Before and After: Dining Rooms

Furnished with family heirlooms, the dining room is now a clubby, cozy spot. Rich wood, wallpaper, fabrics and paint get brightened with a little white paint on woodwork and the crystal lighting. 

A 19th-century pine breakfront and custom trestle table add a touch of formal elegance and warmth. The moss-green wainscoting matches cabinets in an adjacent kitchen.

There is nothing standard about the combination now. Blue-painted walls, an oil-rubbed light fixture, shutters and a fun mix of furniture create style fitting for a 1912 cottage.

Floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books now line the dining room so it doubles as a den. A couch and reading chair make it just as easy to enjoy a book as a meal at the dining table. The books, pillows, masks and other accessories stand out against the white of the walls and shelves in this bungalow.

Colorful art and fabrics punch up this white dining room, keeping it bright while injecting personality. A sisal rug tops wood flooring that echoes the tones in the traditional furniture. Sweetheart fabric on seats adds a little kick to that furniture though! A graceful glass chandelier crowns the look.

A pair of antique doors from a flea market in France flank the entrance to the revived dining room. Like architectural art, they hint at the more subtle architectural updates, such as the substantial clean-lined plaster moldings replacing cheap wood trim and wainscoting. Subdued color keeps the space peaceful.