One Email Changed Everything (Dining Room Updates & Decisions)
Last week was such a slow week. I didn’t make any real progress on anything because I’m still waiting — waiting for my contractor to do his part on the storage room, waiting for fabric and air-dry clay to arrive so that I can get draperies sewn and my chandelier made. But I was also waiting because even though I put forth two different ideas last week for the one wall in the dining room that has the most wall space, I really wasn’t thrilled with either one of them.
If you’ll remember, the first idea was to remove the TV from the wall with the gallery shelves and simply replace it with a decorative mirror…
The other idea was to somehow make my colorful pinwheel artwork fit this space. In my mind, that would require widening the shelves that flank that center area, but some people also suggested the addition of sconces in the available space.
I sat with those options for a bit, and my favorite of the two options was the mirror. But I just couldn’t make myself move forward with that idea. I really do love those shelves. I love the way I have them arranged. I love all of the color and pattern. But I like it with the TV. Once the TV is removed from the equation and replaced with anything else, the whole thing stops making sense to me. In other words, this was the perfect arrangement for a sitting room where we sit to watch TV. I don’t think it’s the perfect arrangement for a dining room.
So while I really wanted to head to Home Depot and gather all of the supplies I’d need to make a really pretty framed mirror, I couldn’t force myself to do it. And I’m so glad I didn’t because late Saturday afternoon, I was checking my email, and I saw an email from a reader who had told me she was going to send me an idea. (Thank you, Anita!) So I opened up that email and saw this picture…
I was WOWED by this. This is a yes. A thousand times, yes. I absolutely love this look of having one big, impactful piece of artwork on this wall.
I did a little editing to the picture to take out the recliner so that I could try to image the table and chairs sitting in the middle of the room a little easier. And of course, the drapery fabric shown here is distorted. The actual pattern isn’t that big, so there will be more repeats in the pattern than what is shown here. And I’ll be pulling up the rug as well.
I showed it to my mom, and she wasn’t quite as excited about it as I was. She does like the idea of a large piece of artwork on that wall, but she pointed out that with it that big, part of it will be hidden behind the table and chairs. While I do agree that at certain vantage points, like if I’m standing in the kitchen, some of it will be hidden. But from other vantage points, the whole thing will be seen. The same would be true if I put a big mural on that whole wall, or if I covered the entire wall with wallpaper, but that’s never stopped me from using wallpaper or a mural.
I can see how it would be a problem if I were using something like a large landscape painting. With a landscape, all of the actual land of the landscape would be hidden behind the table and chairs. That would be a problem.
But I don’t think that’s an issue if the artwork is a huge abstract piece.
So with this new inspiration, I also wanted to test out how it would look to use the table in its smaller, leaf-less version in the room. I had been hoping to use it with the leaf and have four matching chairs on the sides, and then two fully upholstered captain’s chairs on the ends. But I wanted to try this and see how it looked.
Obviously, the smaller table fits the small room much better. And that would save me time and effort because I would only have four pretty simple chairs to reupholster. Adding two fully upholstered chairs to the “to do” list would take a lot more time.
And if I keep the table small, I could also keep the buffet. So I did a couple of mockups to see if I like the big, impactful, single piece of artwork with the buffet as much as I liked it without the buffet. And yep, I do! At least this way, the whole thing can be seen even when the table and chairs are in the room.
And also, if I wanted to go the landscape route, I could do that as well since none of it would be hidden behind the table and chairs.
So I think the one single, large piece of artwork is the winning idea either with or without the buffet. And after living with the table in its smaller version for the last two days, I’ve decided that I really do like it that way. It fits the room better and the room feels more open.
I do find it so interesting how much changing the function of the room (from sitting room to dining room) changes my perception of what needs to go on that wall. Those gallery shelves were one of my favorite features as long as this room was a TV room. But for a dining room, I think they’re too much. That one, single piece of artwork works so much better for a dining room.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Yes! I usually don’t like abstract art, but this one is a definite yes. And keeping the buffet even adds to the yes-factor.
Love the large format artwork and buffet!
I like the abstract painting, the smaller table version and keeping the buffet.
Yay! It certainly helps to see a mockup of the idea.
Good design really is about form following function.
I, also, see ALL the walls in the same color as the curtains’ background color!
Or, a shade deeper if you like.
When I suggested a large canvas art piece upon that wall, I was envisioning it a tad more vertically dimensioned with a picture light above it. You might play with the dimensions of the artwork a bit more there – just to confirm how you like it best…😉
She had a wonderful solution! I love it.
Love the simplicity of a large piece of artwork – Plus you can bring over the teal color from the kitchen to tie everything in! If you keep the table small, then that is the perfect opportunity to use Captain’s chairs next to the pantry doors, instead of benches, for when you need to put the leaf in the table and have enough seating.
I’d just come on to say the same thing about the captain’s chairs and the leaf.
You beat me to it – lol!
Love the large, abstract art! I like it better really big without the sideboard.
Great idea! Perfect place for the extra chairs!
Whoever he/she was that came up with this idea is a genius. I absolutely love the picture as shown and the buffet. Winner all the way.
I love the idea of one large piece of art and keeping the buffet. Anita was brilliant with her suggestion. Where will the tv land for easy viewing?
Pretty sure the tv won’t be living in the dining room.
TV will eventually go in the redone sunroom/family room – to – be. They have a TV in the Master for Matt to watch.
I prefer no buffet, but regardless LOVE the big art.
Also just as a total side note: I really like the way that you interact with blog readers ideas. You really seem to listen and give other ideas a fair hearing when it makes sense, but also stick to what you love when you are certain you know what you want to love. And I love when you change your mind, you will let yourself change your mind. You really strike a great balance between respect for readers and self-respect for your own experience/intuition.
Since you love your shelves and artwork around the TV will you be able to use it in your new TV room? Loving the direction your dining area is moving.
Replicating that design in the new TV room is definitely an option! We’ll have to see. It’ll still be a while before we have that room, so I might have something else I’d like to try when that time comes.
Looks great. If you do that then maybe think about flanking the pantry with mirrors and plants or mirrors and benches.
Yor new table in the more intimate round configuration is perfect for your room.
When you want to seat more people, is there any reason not to turn the table
90 degrees, so that the now-oval table would go in the windows-to-pantry door orientation?
Since you will not have the rug on the floor, if you put adhesive felt pads on the bottom of the table and chair legs, you should be able to move the table around fairly easily by yourself.
If I need to enlarge the table, I’ll do it like you described.
If you frequently need more seating, would benches work? Easily stored on either side of pantry doors as they were before. And easy to pull forward when needed for company?
I probably wouldn’t use the benches for additional seating at the table. I thought maybe I would, but I know I prefer to have a back on a seat, so I’ll probably just purchase a couple of folding chairs and store them. I’ve seen some really comfy upholstered folding chairs that store away easily.
The large abstracty art would be wonderful. Particularly if it does not cover the majority of the wall but above the height of the table. It doesn’t even need to be particularly abstract, but not a definitive recognizable piece.
I love the large art idea! No matter which style you choose, abstract or more traditional landscape, a large version is so much more impactful than the small art pieces on shelves.
I have always loved a cozy round table in a dining room. The one piece of art is genius but I liked it better when it lined up with the 2nd from bottom door muntin. Then you did just that with the buffet! I would go with that. The first huge art piece looked a bit chaotic to my eye, I’d rather dine with a calmer piece. But Im usually drawn to landscapes more than abstracts so there’s that. I think you’re well on your way to a gorgeous dining room.
One other thing…unless you entertain big groups for dinner often, I think having the small round table is fine for now. When the storage room is complete, that’s the time you could spend indoors hunting for 2 chairs, and recovering the 4 you have. There’s no rule that says you must complete the entire room in one go.
Love the table you found. The buffet balances the visual weight of the kitchen island and makes the table feel more centered under the light fixture. Please Do Not subject adult guests to backless seating of any kind for a Bible study over 30 minutes. The benches make the room too full IMO. Good luck. Very inspiring project.
Agree with all you’ve said!
I was gonna say, no adult wants to sit on benches when guests for a meal or other gatherings…
Double ditto to those who suggested the 2 additional chairs flanking the pantry doors for the occasions when you need the leaf and more seating.
I had commented in a previous post that I’d prefer 2 or 3 large pieces of artwork in place of the shelves but I like the idea of 1 large piece even better! I would suggest something narrower that what is in the mockup. The rule of thumb is artwork should be 2/3 to 3/4 the width of the buffet below it. The table without leaves and just 4 chairs looks very nice as long as you won’t have more than 4 people dining. I’ve been wondering how the fasting has been going. I’ve thought about trying that but I feel shaky if I don’t eat within 3 hours of getting up.
I’ve gotten off schedule with my fasting the last couple of weeks because of things I’ve had scheduled. I’ll be getting back to it on Thursday. But the good news is that I’ve bene able to maintain the weight loss. So hopefully, nothing will come up Thursday-Saturday so that I can get back to fasting.
This is perfect, I love a big beautiful piece of art! The light blue walls are great also!
I think you should be able to re-use your gallery shelves in the sunroom around the tv when that space is finished.
Gosh, that artwork looks like it was specifically made for that wall with the colors especially. I love the look..small table, long table when you have guests, it looks beautiful! And, it doesn’t do anything to crowd the space either…busy, but just perfect for the space. I hope it does become part of your room. Wondering what colors you will pick for your chairs? Looking forward. Today your guy came to work?
I’m still trying to figure out the chairs. I bought some paint stripper, so I need to use that on the table and see what’s under the finish. Once I have the table figured out, it will make it easier to decide what to do on the chairs.
My contractor is starting tomorrow (Tuesday). It was supposed to be today, but their project before mine ran longer than expected, probably because of the holiday last Monday. So they’ll be here at 8:00 tomorrow morning to start!
I agree that one big art piece is the answer, however, I wonder if the art and the drapery is a bit too much “lively” to dine with. It all seems quite stimulating to me, even though I love color as much as you do. And as I was reading this post, my mind also went to a big stained glass piece like this art! I know you will do what your heart says, and you should. Just giving food for thought here as always! And you could use the leaf if you put the table with the ends at the window and pantry direction.
I LoVE the big abstract art…then the buffet under it sets it off perfectly. This is all just my 2 cents for whatever its worth. 😁Beautiful.
That’s what I was trying to encourage 5-6 posts ago, (with too many words). When you wanted the tall cabinets. I’m terrible at explaining. It was too much visual clutter. You are driven to large abstract things currently. Make a big canvas and go. It balances the stress from trying to keep so much going. You be creative, create art that you know others like. You can hate it later, but it helps maintain momentum.
Glad the emailed picture worked better than my comments and got the creative juices flowing.
I’m such a visual person that sometimes when people are trying to describe something o me, my mind starts to wander and I have a hard time envisioning what they’re describing. 😀 But a photo gets my attention very quickly.
I really like the small table and chairs. The room looks so much better that way. I love the buffet so I’m glad it can stay in the room. No on the landscape picture,,,,,boring,
but yes on the colorful picture. I am assuming you will paint it yourself so you can manage the shape yourself?? It needs to be big and bold. So glad you opened that email!
When does your contractor get there so you can finish the storage room? I know how you hate to waste time waiting. I am so stuck between projects, I need to put my oar in the water!!
I read everyone’s posts. I don’t think a wild picture would keep anyone from enjoying a meal unless it was a picture of a large tiger or snake of something like that!
He’ll be here tomorrow morning at 8:00! It was supposed to be today, but their current project ran over schedule, probably because of the holiday last Monday. So tomorrow morning, bright and early, they’ll begin.
I wasn’t with any of the choices for where the mirror was going to go. I absolutely love. Love, love the abstract painting. It brings so much color to the room that you don’t need anything else to add clutter
But you will probably change your mind so I am just going to sit back and await your final decision
YES Yes to your entire thinking! Also, anything with Cooper, Felicity or Tiger get a yes regardless of the topic! Yay!
Beautiful . Perfect
I love the painting Anita sent you. And it goes exceeding well with the beautiful buffet, size, color, etc. You could still use a diagonal arrangement if you needed the leaf. A couple of plain wooden chairs with seat pads would work as additional seating.
I think you’ve got it covered!
I love the ideas you propose. Using the round table with four chairs give some breathing room.
I hope the buffet will stay. Valuable storage and it grounds the art above it. One caveat that came to me as soon as I saw the mockup: As you show it, the abstract art piece is too wide over the buffet.
I did a search and this is the result:
“…standard design rules advise against making a single piece of art wider than the buffet below it.”
General Proportions Ideal width: Art should span roughly two-thirds to three-quarters the width of the buffet. Example: A 60-inch buffet pairs best with art around 40 inches wide.
[1] (https://www.jjonesdesignco.com/blogs/ask-joshua-how-large-should-artwork-be-above-a-buffet-or-sideboard),
[2] (https://decoratingden.com/blog/the-art-of-hanging-artwork-at-the-right-height/),
[3] (https://www.fab-art.co/blogs/news/art-above-dining-table-rules),
[4] (https://www.artfullywalls.com/artful-insights/what-is-2-3-rule-for-wall-art?srsltid=AfmBOoqAxRF_yLbYoCzm-kv4SwR7bKQpmdTRIMCsLJ1Qnn1dqq6RtpPP)
Visual anchor: The furniture acts as a visual base. Art wider than the piece below makes the arrangement look top-heavy and disconnected.
Worth considering.