2020 has been a time filled with many challenges, but it has also been a time for new beginnings— when we all have more time to refresh, renovate and repurpose areas of the home, where we’re all spending more time. 

Here’s a picture-perfect example of a dining room before-and-after that owner/interior designer Lance Griffith of CHD Interiors got his hands on for one of his clients that may inspire you to revamp your dining room before your next holiday gathering. Griffith began with a room that was dark and dated in need of lightening and brightening.

One window of the dining room on the north side of the house is shaded by a canopy of trees and the other French door windows of the room exit onto a screened porch. 

Luckily, his client has adventurous tastes and isn’t afraid to make a statement with color and pattern. 

“We’ve been fortunate to do several projects at her home and each one is equally interesting and colorful,” says Griffith. “As an art collector, she is well-traveled and has a great aesthetic. The only inspiration we needed for this room was her fun, creative personality.”

Griffith says he and his team decided to create an outdoor space indoors, anchored by the bigger-than-life floral wallpaper from Osborn and Little in bright colors. 

They decided to paint the medium-brown floors to resemble an old Italian stone terrace and placed a centerpiece custom iron table designed in traditional Mediterranean-style.

The chandelier was custom-made for the client, featuring natural crystals that hang from the bottom of the chandelier for a rustic-chic accent. 

A quartet of velvet padded dining chairs offers a contrast to the garden theme to add more elegance. And the Designer Guild ombre sheers give the room a light, romantic feel, reminiscent of old porch curtains wafting in the breeze.

Top 5 Dining Room DIY Tips

Inspired to tackle your own dining room redo? Interior designer Lance Griffith has words of wisdom to impart before you decide on your design direction. He says that dining rooms have evolved from the formal, stuffy, crystal and china rooms in which we all grew up sitting in but were afraid to touch anything. Today, homeowners are making these rooms fun and interesting places to gather.

Here are some tips to consider when reimagining your renewed dining room:

1. Your main goal: make the dining room more casual and strive to create a fun atmosphere. 
2. Consider using a round table if the space allows. Round tables make for more interactive dining.
3. Create a personality for the room. Imagine a garden theme, or an English pub, or any kind of location where you enjoy being in or traveling to. 
4. Lighting is key. Whatever space or theme you imagine is improved with multiple points of illumination. For instance, a chandelier with adjustable lights, cabinets with lighting and sconces add multiple levels of light that help create the right ambience. 
5. Comfortable seating is important. Keep in mind that new dining spaces are places to not only dine but sit and spend the evening with friends and family.

What you should really be striving for is not to get rid of your old dining room, but just to make it a new experience!