Photo by Peter Rymwid
They say the kitchen is the hub of the home, but what’s the point of cooking and preparing if you don’t have a comfortable place to sit and enjoy it? For some homeowners, the dining room is used only on special occasions and holidays; for others, it plays a prominent role year-round in dinner parties and gatherings with family and friends.
But no matter how often your dining room is utilized, it should reflect your personal style and correlate with the aesthetic of the rest of your home’s main floor.
All seven of these New Jersey dining rooms are designed by one of our state’s top designers. And yes, they’ve all been featured in NJ HOME or its sister publications.
So, keep reading for some dining room deets—you’re bound to find at least one you love in this selection below that just may inspire this year’s holiday hosting.
Gilded gold in Maplewood
Homeowners in Essex County wanted their historic home to make a modern impression, and they hired designer Karen B.Wolf to ensure each room does just that. In the dining room, metallic touches such as a gold-trimmed mirror, a buffet and chairs with gold legs and a gold-and-glass satellite pendant add a touch of glamour and make the space more formal. Each piece reflects beautifully against the bold walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy.
A showstopper in Saddle River
Robyn Stevens, principal designer at Silhouette Studio, was both the homeowner and the designer of this Saddle River colonial built circa 1900. She wanted to maintain the home’s classic style yet breathe new life into it. Knowing her dining room would host many a dinner party, she went for an inviting vibe here—the fantasy-like custom de Gournay Paris wallcovering in a soft color palette inspired the rest of the space. Other aesthetic elements include an ebonized Louis XVI table, 1940s-style metallic leather chairs and vintage candlesticks arranged in clusters.
A spirit of adventure in Sparta
For these homeowners who also own a cabin in Lake Hopatcong and enjoy hiking, hunting and fishing, incorporating the outdoors into their dining room décor was a given. Daniella Sacco of White House Luxe infused natural elements into the space such as a spa-blue grass cloth, wainscoting and a cherry farmhouse-style table. The homeowner was originally hesitant about putting the cow artwork above the buffet but is ultimately glad she kept them in.
Modern elegance in Holmdel
This home in Monmouth County, designed by Yelena Gerts of House of Style Interiors, is proof that you can have kids and still have nice things. For a family that loves to entertain, Gerts gave her clients a large custom dining room table in dark brown oak paired with curved chairs in a luxe gray velvet upholstery. One centerpiece wouldn’t suffice, so here she placed a row of crystal candleholders that match the chandelier. The combo of gold and acrylic accessories is equal parts sophisticated and contemporary.
An eclectic mix in South Orange
This 100-year-old home in South Orange was beige all over. The dining room, however, is now full of personality thanks to designer Sarah Storms of Styled by Storms. She installed a patterned wallpaper from the chair rail to the ceiling to give it a “stately, finished look.” Storms used the dining room chairs, which the homeowner had upholstered just before the redesign, to inspire the sophisticated blue and gray color scheme.
Going wild in Upper Saddle River
Bold patterns and a neutral color palette are what the homeowners of this Bergen County abode asked their designer Brooke Hills Sperling of Columbia Brooke Hills to give them. The designer’s challenge for the formal dining room was to find a wallpaper that matched this scheme, but that still had an element of surprise, and the zebra-printed wallpaper from Scalamandré checked both boxes. This dining room perfectly marries vintage (such as tortoise water glasses) with contemporary (like the Marimekko top plates), and black trim makes an unexpected statement.
English countryside in New Jersey
The first thing you notice walking into this Central Jersey dining room is definitely the wallpaper showstopper, a Badminton wallpaper by de Gournay featuring a motif of birds and butterflies. Designer Jo Ann Alston of J. Stephens Interiors chose it deliberately to match both the owners’ existing oriental rug and her desire for a European countryside-inspired style. The designer finished off the room with a crystal chandelier and upholstered the chairs the homeowner had previously in a matching metallic green.