Breaking the Dining Room Mold

It’s time to pare down dining room furniture and move china and silver to the pantry.

When it comes to the dining room there are minimalists, maximalists and the predictable 178 degrees of opinion in between. I’ve gone on record in favor of making this a dual-purpose space by adding bookcase walls. I also believe that matched furniture suites and china or silver displays in glass-door cabinets are frozen-in-time — in other words outdated. So what’s important today for a room used mainly at night? Comfort and mood rather than great Aunt Tallulah’s dishes on display. For me, that means the size and finish on a table, the shape of chairs and texture of their coverings, open space around and above the table grouping, accessories, wall treatments, art and lighting.

Contemporary dining rooms play off the architecture of a house. In a two story space [top], designer Tim Clark has provided seating for twelve with black-leather chairs at a table large enough for a corporate board room. The table floats in a room filled with hard surfaces but the huge piece of art warms things up by suggesting a romantic sunset.

Color reigns in this Mallory Lawson dining room that seems inspired by a box of crayolas. By upholstering each chair in a different color leather, the message is fun and while this dining room is inspired by a serious piece of art on the wall, it would work well for anything from a pizza party to a catered dinner. A glass top lets the table disappear while the chairs shout ‘hey, come sit here!”

Grownup. Calm. Understated. Rose Tarlow creates a thoroughly traditional room with antiques and elaborate picture wall sets and gives it a distinctive old-world feel while using only two major pieces: a sideboard and the table. Otherwise, the emphasis is on seating. I can easily imagine taking my espresso and moving from one of the chairs over to that bench on the left for an intimate chat. While the furniture arrangement is formal, movement in the antiqued herringbone floor keeps it from feeling static or staid.

Fuchsia velvet upholstery on siren silver Deco-style chairs is a statement maker in a mid-century modern ranch house. And despite the odd base that makes the  table look like it might be more comfortable for grazing than dining, the built-in walnut cabinet provides an ample surface to set out hors d’oeuvre, a serve-yourself lunch or dinner buffet. I find Bruce Bolander’s design glitzy and informal — a rare combination.

Fans of formal dining rooms will not be disappointed by the luxurious custom-ness of high-gloss purple lacquer walls in a hue called aubergine (French for eggplant). Part French, part Asian inspired, the room cannot help looking over-decorated until the sun goes down and candles are lit. Then the walls should go inky, the golden draperies fade a bit, and the gaze of the Buddahs make it feel like a dream trip to an exotic location.

Let me say, right up front, that I can spot a china cabinet at the far end of this handsome dining room. But it’s not your Grandma’s any more than the dark gray walls Thad Hayes used to send out a masculine vibe. In this thoroughly modern, multi-purpose space, a pair of leather armchairs — one at each end of a huge wood table — suggests a partner’s desk on steroids. When friends stop by, it would be easy to move the armchairs into corners, clear away the laptops and bring in dinner for eight.

(Sources: Bruce Bolander, Rose Tarlow, Thad Hayes, Mallory Lawson, Tim Clark)

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