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Formal Dining in the Summertime
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and a stay-at-home mom.
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst,... More »
When I think of formal dining rooms, I usually imagine tables set with heavy linens and lots of accessories. I also usually imagine those tables in the wintertime. Maybe it's that summertime meals are often casual - or outside - but in my mind, formal dining is firmly connected to cold weather.
I decided to challenge my assumptions on this and ended up being pleasantly surprised. There are all kinds of formal dining rooms here on Houzz that look perfect for a fancy summer meal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
I decided to challenge my assumptions on this and ended up being pleasantly surprised. There are all kinds of formal dining rooms here on Houzz that look perfect for a fancy summer meal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
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by French Larkspur
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| This room would be a great spot for a beautiful holiday meal, but its cool, pale palette is also perfect for summer. Bright summertime produce wuld look fantastic on the table. |
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This room has a sense of lightness overall - in part due to the table's wiry, spare structure. And as with the room above, its pale, neutral colors are great for the hot summer.
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by Amy Lau Design
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| In contrast, it's the colors in this room that make me think of summer. It's a formal space, but also fun. |
I think modern kitchens lend themselves to multiple seasons - spare minimal lines seem cool, both literally and figuratively.
| I like these modern lines, too - and the windows also welcome the outdoors in, giving the room a summery atmosphere. |
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This is an impressive space in any season, but I think the large windows and open spaces lend it to bright, hot days.
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I like the way this room melds rustic elements (the table) with formal pieces (the chandelier). The effect is one that reflects the challenge of entertaining formally in the hot, casual summer.
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This room is a great example of how dark wood can work with pale walls and accessories. I especially like the way the plates add texture, so the room doesn't look boring. I might like the whole space even better with one shot of color - maybe green hydrangeas on the table.
by CWB Architects
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This room struck me as highly versatile. I love the cool gray of the walls and the slight shimmer of that mirror. In this photo, the pale linens give the room a summer or spring feel, but a darker color and heavier accessories could dress the room up even more for the winter.
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I just couldn't get away from including this photo in this book. While it's no fun to sit on plastic in the hot summer (ouch!), there's something undeniably summery about all of this lucite and glass.
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I think sometimes it's the heaviliy upholstered chairs that give formal dining rooms a wintry feel. In this case, though, the mix of chair styles and the light fabric keep the space summer-appropriate.
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Similarly, these simple stripes and pale colors work perfectly for summer.
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And these drapes, though heavy, are summery themselves. I love that green - and I love the windows.
by Amoroso Design
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This fabric, too, with its bright blue floral, is summery.
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| Even though this space is enclosed and formal, the bright blue is summery enough to make the room feel right for summer dining. |
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| This room reminded me that one of the quickest ways to change the look of a space is by adding a new tablecloth - or slipcovers in a summery fabric. |
Comments
Rebekah Zaveloff More wonderful dining rooms to linger over! Love that table with wire metal legs and the gray of that other room below.
3 years ago · Like
Rene I keep coming back to that image by Amoroso Design. I love the white chairs paired with the dark wood table.
3 years ago · Like
Ideabook published on June 25, 2010.
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