Juan Carretero

I do soooooo many dining room designs, yet, somehow, it’s never enough! I LOVE designing people’s dining rooms. This might have to do with my love of food, or maybe it’s just living vicariously through someone who actually has room for a dining space. EITHER WAY, I’m thrilled to share with you how to get that PERFECT modern traditional dining room that is drool worthy…just in time for the holidays.

This blog will be turning 2 years old soon, and if you have followed me from the beginning, you know my tastes tend to sway more towards the colorful side of the spectrum. However, lately, I find myself being drawn to…gasp…neutrals.

This change didn’t occur overnight; it has been over a year in the making. I credit this change, or actually, this great evolution, to Emily Henderson and The Makerista. They both share a love of thrifting that opened up the world of second hand furniture to me.

With secondhand furniture comes history, aged glorious woods, and a sense of timelessness that I now cannot get enough of. I really enjoy thrifting and have found some amazing deals. If you want quality at a low low cost, thrifting is your new best friend.

A while back I wrote a post rounding up second hand furniture sites that aren’t Craigslist. You know, in case you don’t feel like being murdered by a Craigslist person. Vintage furniture and decor pieces have stolen my heart and I find myself asking clients “are you cool with thrifting?” and “let’s shop secondhand first!”.

…which brings me to my point. Today, let’s learn how to get that modern traditional dining room that is all over the ‘gram. I’m doing a break down with all the tricks so if you are entertaining this season, you can elevate your space even more (without using seasonal decor!).

How to Get the Elusive Modern Traditional Dining Room

There seems to be a dining room trend that has evolved from the farmhouse style. That “trend” is the modern traditional dining room. The reason I put trend in quotes is because it’s not actually a trend; in fact, it might be the most time tested style that stems from decades of history. Ain’t that a trip?

I was originally just going to show you the mood board from a modern traditional dining room I just completed, but, now I want to teach you how to get the look! Don’t worry, I designed like 5 modern traditional dining rooms recently and I’ll share them all; but, this is a teaching post!

You want that modern traditional dining room? Here’s how you can get it:

1. WOODS ON WOODS ON WOODS

via Katie Hodges

I feel like sometimes my inner perfectionist, OCD, annoying person comes out the most when it comes to mismatched wood tones. Ugh. I have to remind myself that a space with different wood tones looks layered, collected, timeless, and completely cool.

Don’t be afraid to have a mid tone coffee table near a walnut side table. It all works. What you are looking at is the style of the furniture pieces, not necessarily the stain as much. That being said, I would maybe limit differing wood tones to 3-4 per room, depending on the size.

Pro tip: do you know why we are hesitant to mix wood tones? Because, unless you are buying design magazines, you are exposed to what vendors what you to buy from them. For the sake of being cohesive and reallllly over simplifying to appeal to the modern consumer, you are constantly being shows the same stuff paired with more of the same stuff.

After all, let’s say a West Elm dining table would look best with CB2 chairs. Neither vendor will include another vendor in their ad. So, think about why it benefits marketers to show you the same tones and the same stuff over and over and over…and then do the opposite!

2. Pepper in some black

Design: The Makerista

Did you get that play on words? Pepper in some black pepper. Uhhh…tough crowd. Well I found it funny and a good way to tell you to not be scared of adding BLACK.

Do you know why so many homes look like they are still from the 90s? Because somewhere along the line we decided we were scared to use black, but our spaces needed a grounding element, so brown tones took over. This just made everyone’s home look like a midtone monochrome mire of monotony.

Currently, I’m studying feng shui, and to my surprise, black is actually a water element. That means it is calming just like blue! I was shocked too. So don’t be scared of black, my dears!

3. Style contrasting elements

Design: Emily Henderson | Photo: Tessa Neustadt

Mix up your geometry. Mix up your metals. Mix up your woods. Mix up your textures. It is allllll okay to do! I super promise that you’re breaking zero rules. A farmhouse table with a geometric rug, vintage cane chairs and architectural vases? Sure, why not!

Mixing things up is why you hire a designer in the first place. You don’t want your home to look like a Pinterest board or home decor catalog. You want it to look like everything in the space came from all different places in all different time periods.

4. Add minimalist art in a vintage frame

Design: Juan Carretero via Visual Comfort

Obviously, this is my favorite. If you want a modern traditional dining room, your art has got to be on point. It will serve as your focal point for the room. Shocking, right? My eye is always drawn to the art first, not the table and chairs.

Go thrifting to find some great vintage pieces in gold ornate frames. The more signs of age the frame has, the better. I always say to buy art as large as you’re comfortable with. If you only find smaller vintage frames, no worries. Do some console styling or knock out a cool gallery wall!

5. Layer and LEAN your visuals

Design: J.Young Design House

You know that “cool girl” or “bad boy” vibe? Your art can have it too! Don’t be afraid of leaning your large and small art pieces against the wall either on the table OR floor. Yes, the floor is a perfectly acceptable spot for your art and it makes your space look like a literal artist’s loft.

6. Ground with a rug

Design: Kate Marker | Photo: Margaret Rajic

Rugs are my thing; I LOVE them. A rug is something that I either choose last to tie everything together or I’ll choose it first and base the whole design around the rug. I recently did this with the Nashville project.

In a modern traditional dining space, your rug should be somewhat understated. It should support the other elements and fit seamlessly without causing too much of a ruckus. I find that for the modern neutral dining room style, the simpler the better.

7. Vintage, if you please

Design: Kate Marker | Photo: Margaret Rajic

Do you not know that you can get solid vintage furniture for a very low price? Hit up some estate sales and meander around local thrift stores along with Facebook Marketplace. The chances of finding a glorious vintage dining table, chairs, or buffet with beautiful architectural detailing is very high.

8. Quirk WORKS

Design: The Sweet Beast

If you don’t add your little spark of magic to your space, could someone tell it’s even yours? If your space doesn’t look like you, you’re not done yet! The goal is to push through the Pinterest plateau to the side of true design, which is personalization.

Add some funk and quirk to your dining room! Let it roar that it’s yours. Adding quirk doesn’t have to be crazy; it can be as simple as an Aztec rug among a mid century pendant and traditional wood furniture. It could be giant abstract art. Pick your pleasure.

Hope you enjoyed learning how you can get a modern traditional dining room. You can also apply these “rules” to other areas in your home, if you want the real JDP Interiors or Josh Young vibe. Which is delicious, by the way. Happy styling!

-Kristen

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