apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Beautiful, inspired, unique. Love it.

I thought the first picture was from a dollhouse.

Beautiful dining room though, love it.

i like it much better.
good job!

It seems less formal too, very nice

A change for the better, if only because it's now slightly less obvious that those Panton chairs are knock-offs.

Looks great! Such subtle changes but, what an impact. The chandelier turned out fantastic.

Hmm, I've gotta say I liked it a lot better before. But I'm not too into modern dining rooms. If it had been my room, I would have gone more in the formal/elegant direction and taken out the plastic chairs & boxy table. I loved the painting in the first room - what a great focal point. The second version looks nice too, though... sure nicer than my dining room so I can't complain too much.

I don't know if it's the lighting or not, but the room colours look very drab to me. Everything seems to blend together with nothing standing out.

Also, the sideboard looks too crowded with the picture frames.

I see this more as a tweak than anything. I am wondering, what are those upholstered chairs like for dining? They seem a little too loungy to work at the table.

Also, I know you are going for a muted palette but I think the walls are really washed out. And as webherring says, the sideboard is so covered with stuff you couldn't actually use it. I think it would look so much better with one simple, fairly large piece of art (say, a b/w photo to pick up the b/w rug) and with the surface mostly clear so you can set wine bottles or serving dishes on it.

I liked "before" alot better.

The single large piece of artwork on the sideboard is more elegant and effortless as well as appearing far less cluttered than the multiple frames now, the heavy upholstered chairs at the table make the room feel more confined than the lighter chairs and the original dark finish on the chandelier brought the dark tones from the floor and dining table up to the ceiling - now the shape just gets lost in the whiteness of the ceiling.

Too many things to focus on. Looks crowded and the space looks smaller

I agree with bepsf, the before is more to my taste.
The multiple frames look too much like what everybody seems to be doing in every decorating blog and magazine, whereas one large original piece of art is a better focal point.
I would have removed the two white frames, which were too high and gave sort of a Mickey's ears look to the painting, which would have looked better alone on the wall.
The two upholstered chars looked better against the wall where you wouldn't notice that they were mismatched as much as now (and Panton chairs are sculptural so putting them against a wall sort of limits their impact). And I would have swapped the plywood chairs for something more elegant.
This is of course just a question of taste, the new room does look nice, but it just lost some of its originality.

Gosh...I hate to come in here having to repeat what several others have said. I like the before better. It had more of a classy-yet-funky edge to it.

I love both! In this economy, it's inspiring to see someone make such a change in a room, without shelling out the bucks. I really admire people that can design with the winds of change without compromising their priorities...and without compromising style. Well done!

Ah wonderful. Just wonderful.

Love it! the chandelier alone sets the feel for a vintage modern glam feel. the end chairs seem like the perfect mix, def makes me want to enjoy some time there!

I liked the before a lot. The only thing I would change is to get a smaller lamp on the sideboard.

i really like the After! Its fresh and the lighting looks amazing painted! I'd love to see more of her home!

love the 'after'!! great job; feels more modern, fresher

I love the new look-it's trendy, fresh and stylish and totally in keeping with the European trend right now! I would love to sit down and eat a yummy meal in that room!!

I love this room!! I have seen Kirsten's rooms featured around the web and I'm always impressed with her fresh take on design. In every room I've seen she has an amazing ability to marriage various design points, creating something fresh and unique, yet attainable.

The subtle change to the chandlier brightens up the space, as does the wall collage. I don't think it's too much (referring to previous commenters...). It adds adds texture, interest and a peak into her life. I love her neutral backdrop too! It's a perfect way to add pops of color (such as tourquoise). Thanks for sharing. I hope to see more in the future.