The Fort Worth Dining Room by Travis Pernell Interiors
Designed by Travis Pernell Interiors | Fort Worth, Texas
A formal dining room by Travis Pernell Interiors where traditional architectural detailing meets modern pattern, tailored furnishings, and layers of texture.
This Fort Worth dining room was the first project I photographed for Travis Pernell Interiors and the beginning of an ongoing creative collaboration. The project offered an early introduction to Travis's approach to design: polished and sophisticated, with a modern perspective grounded by traditional elements.
Photography by Stacy Markow
Project Snapshot
Client
Travis Pernell Interiors
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Year Photographed
2023
Project Type
Residential Interior Design Photography
Design Style
Modern Traditional
Defining Details
Metallic graphic wallpaper, traditional wainscoting, crown moulding, custom window treatments, statement artwork, upholstered dining chairs, and layered tabletop styling
Photography
Stacy Markow Photography
Modern Meets Traditional
The existing chandelier provided a dramatic starting point for the dining room, but the surrounding space needed the architectural detail, furnishings, and finishing layers that would make it feel complete.
Travis introduced traditional wainscoting along the lower walls and crown moulding above, giving the room a more established architectural framework. Above the wainscoting, a graphic wallpaper brings a decidedly more modern element to the space. Its metallic finish catches and reflects light throughout the room, creating subtle shifts in tone depending on the angle from which it is viewed.
That relationship between old and new continues throughout the design. A substantial wood dining table and upholstered nailhead chairs ground the room, while statement artwork, custom drapery, a patterned area rug, and sculptural accessories bring personality to the more traditional foundation.
The result is formal without feeling overly traditional and contemporary without sacrificing warmth.
Photographing the Fort Worth Dining Room
With a single-room project, the smaller design decisions become especially important to the photographic story.
The wider compositions establish the dining room as a whole and show the relationship between the chandelier, table, windows, artwork, and architectural detailing. From there, closer photographs reveal the materials and styling that give the room its character.
The metallic wallpaper was particularly important to capture. Rather than reading as a flat pattern, its reflective surface interacts with the light and adds dimension to the walls. The wainscoting, drapery, upholstery, artwork, and tabletop layers provided additional opportunities to show how Travis built depth into the room through a combination of architecture, furnishings, and decoration.
For the session, Travis also brought hydrangeas, eucalyptus, serving pieces, glassware, linens, and other tabletop elements. Styling the table helped give the finished photographs a sense of occasion while reinforcing the purpose of the room as a place designed for gathering.
Design Details Worth Noticing
The strength of this dining room is in the balance between its traditional framework and more contemporary details. Wainscoting and crown moulding establish a classic architectural foundation, while the metallic graphic wallpaper introduces pattern and movement. Tailored window treatments frame the room, substantial upholstered chairs soften the wood dining table, and oversized artwork creates a strong focal point.
Even the smaller styling decisions contribute to the overall composition. Glassware, linens, florals, serving pieces, and sculptural objects add layers without competing with the permanent elements of the design.
Together, those choices create a dining room that feels collected, polished, and distinctly modern traditional.
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