It’s exciting when a client says they want me to create a bold and fun design for their room! It’s fun for an interior deigner to play with bold colors and patterns. These particular clients, a professional young couple with two young children, had moved into a new home in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, a beautiful suburb North of Boston.

The clients did not have any existing furniture or decor they wanted to incorportate, nor did the wife have any requests other than a stylish modern dining room designed for adults, yet also kid-friendly. The project was essentially a blank canvas for me to do what I do best - imagine, create, space plan, problem-solve, design, edit, decorate, and source, all with my client and their unique preferences in mind.

Modern bold color Lynnfield Massachusetts dining room design blue grey geometric patterns

When I take on a new Full Room Design client, whether they are local to the Boston, MA area or live elsewhere in the country, the first and most important part of the entire project is to have an in-depth intake consultation with the client, either at the job site or we meet virtually. My intake and design process developed over 23 years of designing homes throughout Northeast Massachusetts, ensures I get to know my clients really well, what is important to them, and that in turn empowers me to develop a room design they inevitably love, which is so rewarding for a professional designer.

Projects typically begin with a floor plan so I can map out the entire space, determine the proper scale of every piece of furniture, decor, and lighting that the room will need, and also plan for proper pathways. This room posed a challenge as the family is moving throughout the dining room constantly, in and out of it’s 3 openings from the main house entrance and stairway, from the kitchen, and from the family room. Not to mention a bathoom somewhat ‘in’ the room too.

Like on every dining room design project, I had to ensure the furniture and the area rug were correctly sized to do their jobs well: 1) be properly scaled for the room size, 2) the table needed to seat enough people when entertaining, 3) the sideboard needed to be spacious enough for serving food when entertaining, 4) the rug needed to be large enough to allow chairs to sit fully on it, even when they’re pulled out from the table 5) all while maintaining proper pathways so the family can easily manuever around their home, and 6) sourcing kid-friendly, stain and spill proof fabrics that are durable and easy to clean.

On this dining room project, like with all my Full Room Design projects, I made it my mission to source only readily available, IN-STOCK pieces, including the high performance upholstered dining chairs! This unique process I use at Lisa Jensen Interior Design, (interior designers typically will only do custom furnishings) empowers my clients to fully furnish, decorate, and have a finished, functional, beautiful new room in a few weeks, rather than waiting many months!*

*There is no question that custom furnishings are a beautiful investment, creating one-of-a-kind artistic pieces, however, for dining chairs alone, the custom process is multiple time-consuming steps that can take months from concept to completion: 1) sourcing fabric(s), 2) getting swatches, 3) showing clients swatches and getting their approval, or back to the drawing board to source more options, 4) ordering and waiting for cfa’s (cuttings for approval) to ensure dye lot is correct, 5) showing client cfa and having them sign off with their approval, 6) ordering the fabric(s), 7) ordering the fabrics to be treated to become spill proof, 8) shipping treated fabric to the manufacturer to upholster the chair frames, 9) waiting in line for the chairs to be made, 10) then shipping finished chairs to a receiver who uncrates, inspects and re-wraps the pieces, barring any damage in transport, 11) the custom chairs are finally delivered and installed at the client residence. That is the custom process. There is an argument that is the only way to design a room, but I’ve been designing spaces for over two decades in the Boston North Shore, Essex County, Merrimack Valley Massachusetts area and my clients enjoy my simplified, fast-turn-around, modern approach to interior design, so they can be enjoying their new room soon!

My clients’ North facing dining room also meant that natural light would not be as abundant as it would in a South facing room. Since dining rooms are typically used in the evening, that isn’t necessarily a problem, but this family would use it for daytime meals for the kids and occasional homework or art projects, so it was important to me to brighten up the space for them.

I incorportated varying types of lighting into my client’s dining room to both light up their room and to create visual interest. The design plan I developed included installing a new chandelier over the dining table, adding a pair of nicely scaled lamps to the buffet (avoiding too-skinny typical buffet style lamps), and having an electrician install new wall sconces to flank the artwork.

During my sourcing process for these clients, I purposely sought out contrasting styles, materials, and finishes for the three fixtures, that would be able to work in concert together, creating a unique and fun environment for my clients (no matchy-match here, or ever!). Their room design included an overhead statement bronze twig light fixture, antiqued brass double-arm wall sconces with soft white fabric shades, and a pair of interesting white buble lamps for the buffet.

I also recommended all fixtures be placed on dimmer switches for mood control which you want in a dining room, but is especially important in colder climates like New England, that have darker, longer, colder days in the Winter.

Another decorating trick I used in my client’s dining room was to utilize the function of mirrors and place them strategically in order to bounce light around the room. The mirrors reflect both daylight and the light from the various fixtures, amplifying any available light in the space. Too, they add depth, life, and interest to otherwise flat, dull walls, with their reflective quality.

Lynnfield MA interior decorating with brass convex round mirror pink flowers and bubble lamp

When I create Full Room Designs for clients, I love brining the outdoors inside so-to-speak. While living, breathing plants and trees are wonderful, and life-giving (spider plants made it onto NASA’s list of top air-purifying houseplants along with Boston ferns and English ivy), many clients don’t want the high maintenance. During my design career I’ve cultivated some of the best sources for realistic looking, but artificial, plants, trees, and flowers so my clients don’t have to miss out on the beautiful aesthetic they provide. Not only are faux plants easier to care for, but usually they’re safer for children and pets, which is the most important factor to me! They’re also a great way to incorporate color into a room design, as I did in this client’s home.

Other ways I brought color and pattern into my client’s dining rooom was by sourcing a colorful abstract framed print, a bold blue and white geometric pattern durable area rug, animal print blue and cream upholstered dining chairs, modern blue vases to carry color over to the white sideboard, bright pink flowers, and green trees. Then to anchor the vibrant colors, I incorporated some neutral furniture - deliberately contrasting a dark brown modern dining table, and a white Chinoiserie buffet, creating the right amount of tension which results in harmony.

Dining room designs can be a fun room to bring it interesting design elements. I always make sure they tie into another element in the room so each pieces makes sense, even if my client isn’t aware of this subtle connection. It’s these thoughtful, planned design details that is always my goal, to create a well-balanced space.

Eclectic fun kid-friendly vibrant dining room interior design in Lynnfield MA

The walls are painted in a soft gray and provide a calm, neutral backdrop to the more vibrant bold colors and patterns. I deliberately balanced solids with patterns, neutrals with color, shiny with muted, and hard elements with soft ones. The contrasts provided a serene yet fun dining room that both children and adults can enjoy for years to come.

The result? The clients love their new dining room and happily share it with their young children too!

Want your own Full Room Design? Take a look at Lisa Jensen Interior Design services page to learn more.

Projects are on a first come, first serve basis, and Lisa does book out, so we recommend reserving your spot in advance. Contact Lisa Jensen Interior Design today!