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Living Dining Design Advice

6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

Hi everyone,
I've enjoyed following lots of your design journeys and I'm finally at a point that I think your opinions could help me out. I'm posting several angles of my living/dining space. General plans that aren't pictured formal drapes in chartreuse. Will be reupholstering the dining chairs. Large plant for the corner on the left. Art last after I get the drapery up once I see what kind of if any wall space I have to work with. When I first decided on this arrangement I'd planned on a central ottoman, but I like the rug so much I hate to cover it so current plan is to just move on with what I'm certain of and see how I feel about the rest of the room. My first ask is a poll on side tables which I hope to order this evening. I was thinking one of each would be fun and not so matchy matchy. My Mom likes the round one better and thinks I should do two of the same. Since my husband couldn't care less and I always second guess my taste in difference to Mommy (Don't judge.) I figured I kind of know some strangers on the internet that would have a fun time helping me think through my ideas. I also already have a mirror picked out for above the buffet and I'll be getting a new rug for under the dining table. please ignore my office. That will be moving soon as well since Pandemic time for me is being extended I've now had time to clear out a spare bedroom. Thanks in advance for reading through all this and your advice.






Two round as side tables
One square and one round as side tables

Comments (20)

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Where is the chartruese color comong from I see none in the rug so just wondering. As for tables I would do 2 small glass tables maybe Eileen gray no center table but I have to say I do not like that DR furniture with those blue chairs nor do I like the mix of rugs. I think much sleeker dining chairs would be better .

  • 6 years ago

    Your dining area is "too tall" for your living area. What I mean is you have all the height on one end of the room. I would move the buffet to the living area. Push the 2 china cabinets together in the center of the wall. Either get lower back dining chairs or have the backs cut down when reupholstering. The dining room rug needs to be larger, the chairs should stay on it when pulled out for seating. What style of drapery are you looking at? Needs to be simple so as not to overwhelm the space

  • 6 years ago

    Eeeekkkkk. Lost my entire post. First thanks for your replies.


    @Patricia Colwell Consulting I started with glass, but then I saw the agate and thought it was pretty. I figure it's an inexpensive replacement if I end up not liking it. What are your feelings on mixing versus matching? I'm hoping for traditional/transitional MCM. My leaning is that in the 50s /60s you would have had Grandma's dining set, but wanted to go in with the new fashion so why not. One of the reasons I've gone so long without decorating is over thinking. Pandemic is teaching me it I don't like it it can be replaced so getting there is fun and someone else will love whatever needs to go.


    decoenthusiaste I really like that first table. I probably should have mentioned yes the chandy is too high. Backstory I had to ask to have it dropped originally and when I saw it was still too high I let it go and said I'd do it myself later. I saved the extra links. Electrician was kind of a jerk and I'd had an exchange with my contractor that he thought I'd probably want to do my other two chandelier crystals myself because it had taken him 2 and a half hours to hang this one at $150 an hour. When I said it didn't matter she insisted in a way that led me to say so he just doesn't want to do it.


    jck910 Just pulling things into that room so that will change. Longer dining rug is already on the shopping list. This one was an impulse pick because my husband just had to buy something for the house the night we closed. I'll post a pic of one I like that I think will coordinate. I'm hoping high hung drapery. Tall plant like Bird of Paradise. Will pull some height on that side. Little bar cabinet is also replaceable. with a shelf curio etc. Mirror will go between cabinets to reflect chandelier. I know some people hate mirrors, but I love them. I'll also post where I got the idea for bright drapes. I was looking at more standard navy or teal, but the color is so unexpected. Of course those are no longer available, but we have a couple of local places that say they can pull anything. I just want silk or silk like panels. I never plan to close them.



  • 6 years ago



  • 6 years ago



  • 6 years ago

    IN 9 x 12

    The room is about 13 wide x 28 The circular is just under 12 diameter


  • 6 years ago

    jck910 I missed your suggestion about pushing the buffet to the living area. Unfortunately I don't think there's any other wall space. That's how I ended up with this configuration . Consequence of building with a newborn. I wasn't all in when we started so little things like having those three smaller windows I probably would have changed to two larger ones, so there was space for a display cabinet and buffet against different walls. In the future I might do a couch and back it up to the buffet, but I wanted to try the chairs.

  • 6 years ago

    I would make two “sets” of chairs by moving two closer to each other to make a more inviting conversation area? Not sure if I am explaining this well.


    You can put a small table between each set of two chairs and a coffee table in the middle.

  • 6 years ago

    Since you say you had a newborn recently (?) - and maybe a toddler now - I would not recommend glass coffee table. If you ever do glass, please make sure it’s tempered glass and a rounded shape. But I would leave the glass alone.


    An ottoman coffee table style would work with your four chair arrangement - and it’s really the best option when it comes to children. Also fashion forward.


    I really like your swivel chairs and rug. I would go bold in a pattern or color on an ottoman. Personally, I absolutely would do a big, round animal print piece - probably cheetah.




    It seems counterintuitive, because your rug has such a bold and distinctive pattern - but with your chairs + rug, I believe bold is the way to go.


    Example:




  • 6 years ago

    Thank you

  • PRO
    6 years ago







  • 6 years ago

    @BeverlyFLADeziner

  • 6 years ago

    Thank you

  • 6 years ago

    I would second the ottoman idea. After the second set of stitches we padded the edge of our coffee table. Not fashion forward.

  • 6 years ago

    John3582 - Absolutely. Thank you so much.


    I always preach the ottoman route, because I too have personal experience. The house I grew up in had a beautiful wood and glass coffee table that was responsible for a number of ambulance to hospital trips, involving very young children. The glass table itself never sustained as much as a scratch; it was a very strong, well-made table that actually stayed with the house until it was sold many years later. But the coffee table in this beautiful house was for all intents and purposes a lethal weapon.


    Any hard surfaced table can be a potential hazard with children. But you only have to read the statistics re: glass coffee tables and children to understand that this is a very real and serious issue. The numbers are staggering, in terms of how many children are injured yearly. And not just children - adults as well. But the number of children is shocking and heartbreaking. And glass tables can and do break and shatter, and this is a factor in many of these injuries. And you’re right, John - absolutely not fashion forward.


    Thank you, again.

  • 6 years ago

    @freedomplace1 Yes I definitely had the same experience fortunately for me it was my brother and cousins (boys) that got into trouble. That's exactly why I originally thought ottoman, but its taken me so long to get around to this room my boy isn't a baby anymore. He will be 5 in September so that's why I put glass back on the table pun intended. :-) I do think I will work on the rest of the room for now though and enjoy the rug open for a while. That's the main thing that cooled me on the ottoman. I love that you think animal print would work and it's not just my irrational love for leopard that let me consider going in that direction. I also really like the hammered drum @BeverlyFLADeziner posted. Eventually I'll have to decide what I like looking at more or it will come down to function as in will those two little tables suffice for drinks etc. Unfortunately it looks like it will be a while before we figure that out. Doesn't look like any real parties in the near future.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Hey N Love, I’m so sorry to hear that your brother and cousins went through that; I hope all turned out OK for them. It is really so crazy. In my case it was siblings who were injured and not me personally, as well. But as a child it was so traumatic to witness these happenings.

    I love that you were also thinking animal print for an ottoman! So my showing up here is probably a confirmation of that for you. I really think it would be fabulous. That would be my first choice - of any coffee table. You could also do another print - in an interesting stripe or a solid in a bold color, etc.; but I think the animal print is the one. I also like the hammered drum that Beverly posted; I like both of the solid metal/gold toned tables that she posted. I just think those tables might be a bit matchy-matchy with the gold disk bases on your chairs. But it could work... depends on the look you’d like to have.

    You have great taste, great style. Love the chairs and rug and what I see of the rest of your place. Some great art on wall in blue chair area would be fabulous, also. Maybe even a gallery wall.





  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Some inspro

    Del Monte · More Info