DECORATING ADVICE : Throw the Books at the Formal Dining Room

Question: When my son bought his new home, I gave him my dining room set. This set has great significance. It was given to my mother by my father in 1935. And it includes a beautiful hutch. The problem is, now my dining room is bare.

Since my children are gone from the house and I’m alone, I have no need for a formal dining area. How can I make this room cozy, friendly, and not an extension of my living room? I have enclosed a diagram.

ALBERT SUCHAN

A: Your former dining room with its red oak paneling, nine-foot-high ceiling, fireplace and Bokhara rug sounds delightful and very cozy. You tell me that your rug is ivory, burgundy and dark blue. Here’s my suggestion: Turn your dining room into a friendly library, with a sofa facing the fireplace. The sofa might be covered in a rich burgundy leather. For pull-up chairs on each side of the fireplace, use a pair of wing chairs, upholstered in a cream and blue stripe.

Back your library sofa with a hunt table, on which you can place a pair of lamps, as well as a bowl of Christmas punch, a plate of sandwiches, or a full buffet. Hunt tables are mighty handy.

And in your new room, include a square card table, as well as four comfortable chairs. You can use the card table as a dining table when you are alone, or when you entertain.

Your room should have lots of bookcases, as well as a television, music system, a butler’s tray coffee table and some magazine racks.

Q: I am decorating my living/dining room. My carpet, which I cannot afford to change, is celery. I have an 8-year-old 45-inch television that takes up a lot of room. It cannot be moved anywhere else in the house. The windows have ecru and beige sheers. I have a traditional dining room set, and I would like the living room to be traditional. I would also like to get a new sofa. I like beige tones.

JACKIE KARWACKI

A: Paint your living/dining room walls a very pale peach, paint the woodwork with a white semi-gloss enamel. On your celery rug, place a sofa covered in a floral upholstery of peach, cream, soft yellow and pink on a celery background. Your club chairs can be covered in a peach and cream stripe. Purchase enough of the place print to use for valances over your sheers. Place crystal and bronze lamps on your end tables. Find a brass and glass coffee table. Don’t worry about the television being an eyesore. Simply make everything around it as elegant as possible.

Author’s note: The living room is the center of the home, especially during the holiday season. The room should have comfortable seating, good lighting, a warm glow and happy color. The room should have warm window treatments, nothing too dark. And there should be music in the room, maybe a piano or a harp.

When decorating your living room, think carefully about the furniture arrangement. If you like the wing chair, use two, never one! Wing chairs always look best when used in pairs. Place a standing lamp beside one of the wing chairs and create a nice spot for reading.

Sofas look great when they are flanked by a pair of chairs, but they do not have to be matching club chairs. Try a round-back chair at one end of the sofa and a square-back chair at the other. Variety is the spice of good home decorating.

When covering the chairs, cover one in the print that matches the floral print on your sofa. The other club chair can be upholstered in a colorful stripe that picks up all the colors in the sofa floral.

A successfully decorated living room is always furnished with objects that draw people into the room, such as a piano, bookcase, stereo, television or bar. With so much technology, it’s sometimes difficult to incorporate a home entertainment system into a living room in a way that’s inviting. There are a host of appealing television cabinet designs on the market. Some are bookcase cabinets, others are china cabinets, some cabinets are designed to hold books as well as stereo equipment.

But furniture groupings are the most important things to consider when decorating a living room. How are the chairs in relation to one another? Are they conducive to conversation? Does everyone have a good view of the fireplace or the television? After your next party, look to see if the chairs were rearranged. If they were, you know it’s time to rethink your furniture groupings.