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Our family home in Palatka, Florida was a grand Victorian dream that we salvaged from spiders and neglect. Our Victorian Lady featured a fabulous dining room, complete with twelve-foot high ceilings, ornate carved fireplace, and a ten-by-eight foot antique mirror. Furnishings included a pump organ, an English side table, a huge triple-tiered wrought iron chandelier, and an antique banquet table with twelve chairs.

We wallpapered the dining room ceiling with a faux-tin pattern, and then painted it a glossy forest green to reflect shimmers of candlelight. An Anaglypta border (thick, embossed wall covering), painted rouge red, framed frescoed plaster walls that were layered in transparent ambers, creams, and a hint of pink.

The dining chairs and antique overstuffed reading chairs matched the fabric window dressings that framed the huge water-color-effect leaded windows. The undulating fabric pattern tied together all the colors we'd chosen to enhance our dining delight. The gentle swags, imitating nature's motifs, had been selected to make us feel relaxed and connected to Mother Earth.

Embellishments to the chandelier included huge red and amber crystals that we'd uncovered in an antique-junk shop and mini shades. I had spray-painted the shades black with gold-gilded interiors. The elegant room, dressed in its finery on a budget, was the setting for our nightly family dining, because it offered the only place to sit and eat together in the house.

One evening, as I prepared for guests, I got out my string, to make sure that the table, now beautifully set with turkey and all the trimmings, was aligned perfectly with the center of the chandelier. My children laughed at my obsession, but helped hold the string while I measured to make sure the table was correctly centered.

We met our friends on the front porch as they arrived, and then migrated to our perfectly-arranged dining room, where our magnificently-staged table was waiting. But as we walked into the dining room, we found our beloved golden retriever, standing at attention in the middle of the table, after having devoured our feast.

No one noticed that the table was sitting in the exact center of the room.

Creating a fabulous dining room for your family and guests deserves careful planning. Design your eating space using colors that enhance taste, small patterns mimicking nature, and soft textures to counter hard surfaces. Remember, the most important ingredient, the people, deserve a fine backdrop. And, feed your pets first!