There’s a change taking place in homes throughout the country: dining rooms, which had seen declining use in recent years, are making a comeback. Yes, the Formal Dining Room is in again. That’s because dining rooms offer families a dedicated respite from today’s modern, open-concept floor plans. They’re also a great excuse to rethink decor and art.
“These tend to be more formal places, often with crystal chandeliers or glasses, more silver and gold and silverware,” says Veronique Hammons, art director and owner of Gallery Veronique.
The days of dining decor simply being colorful to inspire appetite are gone. “That’s becoming a thing of the past,” Veronique explains. “People today like a bit more formal dining room … one that’s both beautiful and elegant.”
And when it comes to open-concept floor plans? “Very little wall space is usually set aside for this kind of area,” she says. “So, when you choose artwork for that setting, you have to be really intentional with selecting a piece that will bring either color or texture, or will tie your kitchen in with your living room.”
Looking Your Best
Veronique knows a thing or two about properly displaying art, as well. And she’s happy to share a few foundational tips to making hanging your pieces easy.
“Have all the pieces lined up on the floor and in the combination that you like,” she advises. Then, begin taking measurements and determining overall layout.
Make sure the walls can handle what you have in mind. “Center your display, and work around it, measuring wire-to-wire and height-to-height on each picture.”
Maintain balance when going solo. “If you have just one piece to put over a table, always measure first how far it is from the table to the wall, and then from the middle of the table,” Veronique explains.
Know when it looks right. Mark the wall with the height of your picture and know how low the hanging wire goes.. Then step back and review: see if raising that point up or down looks better. “When it feels right to you, mark where the wire would be.” And, voilà!
GalleryVeronique.com | 11364 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati | 513.530.5379