https://www.houzz.com/photos/2010-colorado-homes-and-lifestyles-home-of-the-year-traditional-dining-room-denver-phvw-vp~247423
Have fun with color and print!

What is your existing color scheme in your home? You might consider adding an area rug, painting the walls, and adding a new lighting as well? There are many different ways to draw inspiration. If you are in Florida you could go with a fresh, light and airy palette with brighter clear colors. They hold up well in the sunshine state.

Choose the rug first b/c it will not change and walls can always be re-painted. Live with the rug a while, then choose the wall and ceiling colors, live with them and then decide on the furniture. Think a lot about repainting the wood b/c it is a lot of work. Great fabric will create a light feeling which you probably want in florida.

whatever color or style you choose, make sure you prep your piece properly for the perfect paint finish! Painted furniture is a perfect cottage look, if that's where you are heading with your decor... Maybe only paint the chairs at first and leave the table in it's wood tone? I totally agree with the "pick the rug first" from "drnd". Have fun!

You might want to look into Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It is a great product for painting furniture and creating special finishes, and very easy to use. Here's a link:
http://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/products/chalk-paint
http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html

You can't get much more traditional than original finish wood furniture. Is the finish on the table in good condition?

Turquoise

gtownmomma they look wonderful!

tthigs, I also agree with the others who said choose your rug first, but also have a finished look in mind. How do you see the room as a finished result? Elegant? Coastal? Eclectic?

Susan Mills

Hi tthigs, Marie here. 2 - Key items you need to find is

1.the inspiration point or fabric, artwork or area rug for your dining room - the paint/stain colour and fabric for the chairs will stem from one inspiration you have for the "end result" of your room.
2. is the table and chairs "OK to paint or antique?" If it is valuable as stained wood - then have it refinished by a professional. If it is not valuable, then paint away!! Be inspired by the photographs below - and make a statement with your dining room.

And then a few more photos of dining rooms for inspiration - PS - don't forget you can slipcover!

If you do paint the table top, glass fitted table top to preserve your painted finish. I think the red is a classic look and has been around for centuries.

I noticed you said you like traditional looks, blue and white is as traditional as it gets. Also, the chairs and table do not need to be the same color. In fact, it looks better to my eyes. Here are some examples.

Milk Paint has a great patina for furniture.

Annie Sloan Decorative Chalk paint is the best, no priming, no sanding, no prepping - no kidding! You can distress it, paint a smooth modern finish, or do a rustic finish, whatever fits your style. What state are you in? If you go to anniesloanunfolded.com and put your zip code it, it'll tell you where teh nearest stockist is. This paint has excellent coverage, goes a long way and the colours are amazing. I am a stockist, so if you're in Virginia, look me up on facebook - Studio Eleven in Lynchburg, Va. Good luck.

Annie Sloan Decorative Chalk paint is the best, no priming, no sanding, no prepping - no kidding! You can distress it, paint a smooth modern finish, or do a rustic finish, whatever fits your style. What state are you in? If you go to anniesloanunfolded.com and put your zip code it, it'll tell you where the nearest stockist is. This paint has excellent coverage, goes a long way and the colours are amazing. I am a stockist, so if you're in Virginia, look me up on facebook - Studio Eleven in Lynchburg, Va. Good luck.

Annie Sloan Decorative Chalk paint is the best, no priming, no sanding, no prepping - no kidding! You can distress it, paint a smooth modern finish, or do a rustic finish, whatever fits your style. What state are you in? If you go to anniesloanunfolded.com and put your zip code it, it'll tell you where the nearest stockist is. This paint has excellent coverage, goes a long way and the colours are amazing. I am a stockist, so if you're in Virginia, look me up on facebook - Studio Eleven in Lynchburg, Va. Good luck.

Annie Sloan Decorative Chalk paint is the best, no priming, no sanding, no prepping - no kidding! You can distress it, paint a smooth modern finish, or do a rustic finish, whatever fits your style. What state are you in? If you go to anniesloanunfolded.com and put your zip code it, it'll tell you where the nearest stockist is. This paint has excellent coverage, goes a long way and the colours are amazing. I am a stockist, so if you're in Virginia, look me up on facebook - Studio Eleven in Lynchburg, Va. Good luck.

Here's another idea...no matter what colors you choose, why not try a pattern paint treatment on the table top? Coordinate the colors with seat cover fabric. I did a 2 colored diamond pattern on my ktchen table, finished with a water based poly and it is still holding up after ten years. No need for glass top. Oh, and remember to consider the leaves if any. Pattern has to match with and without them. But easy to do. An awning stripe would look cool too - especially in Florida. Patterns can be as bold or subtle as you want. Have fun!

Second (or third, or fourth) the motion, get your fabric for the seats first.
Annie Sloan Chalk paint is, indeed, very easy to work with and comes in some very traditional colors. For a dining room I would use a sealer - her wax, or some regular old polyurethane. I also am a sucker for glossy black chairs. High gloss paint is a little harder to work with, because it wants to drip, especially on the second coat. If the table top is in nice shape, how about painting the base and leaving the top wood?

Agree with above about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It may seem a bit expensive for a large project, but, a little goes a long way. You also save the time of having to prep. It's true when they say: no sanding, no priming. You can mix Annie Sloan colors to create your own color. The AS stockist will be able to help you with the mixing to get the color you want. (they are really very knowledgeable with paint and wax techniques). Choose your fabric first and have fun with it. Good luck.

I have an 1920's walnut table that I loved but wanted to update the look. I dismantled the table took it outside, spray painted it with a black satin finish, distressed it a bit, purchased new chairs and got the look I wanted.

I also agree about getting your inspiration (rug, painting or seat/drapery fabric) decided first. Most designers recommend against a matched dining table and chairs these days because that can be too predictable and boring, I too would recommend just painting the chairs. If the table has some minor chips, scratches or wear spots, consider a Minwax stain pen that can cover a multitude of sins or use a Rejuvenate product on it. Be careful with the Rejuvenate if it's a veneer top as that can cause veneers to lift. Since you specifically asked for color advice, even though the sky's the limit, for your more traditional aesthetic, I'd go with white, off-white or a pale mushroom color. In FL I think I'd steer away from black or darker colors. If you need to paint the table as well, I'd use a shade that's darker than the chairs, maybe a medium or darker mushroom shade. That will look great with many shades of blues or dusty aquas or shades of coral. It looks like your chairs will be relatively easy to paint and the seats should be easy to recover. Remember to get some poly batting to give a bit of extra cushion to well used older chairs before stapling the new fabric on place. Have fun!

I just changed the look of my dark diningroom, I went with white. I painted the chairs and the bottom half of the table white and left the table top wood with a new coat of stain. It is amazing how bright and fresh looking the room is now. If you don't want white but want some colour check out the new milk paint line by Miss Mustard Seed. There are some amazing new paint colours, you would have a diningroom colour that no one else would have. Milk paint is so easy to work with and goes on so smooth, and washes up with water. And the paint colours are gorgeous, good luck . My diningroom is in storage but i found a pic of one similar to show you how beautiful white will look.
and a pic of some of the colours of milk paint
Tobey of Tobeystreasure.com

Black table, white chairs, seats in all different bright solid colors.

Black table, white chairs, seats in all different bright solid colors.

LOVE YOUR SET...TURN OF THE CENTURY OAK IS NICE AND STURDY. HOW ABOUT ALL WHITE WITH A GREAT PRINT ON THE SEAT AND, IF YOU DON'T HAVE TWO ARM CHAIRS IN THE SET, ADD A HOST AND HOSTESS CHAIR ON EITHER END, ALSO IN WHITE. IKEA HAS A GREAT CHAIR THAT IS INEXPENSIVE.

I would agree with some of the other comments above.. You should search for a rug first and draw inspiration from that. I purchased antique queen anne chairs which were painted black lacquer and had not be re upholstered in years! I had a beautiful dark brown wood pedestal table so I decided to strip the black lacquer, sand and paint the chairs white. I also re upholstered the chair cushion myself. I think its a classic style which you can modernize with fabric on the chair covers, curtains and rug choice.. and of course accessories (lighting, frames, mirrors, etc). Personally, I don't care much for matching table and chairs so I kept the authenticity of the dark brown wood table and painted the chairs white and its stunning traditional yet modern twist with my fabric choices, paint colour and accessories. I would like to note that it took me FOREVER to strip and sand and paint ten chairs! So if you could find a professional to do it, it will be worth the extra money. Good luck!!!

I Would suggest you do not paint the Chairs as its a antique set , what happens with paint is the antique look goes away so the quickest and most economical way to do
D.I.Y is take flint paper lightly rub the worn of or damaged polish and apply Clear Lacquer and it will shine n one more thing use a Light Fabric for the Seats to Make it stand out and Slip covers are the best ! Good Luck

Your chairs could be either a neutral color(wood, white, black) or they could be an accent color taken from a nearby room's wall color( doesn't have to be exact match, a very slightly darker shade would be more interesting.

Instead of painting the whole chair, or even if you do paint the chair, you could add a formal of informal mood by adding a design to the back center panel of the chair. For instance:
Keep the wood tone , but wash it with a diluted milk paint color and rub it off. Then go over the center panel with a gold scroll type pattern. Keep the chair seats in a complimentary darker silk solid or formal print. Do the same wash to bottom of table and trim edge with tiny line in scroll color. Refresh top of table with minwax polyshade in original wood tone or also use milk wash on it and then polyurethane to protect.

If you wanted whimsical, instead of formal, choose a whimsical pattern for back center panel .

I agree with some of the other comments above, but if you want something that can give a new atmosphere to the room, these can be a good option.

Consider re-finishing the table to restore its luster and have slipcovers made with great pattern and color. Have a look...

You can switch out the slipcovers when you need a fresh change.
Hope that helps. Charmean Neithart

HERE IS ANOTHER PICTURE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER, INSPIRED BY HOUSEBUZZ'S SUGGESTION TO PAINT ONLY PART OF THE CHAIR...THE MIDDLE BACK PANEL.

I make my own chalk paint. The recipe I use is 1 cup latex paint to 1/4 cup baking soda. You can always add more soda or more paint if you want the the paint to be thick or less thick. Homemade chalk paint is very durable and it drys fast so you can work fast and the cost is cheaper than Annie Sloan. I want to say that Annie Sloan chalk paint is great but I have a small furniture refinshing business and I only use the chalk paint that I mix.
With homemade chalk paint you can seal with it Minwax Paste wax.
These are some pieces that I painted with my chalk paint recipe. Good luck! I would love to see what you decide to do with your table!