Cozy Dining-Rooms

You may opt for a formal dining-room, but if you're anything like me you will probably feel most comfortable in a not-so-formal one. Formal dining-rooms are very beautiful but the pressure to sit-up straight as a stick, to not have a finger or elbow out of place and to eat with formal dining etiquette (this fork for this, that fork for that) can be a bit much for my digestion. My idea of a dinner party is, close friends, dim lights, a quiet chatter or even, dare I say, gossip. Reaching over the table for hot bread buns, a shared dish of butter... this is what I see for a dinner party in my home. And for a dinner party like this, or for any dinner like this for that matter, one will need a comfortable, cozy and friendly atmosphere.

A FEW ATTRIBUTES TO MAKING IT COZY

FIREPLACE... Add warmth, now that's cozy

Maybe it is because we envision winter time when we see a fireplace that make us feel so comforted; sitting around a fire during a storm reading a book with a cup of hot chocolate while we wear our most warm and comfortable.

DINING-ROOM FURNITURE... That isn't exactly dining-room material can be cozy

A large dresser drawer there and a table lamp here, all on a beautiful arabian rug can exude an atmosphere that makes diners feel that it is okay to 'let go'. "Forget formal dining etiquette" it might say.

THE LOVE SEAT... Cozy for two, cozy for all

Adding other non-traditional seating, such as a love seat is probably one of the most simplest ways to transform your dining area into a cozy one.

THE FRIENDLY CHALKBOARD... a casualness that comforts by saying "you'll be okay here"

Perhaps it is reminiscent of our childhood that makes chalkboards so friendly and warm, remember your 2nd grade classroom? The room with its colorful tightly knit carpet, games and toys off in one corner, colorful 2nd grades drawings all over the wall, and in the corner a little alcove where one had cubbies and hooks to put their belongings... and of course at center, the chalkboard.

ALCOVE SEATING... Snug

The bench seating that goes around the table reminds us of alcove dining areas that are dimly lit and comfortable with its cushions and throw pillows. Cozy.

AMBIENCE... It's just cozy

Keeping it casual is the best way to keep it inviting, thus, cozy.

Using White

GETTING PSYCHOLOGICAL WITH ACCENT COLORS

The use of a large black painting gives color and serves as an accent in the all white room, picture the room without the painting... And now see it with the painting.  The white seems whiter with the black painting while picturing the room without the painting results in a washed out room.

I think that the majority of the masses believe white to be not a color, although to have any hue at all including what the masses believe to be the absence of hue, white, is a color. And while most people might say that white is not a color, here are a few spectacular, beautiful, stunning and unique ways to establish white as the main color of your home or room. Boring?... Hardly!

One of the easiest ways to draw the eye to notice white is using accents, you may think this absolutely absurd because the whole point of using accent colors in the home is to draw attention to the accent color. Actually, one can use accent colors to cheat the brain of the viewer by giving the viewer a color to compare (via contrast) the white to, hence the white will seem whiter and the viewers will see 'that yellow wall in the all white room'.

In conclusion, using a color accent in a counter-intuitive manner will draw attention to the white room, this kind of reverse psychology play with the use of colors goes for all colors and not just white, although I find it to be most intriguing with white since it seems to have the biggest affect- POW! 

The black accent wall matches the dark wooden dining table as well as with the other small black items in the room. The white rug, pendant lamp and floors stand out from the accent wall thus showing us the importance of white in the room's decor.

The natural redbrick wall between the windows is being smartly used as an accent wall.

FAVORITE!

Another way to use accent colors is through the use of the floors, in this case the kitchen floor is black and white checkered highlighting the white everywhere else.

WAYS TO USING A SECOND COLOR THOROUGHLY

The large use of earth tones, in this case wood, highlights what isn't wood, which is white. By evenly dispersing white in lieu of the wood gives the white within the space notice although there is just as much as wood. White is also a brighter color than wood, hence the eye is deceived by thinking white is the main color even though there is obviously more wood tones in the space.

There is no better color to highlight white than black as it is its extreme opposite, however, there is a risk of black taking away the notice on the white, black is a powerful color afterall. Using black trim for white walls is never-the-less a very chic way to go while keeping your white walls.

PLAYING OFF THE FLOORS

The white flooring that extends to the walls creates an illusion of lightness, the black highlights the lightness while the gray takes the edge off the stark contrast of the black versus white. The white however easily overcomes and overtakes the black accents in the room due to the white flooring which keeps the room bright, light and airy and the notice on the white in the space.

Floors matter a great deal, they take a great amount of space in the house and because of this one simple fact (although probably not the only one) makes floors something to be respected, noticed and regarded when creating the interior style for your home or room.

The white against the brown wood floors accented with green creates a very delightful, cozy and familiar space. The white walls together with the white bedspread creates a very stark white affect against the wooden floors which can be taken notice through the smart use of green accents which can be viewed as being an accent color for both the white and the wooden floors, hence the green accent serves as a type of middle ground or bond between the wooden floors and the white in the space.

The light pinkish-nude tones of the flooring is taken into consideration via the framed picture above the bed which also exudes the same tones. The paleness of both these two different white tones is use congruently to create an ethereal effect that is light and soft, the theme of this room.

USING NATURAL LIGHT ON DIFFERENT WHITE TONES TO CREATE ILLUMINATING EFFECTS

The absence of any other color in the room together with white walls that holds more warm tones when lighted up creates an ethereal effect that is fantasy-like and heavenly.

I have a Marmalade orange office that looks dark orange in the evenings and very orange during the day, this change in color due to the changing natural light occurs with all colors, including white. While many try to pick colors as accurately as possible keeping in mind natural light and its affects on the colors of the walls many do not think that this affect is also interesting to play with. However it can be quite beautiful and smart when used to your advantage.

Some whites will have more blue tones in which case the room will appear to be more bluish when the light hits. The overall appearance of this kind of illumination has a cool (colder) affect which is most often exhibited in the modern uses of white, in this case the modern illumination in white is kept grounded and earthy by the wooden floors and the large wooden living room table which also serves as the center pieces of the entire room.

DIFFERENT STYLES FOR WHITE

White and modern (futuristic) seem to go quite well together, hand-in-hand actually, modern interior styles is built off the characteristic of simplicity; a modern quality. Hence there is no other color better than white for this style of interior decor, and when used for modern purposes exudes a type of pureness of modernity that is lacking when using any other color.

Using white for contemporary spaces is always interesting to see and quite hard to achieve since white gives off the impression of modernity (futuristic); there is a thin line between using white in a modern style and using white in a contemporary style. The handles on the cabinetry, semi-polished wood flooring and exposed storage rack all combine to create a more contemporary look in the white kitchen; the distinction is very subtle but there.  Look closely at the modern kitchen above and the contemporary kitchen, notice the slight differences that make one contemporary and the other modern.

FAVORITE!

One of my favorite ways of using white is using it to highlight a rustic interior style. In combination with distressed pastel colored furnishings and a rustic wood-topped island center piece the white is used to highlight these attributes though white is itself a highlight in color in the kitchen. The use of a white with more blue tones also gives off a more cooler atmosphere that works well with the gray distressed cabinet and the other white tones in the room, this tone of white also gives a bright overall appearance that adds a bit of modern brightness to a very rustic interior decor, an intriguing combination that results in an unique charm.

USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO ACHIEVE THE WHITE

White hanging lights, white marble top on a white island, white marble walls with white trim, white countertops on white cabinetry. The white is then highlighted by the wood and the black and white striped kitchen rug that is connect to the rest of the room by the matching white and black striped glassware on the counter. The results is a kitchen that  is fun, light and eccentric in character.

One mustn't forget other materials that can help you achieve the white room, this will also add different textures to the room which can be quite satisfying. Sometimes all white rooms with lack of textures from lack of different materials present can result in a washed out interior style, in other words, boring. Then again, sometimes this is exactly what the doer wants- which is fine if that is the overall look you're going for.  I find that while it may be more difficult to use different materials in the living room, dining room, entry and bedroom the kitchen and bathroom are two spaces where using different materials is quite easy, all that countertop, sinks and backsplashes are all just asking for it aren't they?  And the end result is always so charming.

FAVORITE!

The counter to ceiling subway tile walls is absolutely charming. The dark grout between the subway tiles matches the black accent of the island and the countertop. Note that the countertop is also white&gray marble and the brass fixtures give the kitchen a class all its own.  The many different materials of white come together to create a wholly white kitchen with black and brass accent, absolutely lovely.

DINING WITH A BACKDROP OF COLORS AGAINST WHITE

FAVORITE!

The combination of the contemporary dining table with a backdrop of colorful books and things against the forefront romantic large chandelier results in a romantic and eccentric atmosphere. The colorful backdrops keeps the room fun, grounded and also keeps the dining area from being overly-romantic.

There is nothing like a rainbow of colors to serve as your accent wall to remind you that you're surrounded by white.  

REMEMBER THAT OTHER COLORS GO WELL WITH WHITE TOO

The use of purple with white is very romantic and unique.

Many seem to jump to black or brown when highlighting white, black probably because it's the exact opposite of white and everyone likes stark contrast to make a statement.  Brown is often used as well most likely because everything goes with brown and also it's a very good way to keep things grounded and earthy if that is the kind of style you gravitate towards. But I'm here to tell you that there are tons of other colors that go well white... like every other color, I mean this quite literally.  Many believe that white is the absence of color, this actually is not true- black is the result of absence of color, white is the exact opposite; white is the result of the combination of all colors, hence my theory that white goes well with every color.

The use of yellow results in a fun and quirky atmosphere that screams "easy going!"

Using Orange

The brown faux-trim to create a more defined space for the framed
pictures is a beautifully smart way to draw the eye.

Orange, a color to challenge your abilities as an interior decorator. With the recent move to my new home I decided upon painting the home office orange, a medium-bodied orange true to the color of... orange, not deep orange, bright orange, yellow orange, red orange or any of those other orange-ish colors.  My office, is simply orange.  With the choice of the orange office came a difficult task (which is still on-going) of making the office what I want it to be, I will admit that orange has been a challenging hue to work with, perhaps because there are only a few colors that actually go well with orange, or perhaps it is because the tone of orange which is decidedly Fall/Winter and exuberates the feeling of warmth while still upholding the room with a kind of lightness- orange can do this with a depth that is most shocking. Because of these things orange is neither here or there and one must work harder than usual to get the look of a room just right when using orange.

Using orange against a white backdrop in a modern setting will probably always be the easiest way to go with orange.

Or one can go ALL OUT with orange walls, orange flooring and orange furnishings.
The art deco styled room is perfect for the color orange.

One can get away with using the Halloween pairing of orange and black by incorporating
white and a few bits of earthy wooden and brown tones into the mix. A smart way to
play on and play-up the warmth in orange.

Some may think 'Country Bumpkin' but I quite like this country-feeling decor with
the key theme of orange. I find orange to be right at home and in it's element
within this decor style.

Another way to play-up orange in your living room is to use one key piece... in orange of
course! Using the best colors to pair with orange in order to have your one key piece
stand out is a smart way to go about it; teal, white, black and browns are very good
color pairings for orange.

A modern orange kitchen is a fun kitchen with a twist, a not too often used color with sleek minimal designing will keep the kitchen looking popping fresh and quirky, which is something you tend to lose with modern decor- one of the great qualities of orange!

Or use a deep orange to create a more homely kitchen environment. Remember the warmer the hue the
friendlier and cozy it will seem.

Another art deco example but this time used in the dining-room.  The mixed prints or variety of prints used
gives off the feeling of a fun atmosphere while still maintaining the integrity of the room from the use of
geometric prints, which also gives it a feeling of modernity. Orange is accented by black but is also thrown
off with the luxuriousness of the crystals on the chandelier, the bronzed gold on the lamps and mirror and
is melded with white dispersed throughout the room as a transition from color to color.

FAVORITE!

Quirky and eccentric!  This orange walled dining-room uses large wall art in order to tie
in the bright blues and whites while using a long black dining table to ground the room.

Another fun but not so "in-your-face" way of using orange to create a quirky dining-room environment is to use it as an accent.  The key colors of the dining room is a light sea blue and dark browns, the introduction of orange accents dispersed throughout the room creates a quirky lightness to this otherwise drab room.  Sometimes a bit of color is all you need.

Orange paired with gray and white will create a very modern affect, that is
light and airy.

Bright orange with white will also create a modern room that is fun and light-hearted.  The carefully chosen
orange pendant lamp, orange quilt on the bed goes together well with the carefully chosen black & white
picture above the bed and the carefully chosen white shag rug on the floor. Sometimes being
obvious about the look your trying to achieve is the way to go.

And when you just thought you couldn't get away with modern romanticism with orange! < Which by the way is one of my
favorite decor-styles.  The red orange walls paired with simple white gives off a soft modernity also enhanced by the modern
white wire chandelier and the classic romantic tufted bed headboard. Make note not to dismiss the molded tall window shutters
which gives the orange a classy-look not to be gotten in any other way.

And once can alway achieve a completely unique look by simply running with
it.  A yellow orange is paired with yellow, horizontally yellow is used (the bed,
the ceiling) while the yellow is used for vertical standings (the walls).  The orange-
yellow of the orange color used goes well with the yellow pairing since the two
colors are linked with... that's right, yellow!  The over-use of the two colors with
the geometric bee-hive patterns in the room and the light brown of the natural
fiber run and woven wood wicker chair lends a vibe of relaxation,
quirkiness and fun that is completely unique.

FAVORITE!

This bathroom in the vintage contemporary style accents the main
bathroom wall with a medium-bodied orange.  The black and white
sink is an accent for the orange wall that also is in the farmhouse
style which has such strong character that it lends a strong vintage
feel to the orange- it is almost as if the vintage-vibe from the sink
is accenting the orange.  Indeed another smart way to use orange.