Dining Room Style

Devoid of frills, this dining room adopts traditional elements displayed with an eye for contemporary simplicity. Diagonally installed wood flooring mimics an area rug, while up at the ceiling a crystal chandelier stands out against the casually rough brick fireplace.

This room is a fiesta of color! The blending of styles includes retro, modern, country, and even a little tropical (notice the hint of a pineapple motif in the chandelier), based on the look of Fiesta pottery.

This dining room perfectly reflects both its owners' tastes. Clean lines, a cool color palette, and minimal accessories please the husband's contemporary leanings, while heavy drapes, a dripping chandelier, and rich wood tones satisfy the wife's traditional interests.

Though this home's color palette is pale, each fabric features a texture to help hide the dirt and wear common to a home that includes three children. In this dining room, an oversize lantern-style chandelier reinforces the center of the room and the mahogany dining table.

Raising the roof took this breakfast room from mundane to fabulous. On the left, wood cabinets with clean lines and contemporary hardware give the space warmth and style.

Drenched in red and gold, this dining room looks like a million bucks. Tinted plaster mixed with marble dust coats the walls, buffed to produce a soft sheen. Dining chairs upholstered in gold damask are a soft touch against the wood table. A large area rug brings color underfoot and gold drapes tie the palette together.

Inspired by the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood, this luxe dining room features a dynamic display wall. Identically framed and symmetrically arranged prints by a French painter lend the air of a classic library to this traditionally furnished space.

A wall of cabinets holds china and glassware while providing a long and useful buffet top for entertaining. Highly reflective, the tabletop contrasts with the matte textures of jute carpeting and linen draperies.

Easy elegance and theatrical touches set the tempo for this casually divine dining room. Traditional elements that might be expected in such a room are given elements of surprise. Chippendale dining chairs, normally finished in a mahogany stain, wear a matte gold.

A formal dining room is all about entertaining. This dining table seats six for an intimate affair or can expand to accommodate a party of 12. French doors around the room allow dinner parties to spill out onto an adjoining patio. A traditional sideboard, which stores extra linens and dinnerware, can serve as a buffet.

In this vibrant dining room, a curvy valance adds height and impact to the arched windows. Instead of an expensive arched rod or curved board, the valance is secured directly to the wall by hooks. The fabric is pulled into casual pleats and "horns," then tied with a rope trim that runs the length of the treatment.

Using modern materials in a vintage home gives it a young energy. This once-formal dining room was given a pared-down casual style more appropriate for daily use. Fiberglass chairs are child-friendly and provide a contrast to the dark patina of the table.