Lyla writes:

We are furnishing our dining room and currently have a large mission style dining table with 8 matching chairs, all in a rich dark oak colour. The paint colour is a silverish gray of medium depth with a fair bit of luminosity to it. The floor is a light maple and we plan to add a large mirror and art work with modern silver frames. We need to add

storage and serving furniture such as a corner cabinet for china and a shallow serving table/buffet, however I don’t want to have these items in the same wood as the table as I think that will make the room too dark and

oppressive. What finish should I be looking for that will keep the room bright but coordinate well with the dark traditional dining table? Would a white painted cabinet work? Any other ideas are welcomed. Thanks

Not everything has to match – in fact, some of us prefer if it didn’t. That’s what eclectic style is all about. Since there were no accompanying pictures, I recreated the room from the above description with variations.

Variation #1

First, I picked Benjamin Moore’s deep silver color and used it as a backdrop for the furniture pieces. I have chosen the Somerton Craftsman Mission 7 Piece Dining Set in Blonde Finish for its rich dark oak finish. Also because the flooring in the picture sounds somewhat similar (although perhaps in reality, a couple of shades darker) to the flooring in the dining room described above.

I selected the Home Styles Furniture 3 Drawer Large White/Ivory Base and Stainless Steel Top Buffet because the stainless top and metal handles and door pulls pick up the silver metal accents of the Coaster Mirror with Silver and Black Frame.

The American Drew Camden Antique White China Cabinet is the same country or cottage style of the buffet/server. The doors also have silver metal hardware. The wainscoted sides of the china cabinet echo the inset panels of the buffer doors.

Variation #2

Afraid that the room would be too dark if the server and china cabinet were the same color as the dining table, Lyla wondered if a white finish would work. Although it sounds like it might make the room really dark, I thought black might create an interesting contrast that would be striking, particularly against gray walls.

Keeping the Somerton Craftsman Mission 7 Piece Dining Set in Blonde Finish, I selected another mirror and added a black buffet and black china cabinet. The Curt Christian by Martin Parker Beacon Mirror is rectangular with decorative molding that lends the frame even more linear lines, reflecting the repetitive lines Mission style furniture is known for.

Now we’re really mixing it up with the Global Furniture USA Open Display Unit in Black and Silver. While it might seem too modern for the Mission style dining table, I liked the lines and the fact that it wasn’t “solid” but will still add the functional storage element the room needs. I felt that the Somerton Boulevard Server was contemporary enough looking to blend with the shelving unit while complementing the dining set.

Variation #3

The Howard Miller Seasons Sundance Yellow Display Curio Cabinet and the Butler Specialty Artists’ Originals Console Cabinet in Saffron Yellow Hand Painted Finish don’t go together but I chose them to illustrate the effect of color in the room. Either one of these yellows would be an option. The Trump Home Central Park Round Mirror in Silver was selected to blend in spirit with the more traditional style of the console table.

Thanks Lyla for writing in. Stay tuned next Monday when we tackle another interior design question. And don’t forget to keep sending me those emails. I love hearing from all of you.