Decorating a Mis-Matched
Dining Room
by Kathy Burns-Millyard
Many of us start our adult lives with hand-me-downs. These items are usually
given to us so we'll have a place to start, and they're usually necessary pieces
of furniture, appliances, and utensils or dishes so we have ways to cook and
eat. As we get settled into our adult lives though, we start desiring a more
pulled together look for our homes. Often of course, we can't always afford to
go out and buy all new furniture, appliances, and china though... so creating a
nice decorating theme can be a bit tricky.
It's not impossible though, and you can actually create a unique decorating
theme by using a lot of what you already have. Let's look at the dining room as
an example. Keep in mind of course that these tips apply to any eating area you
might use: Breakfast nook, eat in kitchen, or formal dining room.
The Furniture: You most likely have a table and chairs, but they might not
actually match... and that's ok. Here are some easy ways to pull them together:
1. Paint the furniture. This is easiest with wood furniture, but I would not
recommend it if you have anything that could be antique.
2. Create or buy chair cushion covers. Matching chair cushion covers will pull
the ensemble together quickly, easily and inexpensively.
3. Chair back covers. Another quick, easy and inexpensive option is to cover the
chair backs. This can be done in addition to covering the cushions, or instead
of.
The Accessories: Adding accessories to a table is quite easy, and you have a
wide variety of things to choose from. Here are several:
1. Placemats. Choose placemats that match one or more pieces of furniture, or
choose them to match the chair cushions. If you've put cushion or back covers on
the chairs, you can match your placemats to those as well. A little thought of
technique is to match the color or design of your placemats to something you
have hanging on the wall.
2. Centerpieces and Vases. Neither of these has to be elaborate to add a little
decorative flair to the dining room. The flower vase can be kept maintenance
free by creating an arrangement with dried or fake flowers.
I personally have my kitchen decorated with red and chrome, but my dining room
furniture is a honey yellow wood color. To pull the two rooms together, I have
an old-fashioned milk bottle vase sitting on a red placemat in the middle of my
table. The vase holds fake flowers of red and white.
See a Picture Here:
3. Table Settings. I love mixing and matching dishes, and it can create a
wonderful, unique look you wouldn't expect. Using my red and white example
above, you could have solid white dinner plates sitting on the table with a
smaller salad plate on top that has red flowers in it. Or have a nice, festive,
southwest style dinner plate with reds and oranges, and solid red or orange cups
sitting on top.
Regardless of how mis-matched your dining room furniture and accessories seem to
be, all you need is a little ingenuity and creativity to pull it all together
with style.
Kathy Burns-Millyard - Kathy is a professional published
writer who covers a variety of popular topics such as health, fitness,
decorating, and gardening. Find more home decorating ideas at The Do It
Yourself Home Decorating Network DIYHomeDecorating.com