10 Gorgeous Dining Spaces

DESIGNER Fran Keenan
Fran says that one of her design signatures is a dark, cozy dining room. “I love that it makes guests linger and is conducive to long conversations.” Featured in “Design Counselor, ” Sept/Oct 2014. 

DESIGNER Allison Banks
Allison's dining room exudes her love of history and family. The table and chairs are from her maternal grandmother, as well as the mirror from her other grandmother behind it. “I thought they would combine beautifully, so I painted them the same color and put them together, ” Allison shares. To give the vintage piece a fun detail, Allison gold leafed the knobs. Wall color: Benjamin Moore; Picnic Basket CSP-730. Featured in “Inspiring Spaces, ” May/June 2014.

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DESIGNER Georgia Carlee
French doors opening onto both a screened porch and a side terrace flood this spacious dining room with natural light. Featured in “Beach Refinements, ” March/April 2014.

DESIGNER Jan Ware
A favorite gathering spot in this house is a built-in banquette in the kitchen. “The table really set the stage for the entire house, ” Jan says. “We built so much of the rest of the house around it.” Large enough to seat at least 10, the table is an antique French piece with iron strapping. To counterbalance the table’s size, Jan chose to include it in a breakfast nook and add upholstered banquette seating around it. Featured in “Keep it Casual, ” July/Aug 2014. 

DESIGNER Melanie Pounds
Traditional Queen Anne chairs, painted with gold accents and re-covered in Edelman hide, surround a simple table that sits atop two metal sawhorses in this elegant dining room. Interestingly, the twin chandeliers are items that Melanie has worked with twice. Though such a gorgeous duo is rarely found together, Melanie made the discovery and used the fixtures with a previous client who then sold the pair back to her during a move. She knew the light fixtures would be perfect for this family’s design plan and had them reinstalled in the home. Featured in “Natural Instincts, ” Jan/Feb 2014.

DESIGNER Marianne Strong
In this dining room, the elegant curves of the gilded chandelier, with bay leaf garland detail, provide the perfect contrast to the modern iron-based dining table and benches. A soft shade of high gloss Gray Cloud (Benjamin Moore), on the ceiling adds a soft, reflective touch. Featured in “Family Adventure, ” May/June 2015. 

DESIGNER Meredith Sherrill 
“The dining room table and chairs were an awesome score by [homeowner] Lizzie [Inzer] at Southeastern Salvage, ” designer Meredith Sherrill says. The dining chairs’ French accents are strengthened by a large Trumeau mirror and an antique bell jar lantern. Featured in “French Connection, ” May/June 2015.

DESIGNER Virginia Volman
In this breakfast nook, Virginia reinvented an antique table by adding a new, modern base from Southeastern Salvage. “The tops didn’t come in, so they gave me a discount, ” she says. The backdrop for all of her finds is a fantastic collection of Alabama and regional artists assumed over the last 20 years. The bold, bright art featured over the banquette is by Kate Merritt Davis. Featured in “Finder's Keepers, ” May/June 2015. 

DESIGNER Jenny Edwards
These Mountain Brook homeowners wanted to keep some formality to the dining room, so designer Jenny Edwards chose a reproduction antique dining table and sideboard and then incorporated antique pieces such as the Louis Philippe antique mirror and sconces. To temper the formality, Jenny chose the casual look of slipcovered chairs. Featured in “All in the Details, ” March/April 2014. 

DESIGNER AG Designs
To help lighten up the look of so much dark furniture, designers Annie Bayer Goldberg and Ginny Monheit Maguire kept the walls neutral and reupholstered the chairs in an ivory fabric. They also covered the ceiling with a hand-painted silver-leaf wallpaper. “It’s a subtle feature, but one that really creates some drama, ” says Annie. Featured in “Modern Makeover, ” Jan/Feb 2015. Photo by Sarah Arrington

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Photography by Jean Allsopp

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