad boys mentioned previously.
Whether you go oversized or not, before you purchase take a good look at your space from different vantage points as a start in your lighting preferences. Prioritize what’s important to you. Is it more important to have a well-lit dining room table or a design that fits your personal style? The light bulbs each fixture requires can make a difference, too, so consider the number of lumens, or watts, needed to create the right mood. See if it makes sense to add accent lighting on a table or recessed lighting beneath cabinets. Hayneedle recommends several various lighting styles based on the shape of your table general room décor.
DINING ROOM TRENDS
Mingling dining chairs, or purposely creating a set of mismatched chairs, is a hot trend for 2020. Celebrating quite a few years of existence, its more popular than ever these days. What ties the set of chairs together is using a similar color palette, style or silhouette, and/or having them all be at matching heights.
Mixing modern and traditional is also a possibility. Give your modern dining room a few old-fashioned touches with ideas like a traditional dining table with modern chairs, or a mid-century modern table with timeless, vintage chairs. Rough-hewn chairs or a True Fashionista table with some elegant metallics mixed and matched with art deco-inspired elements can also add an extra touch to your room.
DINING TABLES
Oh, but the place wherest you sit the most! Go all out for the room’s star with a cutout pedestal or mixed material table to make a statement, or go simplified and traditional. It’s your chance to add the aforementioned oversize lamp above. With a table focal point, you have the option to keep the chairs.
From reclaimed wood to stone and even steel, your dining room table should be a reflection of your overall design style, playing off the tones and textures found in other areas of your house. Consider a bench along one or both sides of the table if there are often squirmy kids around. Benches also allow you to maximize your seating abilities and can tuck under the table to free up space in the dining room.
DESIGNING THE WALLS
An accent wall could work in your dining room, but so can that mainstay from your parents’ time: wallpaper. This is a trend for the entire home these days, so consider the options for wallpaper in your dining room, especially with the new easy to use peel-off paper.
Whether your style is rustic, modern, contemporary, or a mix of all three, having a formal dining room creates a space where family and guests alike can congregate and connect without distractions. Check out the ever-changing offerings at True Fashionistas Home, either in our Naples, FL store or our updated, easier than ever to navigate website. Find everything you need for your formal dining room makeover at a fraction of the original cost!