Before and After: Dining Rooms

These 8 remodels will inspire you to embrace a dining room update.

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Before: Hidden charm

You'd never know this is a 125-year-old waterside home. The next slide reveals the hidden charm.

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After: Hidden charm

After stripping the carpeting and paint off pine floors, homeowners installed era-friendly baseboards, window and door casings, and crown molding. White paint on woodwork means it stands out against the soothing green walls. Fabric and furniture add subtle elegance.

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Before: Cozy center

The warmth of traditional style was lost in this dining room. Click ahead to see the changes.

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After: Cozy center

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.

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Before: Cottage charm

This 1875 cottage pales in comparison to one with charm of its era. Click ahead to see its renewed look.

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After: Cottage charm

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.

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Before: Nothing standard

The standard-issue chair rail and brass chandelier can't stand up to floral wallpaper trying for cottage charm. Click ahead to see how the owners injected style.

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After: Nothing standard

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.

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Before: Twice as nice

Sunshine, but little else, warms this bungalow's dining area. Click ahead to see how a makeover doubled its impact.

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After: Twice as nice

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.

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Before: Bright and airy

White is bright but cold before this room was remodeled. Click ahead to see how it got warmed up.

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After: Bright and airy

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.

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Before: Respecting the past

Dark and dingy transforms into sunny and classy in this rehab. Click ahead to see.

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After: Respecting the past

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.

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Before: Overdue updates

This Edwardian home hadn't been updated for three or four decades. The next slide shows the updates.

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After: Overdue updates

Chairs in comfort-extending upholstery surround a vintage-style wood table. Neutral yet textural grass cloth on the wall complements a group of drawings, which seem to reference the squares of the patchwork-look rug.

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Before and After: Dining Rooms

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Before: Hidden charm

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After: Hidden charm

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Before: Cozy center

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After: Cozy center

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Before: Cottage charm

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After: Cottage charm

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Before: Nothing standard

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After: Nothing standard

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Before: Twice as nice

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After: Twice as nice

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Before: Bright and airy

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After: Bright and airy

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Before: Respecting the past

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After: Respecting the past

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Before: Overdue updates

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After: Overdue updates

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