Dining room renovation serves as a feast for the eyes
Before you even taste a piece of food, experts say, you eat with your eyes first. Naturally, you’ll want the dining room in your home to be as aesthetically pleasing as the food that follows is pleasing to the palate.
As part of a recent whole-house renovation of a 1930s Colonial central room in Garden City, interior designer Liz Kohart laid out the 13-by-13-foot dining room, which is attached to an adjoining kitchen.
“The goal was to give the house a fresh, modern feel for its new, young owners,” says Kohart, whose eponymous design firm, Liz Kohart Interiors, is based in Garden City.
Step by step
When renovating the dining room, Kohart first assessed the homeowners’ tastes, which she learned include a love for elaborate moldings and wood paneling. His first addition: a decorative coffered ceiling.
“It gives the piece real substance and makes a statement through the factory work,” says Kohart. “It really adds interest and gives depth to the piece.”
Bowing to the owners’ appreciation for crown molding, Kohart retained molding from the box panels under the picture rails on each of the dining room walls.
In an effort to freshen up the room, Kohart painted all the trim white and then replaced the wallpaper that came with the house, which they purchased in the fall of 2020.
“The old wallpaper was a very dated large-scale floral damask,” says Kohart. “The new owners are young and have just left New York. They still wanted to wallpaper the dining room to create interest and texture, but they wanted a fresh feel.
They settled on navy and gold wallpaper, which Kohart notes gives the space a modern yet sophisticated feel.
“We also loved the dramatic dark navy paper, as it popped against all the white moldings in the room,” adds Kohart.
The designer completed the room with new lighting, furniture, window treatments and an area rug.
Formal furniture
As the house has an informal dining area in the kitchen, the aim of this design was to create a more formal and elegant look. For the centerpiece, Kohart chose a rich dark brown mahogany rectangular table in a high sheen that typically seats eight people, and with the leaves added, up to 12. For an extra eye-catching element, she added a gold band decorative around the perimeter of the table.
To offset the dark table, she chose a set of chairs upholstered in a shiny off-white performance velvet fabric. Under the table, a tasteful sisal rug rests on the hardwood floor.
“It has natural, golden undertones and gives a lot of interest and texture to the space,” says Kohart.
Bright lights, beautiful windows
In place of the old, dated chandelier, Kohart chose a modern yet sophisticated brass and crystal linear chandelier.
The two windows, which had been covered by old blinds, were given a casual look with custom off-white Roman shades in a sheer fabric.
“It gives privacy to the room and also adds a soft custom look to the windows.”
Dinner can now be served. And, in keeping with its refined surroundings, it will undoubtedly be delicious.
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