This dining room is forthright in its use of color, incorporating oversize leather place mats, crisp cushion covers, and roller-shade trim to accentuate the paint hues already in place (the aluminum Windsor chairs were coated with automotive paint for a sleek finish). If you're set on a specific scheme, buy more leather than you think you'll need, because batches of dye vary; it's unlikely you'll run into that particular shade of turquoise or avocado green again.

A simple vinyl shade was given a decorative border: Cut pieces of leather, glue them to the front and back of the shade's bottom edge, and topstitch with contrasting thread. Pattern and Instructions

Giant leather place mats, each made from six pieces of lambskin that were sewn together, topstitched, and given a canvas backing, are a fashionable twist on a tablecloth. To help ward off stains, treat the mats with a protectant spray. Pattern and Instructions