High/low: Dark dramatic dining room

Which is high and which is low?

Can you tell the difference?

High: $13,236

1 Hand-brushed aluminum Liberty Pendant Light, 18", CB2, $279. 2 Custom-framed original photograph Snow Cap Artwork by David Wile, 36" x 24", PI Fine Art, $1,225. 3 Metal Old-bronze Swing-arm Sconce, Universal Lamp, Great Lighting, $140. 4 American walnut Caitlan Sidechair with leather seat, Morba, $849. 5 Wool Serapi Rug in Red/Rust, 9' x 12', Tapis Rugs & Carpet, $8,800. 6 Custom-built pine Harvest Table, 72" x 42", Heritage Harvest Tables, $1,100. 7 Torre & Tagus ceramic Crackle Glaze Platters, $35 each, Casalife, $105. 8 Philippe Starck for Kartell dyed polypropylene Masters Dining Chairs in Black, $348 each, Suite 22 Interiors, $696. 9 DwellStudio ceramic Faceted Vase in White, Casalife, $42.

Low: $4,154

1 Powder-coated steel Hektar Pendant Light in Dark Gray (painted), 19", IKEA, $90. 2 Custom-framed fine-art print Port Moody Artwork by Manfred Kaus, 42" x 16", PI Fine Art, $483. 3 Portfolio metal swing-arm Sconce in Olde Bronze, Lowe’s, $60. 4 Stockholm walnut veneer Sidechair with leather seat cushion, IKEA, $199. 5 Wool Heriz Rug in Dark Rust, 9' x 12', Tapis Rugs & Carpet, $2,600. 6 Acacia- and engineered-wood Carmichael Turned-leg Harvest Table in Rubbed Black, 60" x 36", Pier 1 Imports, $500. 7 Porcelain Blue Line Dinner Plates, $7 each, CB2, $21. 8 Dyed polypropylene Master Dining Chairs in Black, $89 each, Structube, $178. 9 Earthenware Bennie Low Vase, CB2, $23. Find out how to make your own glam gold pendant light here.

The not-so odd couple

The harvest table, with its rough-hewn surface and chunky turned-wood legs, is a trademark of country style – but it doesn’t have to be paired with the typical vase of dried hydrangeas, burlap table runner and set of farmhouse chairs. Juxtapose your rustic table with unexpectedly modern accents, such as funky geometric chairs in black and a faceted vase in white, for a trend-forward look. Custom-built pine HARVEST TABLE, 72" x 42", Heritage Harvest Tables, $1,100.

Momentary Monet

A hot decor trendtaking us into the new year, watercolours have leaped off the canvas and into decor, from textiles to the dishware served up here. With washed-out blue tops and white bottoms, these plates capture the look of watercolour brush strokes, softening the hard formal edges of their surroundings, adding some painterly Impressionist romance and calling to mind the likes of Monet. 1 High: Torre & Tagus ceramic Crackle Glaze Platters, Casalife, $35 each. 2 Low: Porcelain Blue Line Dinner Plates, CB2, $6 each.

A Starck contrast

“We weren’t born just today. There have been masters before us,” says Avante-Garde French designer Philippe Starck, who designed the Masters Chair in 2009 as a nod to the iconic mid-century modern furniture designers whose early ergonomic work influenced it: Arne Jacobsen (with his series 7 chair), Charles and Ray Eames (with their moulded plastic chair) and Eero Saarinen (with his tulip chair). look closely and you’ll see the profile of each mid-century chair echoed in this modern-day version’s backrest. “The Masters Chair brings to mind the lines of three great masters and three great masterpieces. putting them all together, they create a new product, a new project, like a reflection of our new society,” Starck explains. Philippe Starck for Kartell dyed polypropylene Masters Chair in black, Suite 22 Interiors, $348.

Making what's new old again

Give a modern home a traditional air with the addition of architectural moulding like panels and chair rails. The wider and more detailed the moulding, the more historic the look. And don’t be daunted by the task. Hardware stores have lightweight ready-made panels that simply need to be secured to the wall and painted. Or, get creative and customize walls with moulding sold by the foot (although this method requires more math and patience). 1 Paint-grade poplar #17 Colonial, 5/8" x 1 5/8", Central Fairbank Lumber, $0.65 per ft. 2 Alexandria Moulding painted MDF DecoSmart 05689, 5/8" x 1¾", The Home Depot, $1.70 per ft. 3 Paint-grade poplar #60 Classic, ½" x 1 3/8", Central Fairbank Lumber, $0.50 per ft. 4 Metrie Fashion Forward painted MDF Scene II, ½" x 1 1/8", Lowe’s, $9 per 8' piece. 5 paint-grade poplar #63, 5/8 x 1 9/16", Central Fairbank Lumber, $0.70 per ft. 6 Metrie Pretty Simple painted MDF Scene I, 5/8" x 2½", Lowes, $12 per 8' piece. 7 Metrie Fashion Forward painted MDF Scene II, ¾" x 4", Lowe’s, $17 per 8' piece. 8 Paint-grade poplar #38, 1 1/16" x 3½", Central Fairbank Lumber, $1.50 per ft. 9 Ornamental Mouldings solid wood Colonial, 7/8" x 2 5/8", The Home Depot, $2 per ft. 10 Paint-grade poplar #68, 1" x 3 5/8", Central Fairbank Lumber, $1.50 per ft.