Formal Dining Room

Ma chère Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride

And greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight

And now we invite you to relax

Let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents

Your dinner!

Be our guest! Be our guest!

- Beauty & the Beast

Our formal dining room is a beautiful place to come together!

We do not save this room for holidays and special occasions.  We gather here every day for lunch and dinner. We reserve our breakfast room for the mornings. 

Our home is a classic colonial design which honors the tradition of a formal dining room.

This is essential for our style as we love defined rooms including a dedicated 'fancy' space to honor our family time and our guests when entertaining. 

We prefer to keep the preparations behind the scenes for an effortless & tidy atmosphere. 

Here's how this room started ....

The bones were so good! 

Custom dental molding, large space for ample seating and additional furniture such as our antique buffet, a window with a nice view to the backyard, a large opening into our formal living room and a smaller into the kitchen

This 'before' picture does feature our first step which was painting the walls - Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

This was the first thing we did throughout our home prior to moving in 

(so many hideous dark colors in each room)

But it was still so flat and lacking.

I wanted this room to be as sentimental as the memories we'd make in it!

We began with lighting. This grand chandelier was in our previous home and something I wanted to incorporate into our forever home. 

Next up, wallpaper! By far my favorite part. While paint can surely add impact, it can't compete with the detail, dimension and pizazz of a pattern.

This particular print (available in several color palettes) is special as it contains metallic trimmed herons in honor of my mother. She loves birds and these are as elegant as she is. They are often used to represent hope! The chinoiserie style is a nod to my grandmother's formal dining room. The colors are soft complementing the blues and pinks in our formal living room and the print is larger something that was important so that it wouldn't overwhelm. 

I was just about to select fabric for custom drapes when I came across these panels at HomeGoods and I just happened to have the wallpaper sample in my purse.  The color matched perfectly! 

This antique buffet houses our china and silver serving ware. 

I also proudly display the silver tea set that belonged to Ryan's great grandparents. 

Heirlooms give us a reminder of our loved ones. 

The lamps add a modern touch to all the traditional furnishings.

I found this mirror at an estate sale with a special friend.

This large ornate table & 8 chairs were my mother's that she recently gifted to me. 

I love that we can continuing to add use and pass down generations of love. 

We currently have one leaf inset but there's an additional we can add alongside the 2 chairs we keep off to the side, for hosting larger parties. 

I encourage you to give proper attention to your dining space.  It's more than just a place to break bread. It's where you can step away from the world's distractions and share meaning, love and laughter with those you hold most dear!

Dress Your Dining Room Beautifully

XOXO Sarah-Louise