Dining makeover with Colin & Justin: Low Cost High Style Dining

New from old furniture

The existing dining set did little for the room as it was gloomy and dated.  The simplest way to change anything is with a lick of paint but, rather than simply paint out the timber, we stripped it back and then washed it with watered down creamy emulsion to provide a much lighter ‘pickled’ timber look.  After a few coats of water based satin varnish it’s as practical as it is beautiful.  Try this with an existing wooden table or pick up a second hand table from your local charity shop to get the look.

Candles without Scandals

The overhead light fitting looks like a ceiling hung candle holder, all olde worlde, soft and romantic, but it is in fact an electric light fitting that does the job without candle wax.  We picked a rectangular shape fitting to echo the shape of the table below – if you had a round table, a circular fitting would do the same job.  Tying these shapes together looks good and will give your dining room a professional designer feel.

Two Colours Can Be Better Than One

Break up walls with panels, wallpaper or twin colour choices to add interest and increase the palette of colours available for soft furnishings.  Here, white panels hung to a third height look good with blue walls, creating a beachy, nautical style.  The blue then appears as upholstery on the chairs, while the white is picked up through vases and crockery. 

Light Sandwich

Create a tall, expansive space by lightening up floor and ceiling colours.  This room had dark beams and a honey floor and felt small and depressing.  By fitting a blonde timber floor and painting out the ceiling to match the panels, we freshened the room and opened the space to feel larger and much brighter.

Softly, Softly

When buying a rug for under a dining table, opt for something with a low pile so that chairs can move back and forward with ease.  Low pile will also avoid food crumbs and the bugs that feed on them!  The stripy rug used here is beachy without being too gimmicky, and gives the room added sophistication and a source of warm comfort underfoot. 

Get Fresh

Bunches of fresh flowers don’t have to cost a fortune and are so worth having as a source of bright colour and heavenly scent.  Pick bright blooms in uncomplicated arrangements for a relaxed country look – simple vases or jugs work well for this or you could use glass milk bottles or even a teapot for this style.