My Dining Room

If you look closely at the pictures of my dining room you will notice that I have a couple of things left to do. The wallpaper is not quite finished and I am installing an unvented gas fireplace. The wallpaper also needs some repair after a very bad windstorm came through and ripped off the shingles and produced a leak!

I used laminate flooring that goes from the dining room through the kitchen. This is the second laminate floor installed. The first one's color bleached out due to the southerly sun coming in through the sliding glass door. I managed to get this replaced under warranty at no cost. That floor had been on for ten years. The company replaced everything and even paid for the labor!

As I mentioned I opted for wallpaper on the walls. I used the "two-toned look" putting a solid color on the bottom section and a leafy-vine pattern on top and then dividing it all with a matching border.

On the ceiling, I used a pattern #116 barn siding. It is a tongue and groove board made out of knotty white pine. I sanded and stained the boards before I put them up but did not polyurethane until after the ceiling was done. I don't know why I did it that way. Maybe out of fear that the t&g would not slip together as well, I don't know. Regardless, it was a bit messsy trying to shellac the boards upside down with a brush!

I decided to go with the formal look when I purchased the furniture. It has a cherry finish which I found easily matches to a Minwax shade. I believe it was a red mahogany. I used this when I stained the trim.

Speaking of furniture, if you like a more rustic look to your furnishings you should check out a site called Black Forest Decor. They have some really nice stuff. Anything from bedding, to kitchen and bath, to lighting and wildlife art. All set in a rustic cabin decor style. If I ever would build a cabin I would be sure to outfit the home with these products.

The Abandoned Room

The dining room has fast become one of the least used rooms in the house...at least for what it was intended. With people on the run and their busy schedules, the sit-down family meal has become a thing of the past and the dining room abandoned. You may find yourself sorting laundry on the table rather than serving meals. That seems to be the case here. Our dining room has become a museum of mahogany furniture! Only on special occasions do we ever use it.

When decorating your dining room you should decide whether to go formal or informal.
In either case though, try to stay away from carpet flooring. Carpet does not handle dropped food and spills. It also wears easily from chairs being pushed in or out. Try hardwood flooring and soften it with rugs. Laminates and linoleum work too.

Lighting should be bright enough so that you are not searching for your food. Recessed lighting along with the centerpiece light make a nice match. Install a dimmer switch and you can lower the ambience to just the right mood.

When it comes to colors, do not try blue unless you are on a diet. Blue tends to psychologically curb our appetite while orange and red is considered a stimulus for eating. Earthy colors are also considered good choices for decorating the dining room. They make us feel more at home and relaxed. As always, magazines are a good place to find numerous ideas in case you are having a hard time decorating. If you have to, stick with an already present theme within your house. Try to be creative and just be you.