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kevin_blakeley

help decorate a dining room wall

7 years ago
I need help decorating a wall for my dining room. I was looking at buffet tables but I don’t think I have enough space for a piece of furniture that is too deep. Can I get away with decorating the wall without any furniture? Seems like this could make for a great accent wall too.

The first photo with the long table has the blank wall I want to decorate. The kitchen view is what is also part of the room and shows the entire room.

Comments (9)

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Hi, Kevin--

    Agree that this spot is a great wall for a truly maximal art canvas or duo of pieces since you've got some flat width to the space. Since you're trying to minimize depth, I think art makes perfect sense. A good general rule in dining spaces is that you'll need a minimum of 36" between a table's edge and a nearby wall for chair pull-out (the same space recommended for the sizing of a dining room rug so that chairs going in and out stay on one surface). If you have that here between the head chair and the wall behind, great. If not (or it's a photo finish), you may consider re-orienting the table and rotating it 90* so the head chair axis is perpendicular to the large windows (sliders, maybe?). If you do flip the table, you'd definitely have space for a buffet to the right of the swing door pictured, so if more storage is a must-have, worth considering.

    Once you settle on a table orientation, a linear chandelier may better light your table surface--just make sure that your overhead lighting in a dining zone is always on a dimmer so you've always got ultimate control over wattage and it never feels like an interrogation.

    Great job on the black island, btw. It looks great in your kitchen.

  • 7 years ago
    Thank you for such a quick response. I did try rotating the table but that disrupts the flow of traffic in the room too much. That door that opens comes from the garage downstairs so quite a bit of foot traffic comes through there.

    I just measured the distance from the wall to the table edge and it’s 45” which does not leave room for a buffet. Storage is not a huge concern so it’s not necessary.

    I was looking at console tables too but not much function there except to collect dust lol

    I will take a look at some canvas art pieces. If you have any recommendations I would love to see them.

    Thanks again for your help.
  • 7 years ago
    What about a mirror?
  • 7 years ago

    No to a mirror in the dining room. IMO, mirrors only belong in bathrooms, and no one wants to watch themselves eat. Besides, it's a big cop out. Be brave. Look at lots and lots of art. The one Beverly chose fits your room well. It's a good size, the right orientation, and the style is appropriate, too.


    If you don't feel confident picking art, then choose one of the modern masters. Matisse, Klee, Miro, Rothko, you pretty much can't go wrong. They ain't called masters for nuthin'.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Yes to a mirror. They are a lovely, traditional addition to a dining space, and they do such a beautiful job of reflecting candlelight, a bountiful meal, and the faces of those you love gathered around the table. Nobody but nobody sits and looks at themselves eat unless they have some strange issue that doesn't bear discussing here.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I call them drop boxes…in the ceiling. Paint all the ceilings the same color as the walls.

    Drop the chandelier to around 32/34” off table top. Okay…not lovin’ the chandelier. I think if there were a more larger/rectangular one, you would not need art or mirror on the wall.


    6-Lights Candle-Style Chandelier · More Info


    '

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Geez, a mirror won't do a thing to help your room.

  • 7 years ago
    Thank you everyone for the feedback.

    I suck at picking art. Thoughts on any of these?