Center of the Holidays: Dining Room Styles

It's the time of year for warm gatherings, holiday cheer, delicious meals, and making memories with family and friends. At the center of all this joyful merrymaking is the dining room. No matter what different traditions each family celebrates with, almost all of them culminate in sitting down together for a beautiful dinner.

While dining room styles have evolved a lot throughout each era, they will always be a mainstay of most floorplans. It doesn't matter if you prefer a traditional and formal space or an open and relaxed atmosphere; we all need a place to eat each day.

The diversity of lifestyles and preferences that we see among our clients is one of the fascinating parts of what we do. We've created elegant classic dining rooms, kid-friendly eat-in kitchens, and everything in-between! The bottom line is, much like there's no right or wrong way to celebrate the holidays, there's no one ideal dining room design. It's all about what works for you

.In honor of the holiday season, we've pulled together a bunch of our favorite spaces for celebrating. Take a look, and comment below on your most beloved festive foods and family traditions!

The Power of Art in Home Decor

Building a custom home is about expressing your lifestyle through design. One phase of the process that especially allows our clients to discover their distinct taste is when they begin choosing their home's decor. This last layer of furniture, textiles, pillows, lamps, accent pieces, and artwork is where a house starts to feel lived-in. Our vacation souvenirs, family photos, treasured heirlooms, and quirky collections tell the stories of who we are and how we spend our time.

We love when our clients find pieces that spark their imaginations and speak their values. One of our favorite ways to bring character to any space is with original artwork. No matter your level of investment or style preference, there's an artist out there somewhere that will fit the bill. If you're just starting to build your art collection, we highly suggest browsing local galleries, college shows, maker markets, or studio spaces. Minneapolis, in particular, has a thriving creative community. You never know, you might find the next Ansel Adams at your neighborhood art crawl!

Above all, when it comes to finding artwork for their spaces, we encourage our clients to have fun. Art's greatest power is its personal and subjective nature. Focus on selecting pieces that interest you, challenge you, make a statement, awaken strong feelings, or reflect your idea of beauty. An eye-catching painting or print can also supply a color, pattern, or another design element that's missing from your space; artwork provides visual balance.

Ready to begin curating your own art collection? Explore the many ways our clients feature artwork in their homes below!

Real Home Feature: Fresh Traditional

We have been waiting patiently to let you all inside this fully-finished home, and we're thrilled to share it finally! Isn't is bright and inviting? Throughout every project, each of our clients approaches design in a way that's distinctly their own. We love watching their ideas evolve, providing advice guidance along the way, and making their plans into a reality.

In this particular home, it was fun to create the delicate balance of more traditional spaces paired with fresh, modern trends. The overall feel is elegant and polished, but flashes of flare are hiding in plain sight. From the pops of bright pink to the glitzy light fixtures, the trendy navy blue walls to the strategic use of patterned carpet, brick, and silver wallpaper - playful touches are everywhere!

Explore this carefully curated, bold, and classic Edina home in the images below. We hope you find it's artfully arranged design as lovely and inspiring as we do. Head to our Houzz profile to see even more of this project, and let us know your favorite features and finishes!

Home Bunch Feature: Modern Farmhouse

Our industry is full of talented innovators, which is why we love keeping track of them through social media, Houzz, and design blogs. From time to time, we're even fortunate enough to be featured on some of our favorite blogs, such as the ever-inspiring Home Bunch. Check out the post to get their take on this lovely modern farmhouse.

Situated in Edina's thriving Pamela Park neighborhood, this bright home flawlessly combines modern trends with classic farmhouse style. Each space reflects a fresh, minimal aesthetic, but remains warm and inviting. It's always fun to re-live past projects; we loved creating this fresh and distinctive home. Head over to their fabulous blog to see more!