In honor of Thanksgiving quickly approaching we thought we would focus on the dining room– a room that is a favorite of many designers. The sole purpose of this room is to bring family and friends together to share a meal around a table. Whether it’s a formal dining room used only for special occasions, or a space you use daily for meals, the dining room is a place to spend quality time with loved ones so it’s only right that you spend a little extra time and energy to design a special space.
If your dining room is in need of some design help, we have tapped our Chicago design network to bring you 11 ways to elevate your dining room design.
Statement Pieces
This dining room designed by Donna Mondi Interior Design, in a luxury condominium building designed by Robert A.M. Stern wows with spectacular views of the city. The dramatic, unique interiors the client desired was the opportunity Donna and her team needed to source statement pieces like art and lighting from some of their favorite artisans. The dining room table by Brooklyn furniture makers Hellman Chang is surrounded by elegant modern chairs and texture is added with a Keleen leather hide rug and a sheepskin and rosewood infinity bench off to the side. Local artist Adam Siegel, created the perfect art for this room – blending the influences of East and West together in a modern way. All eyes are drawn upward to the dramatic and dazzling Ochre Seed Cloud chandelier from David Sutherland!
Sleek and Modern Furniture
This modern dining room features products from Ligne Roset. Here they paired the Eaton contempoary solid wood table and bench with Parachute, a modern steel wire light fixture with adjustable shade. The wooden dining table is a bold yet still sleek table whose thin table top doesn’t overwhelm the dining room design. And this table pairs well with any design style from modern to more traditional. The lights, designed by Nathan Yong for Ligne Roset, are incredibly versatile. You can suspend them with the shades upside-down or right side up for a multitude of different combinations.
Durable Materials
From day one Cosentino’s Dekton has been known for its attributes of stain resistance and scratch resistance, making Dekton Slim is the ideal choice for furniture cladding for projects that require high performance and lightweight materials. In this modern dining room design, Dekton Slim in color Kelya was used as cladding on this beautiful dining table.
Materials Used in Unexpected Ways
In this Chicago design project, the dining room showcases Cosentino’s Prexury Smoky Quartz as the buffet counter & wall art. Cosentino’s Prexury is a series of surface materials made from semi-precious stones and other natural materials. The collection blends the beauty of natural semi-precious stone with petrified wood and fossil designs to create a solid surface. In this luxe dining room, Prexury is used as the buffet surface (backlit) and the framed picture (back lit).
Using materials traditionally used in jewelry (such as quartz, amethyst, agate or Jasper), each slab of Cosentino Prexury has an authenticity certificate “ASP” (Authentic Semi-Precious Stone) that identifies it and makes the product traceable. A polished traditional finish is applied to all the pieces to accentuate and enhance the colors of the semi-precious stones and their reflections.
Custom Designed Furniture
This dining room design by Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors won the ASID IL Design Excellence Award for Best Dining Room Design. The design concept for this dining room was transitional with clean lines, using custom-designed furniture pieces, and creating a sophisticated space where the clients could entertain friends and family. Sarah commissioned small business furniture artisans to create pieces that would meet the clients’ needs and wants. The color palette was selected to be in harmony with the other elements in the home and to create an inviting environment.
The custom buffet cabinet with leather inset panels, built by a local furniture manufacturer, was designed to fit the client’s heirloom china and glass pieces. The live-edge dining table was made from a carefully chosen locally sourced walnut slab, also by a local Chicago furniture maker. Ergonomics were taken into consideration when designing the seat height, the back height, and pitch of the dining chairs to accommodate the height differences of the husband and wife. Taking the full-height ripple fold drapery panels to the ceiling accentuated the vertical lines of the room and added a fun pop of color.
Natural Stone Flooring
For many of us, the best part of our day is gathering around the dining room table with family and friends. A beautifully designed dining room starts with gorgeous flooring. Opting for natural stone means your flooring will last for decades to come. Make sure these small “stones in your day” are the least of your worries after a long day of work. Materials Marketing offers over 40 stone options in 11 unique stone finishes. Visit their Chicago Showroom in the heart of the River North Design District to view all their natural stone colors and see how they can help elevate your dining room design.
A Dining Table / Kitchen Island Combo
The dining table has always been a representation of many things: a place where we come together, a place where we eat, a place where we talk about our day, and a place where we entertain. Once separated from the kitchen in a formal setting, we are seeing a new trend as of lately where the dining table is now integrated into the kitchen area or in some cases, it is part of the kitchen island, like in this example below, designed by Centaur Interiors.
Focal Point Lighting
Centaur Interiors suggests you consider these 3 main components when accessorizing the dining room: beautiful lighting, the perfect table set and the right piece of art. Don’t be afraid to have a focal point or conversation piece. Create a space that reflects your lifestyle and personality but remember, don’t overload the room.
Porcelain Floors
Inspired by the finest marbles around the world, the Slabs collection from Roca Tile allows you to accomplish the look and feel of marble without the price tag. As seen in the rooms below, you can create stunning, awe-inspiring floors for your dining room no matter the design style.
The Athos Slabs style was inspired by the classic marbles of the Carrara region in Italy. Its dramatic veining gives the perfect touch of elegance to this dining room, making way for bold tones to add even more personality to the design. Its two large formats 48”x48” and 48”x98” provide timelessness and versatility through a polished finish.
The Roca Tile Marble Lassa porcelain features warm tones in its veining for a natural, subtle touch of glam that will transform any room. Its delicate texture helps accentuate any decor style. This item comes in two formats, 24”x48” and 48”x48”, in both polished and unpolished finishes.
Porcelain Walls
With the Roca Tile Slabs Collection, get creative and use them for accent walls to take your dining room design to the next level. The Marble Parana porcelain slabs reproduces the characteristic designs of this native Brazilian natural stone. The golden streaks and asymmetric grays are unevenly distributed on the off-white background, granting an abundant number of ways to combine elements in any design. This elegant style is available in two formats: 48”x48” and 48”x98”, in a polished finish.
Consider Reclaimed Furniture
Made out of reclaimed Minneapolis ash trees, Room & Board’s new Orlin table features elegant joinery and clean, modern lines. Celebrating the material and the grain was an important when designing and creating the table. Orlin is available in a clear finish and a rich charcoal that let the wood’s characteristics to shine. View the entire collection online or in their Chicago store at 55 E Ohio St.
