Dining
Special features. Light blue walls (Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue). Town gave the table a fresh coat of white paint, added user-friendly chairs and placed two slim acrylic console tables on either side of the archway to give the family additional tabletop surface for serving. Designer secret. “I think the gallery wall is what really makes this space stand out and be special,” Town says. “The client really wanted a space to display family photos and, being that this is the heart of their home, I love that we were able to give her a personal space but also blend in different art mediums to create a cool focal point.”Chairs: Cost Plus World Market; consoles: CB2; stools: Target; rug: Rugs USA; table lamp: Circa Lighting; face artwork: Sally Benedict; abstract paintings: Amanda K. Hawkins; frames: West Elm (brass), Ikea and Target (white); table and buffet: homeowners’ existing; chandelier: original to the home; see more chandeliersSee more of this home
2. Eclectic and EntertainingDesigners: Kiera Kushlan and Jessica Centella of Residents UnderstoodLocation: Washington, D.C.Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 10 by 14 feet (3 by 4.2 meters)Homeowner’s request. Keep the dining table and chairs while “infusing some personality into the space,” designer Kiera Kushlan says. The homeowner’s “favorite colors are green and pink, so we wanted to balance the feminine pink in the new rug with a darker, more masculine shade of green on the walls.”Style. “The room had wonderful bones from the original early-1900s building, so it was all about finding ways to accentuate those and balance the more modern furniture she already owned,” Kushlan says.
Special features. Midcentury furniture. Pinkish rug. Green walls. “The Benjamin Moore Lafayette Green paint really makes the room,” Kushlan says. “Without it, the space certainly wouldn’t have as much visual impact.”Designer secret. “Don’t be afraid of color,” Kushlan says. “Working with a professional to find just the right hue is also helpful. What works in one home may not be right for another, so remember, paint isn’t a one-size-fits-all.”“Uh-oh” moment. “We went through several shades of green before finding the right one,” Kushlan says. “We would see them one day, think we had the perfect one and then come back the next day only to change our minds. Because paint can change so much in different light, it’s essential to see it morning, noon and night before taking the plunge and deciding on a single color.”Paint: Lafayette Green, Benjamin Moore; dining table, chairs, bar cart and chandelier: West Elm; artwork: Minted; ceiling fan: Rejuvenation; mirror: Anthropologie; rug: Lulu & Georgia; table accessories: CB2See more of this home | Browse modern dining tables
1. Modern FamilyDesigner: Barbara Town of Town Lifestyle + DesignLocation: HoustonSize: 189 square feet (17.5 square meters); 13½ by 14 feet (4.1 by 4.2 meters)Homeowners’ request. “The family entertains a lot, and this room sits in the middle of the house and acts as a main hallway to get to the kitchen and the family room,” designer Barbara Town says. “They were hoping to bring in a more finished look, add a pop of color, [and have it] be kid-friendly and be a space that blended with the rest of the home design.” Style. “The style of this space is transitional,” Town says. “We have mixed the traditional-style dining table and chandelier with a midcentury buffet, modern consoles and dining chairs. The pop of bright colors also helps tie these two styles together, being a mix of sophisticated and youthful.”
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