Dining Room Makeovers for Modern and Traditional Taste
Last updated August 21, 2024
Kevin O’Gara is editor and founder of Thou Swell. He’s inspired by a mix of traditional and contemporary design, and loves dogs, dinner parties and big windows. Kevin is the brother of two sisters and the best friend of one spunky wired-hair fox terrier. After voraciously pinning interiors throughout his early teens, Kevin decided to write and produce his own content. In 2013, he created Thou Swell, named after the famous jazz standard and inspired by the song’s spirit and nostalgia. In just a few years Thou Swell has become a destination for interior lovers and entertaining enthusiasts.
A Note From The Home Depot
This dining room makeover Kevin O’Gara of Thou Swell features a mix of lovely modern and traditional elements. Kevin also very cleverly split the space into two sections: a dining area and a comfortable seating area.
Kevin shows us the details of this gorgeous and versatile dining room.
Table of Contents
Versatile Dining Room Makeover
The Dining Room Before the Makeover
Splitting the Dining Room
Adding New Energy
The Seating Area
The Window Treatments
Versatile Dining Room Makeover
I couldn’t have been more excited when The Home Depot invited me to transform our dining room with several lovely pieces from the Home Decorators Collection. It’s a room that I’ve long wanted to make over, and Home Decorator’s Collection gave me the perfect opportunity to re-imagine how the layout of our dining room, and create a space that was more comfortable and inviting than before.
The Dining Room Before the Makeover
When I started out, the room had a very traditional layout, with a large dining table at the center of the room and a buffet under the window.
Splitting the Dining Room
For the dining room makeover, we found new places for these pieces in the room in order to make space for a completely new design.
Instead of the dining table defining the center of the room, I wanted to split the space into two areas: one for dining and one for comfortable seating for such activities as enjoying a cup of coffee with the morning newspaper.
The dining area was moved towards the other end of the room, with the Aldridge Round Dining Table that allowed for the most efficient use of space.
I wanted to include comfortable seating in the dining area, so I chose theWatkins linen sofafor banquette-style seating. This also allowed me to place the Aldridge dining table closer to the wall, which also made this side of the room even cozier.
Adding New Energy
I wanted to use a mix of modern and traditional pieces in the dining room makeover to refresh the space with some new energy. While the neutral, traditional pieces have traditional proportions, the Thronton Chandelier above the table provides some chic contrast in the tableau. It’s like the jewelry in the room, with layers of Art Deco-style crystals reflecting the light around the room beautifully. And with such neutral pieces below, it was easy to accessorize with more colorful accents which coordinated with the art framing the table.
Opposite the banquette I hung the Lens Framed Mirror to reflect more light and further define that side of the room. I hung the mirror from the ceiling in front of the white duck curtains which line one wall in this room.
The room had striped curtains before, separating the opening between the kitchen and dining room, but I decided to take the curtains all the way across the wall to create a more uniform surface, and hide the strange architecture dividing the two rooms. The white curtains became a soft wall, and make the entry into the dining room from the kitchen quite nice!
The Seating Area
The seating area was defined by the blue Moroccan rug. The Marie arm chair also grounded the tableau with a traditional shape, while I brought some more contemporary elements in the accent pieces like the lamp and the eclectic embroidered pouf.
I chose the Aldridge accent table as a large side table, so that it could hold small plates for breakfast or drinks. It’s the same style as the dining table, but the square shape makes it a little different to keep it from matching too much.
The Window Treatments
Probably the most impactful change in this area of the room was adding the custom-cut blinds. The bamboo shades instantly elevated the window, accentuating the ceiling height and balancing out the long, horizontal shape of the window. Since curtains cover a whole wall in this room, I didn’t want to use curtains again on this window, and I love how the blinds changed the room.
A Classic Look
The foundation of the room was rooted in the traditional pieces from Home Decorators Collection. The proportions and classic neutral finishes on the wood and upholstery provided a great canvas for accessorizing with more contemporary silhouettes, like the mirror, chandelier, and graphic Moroccan rug.
While I wanted to refresh the room’s palette, I also am so excited with how much more versatile the space is now, since it can double-task with two seating areas. With this dining room makeover, it feels like the room has finally reached its full potential, and has become so much more inviting in the process!
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This post was created in partnership with The Home Depot. The author may have received compensation for this article and associated images or video, potentially in the form of products and/or services. All expressed opinions and experiences are the author’s own words.
