As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am helping my friends redo their dining room and they want something pretty, current and a little trendy. They have classic pieces in their laid back navy and white beach themed living room, but want their dining room to be a tad more formal. They want the space to be current, but the question is how trendy do you get if you don't redecorate that often. While I love trendy stuff, I say keep it to the chachkies, fabric and lighting fixtures...Furniture (or at least the table) should be timeless: classic and simple.
Since they are doing their dining room over from soup to nuts, here are some of the things they need to make decisions about:
(1) a dining room table and chairs; (2) storage (bar, buffet/server, china cabinet); (3) Wall/ceiling treatments (paint, wallpaper, wainscoting and moldings); (4) rug/floor;
(5) window treatments; (6) lighting (chandelier/sconces) and
(7) artwork (although not necessarily in that order).
Dining Room Table
The dining room table is the anchor of your room and ties all the pieces together. I advised my friend to choose a table made from high quality hardwood and to consider an antique table if she is going to go more traditional. Antique tables are often made better than new tables and cost less.
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| chippendale table |
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| Refractory Table |
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Perfect parsons table for chinoiserie chairs
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double pedestal
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I love the intimacy of round tables, but you can't really get bigger than 60" (or no one can reach the salt and pepper) and rectangular tables are just more practical, especially for my friends who have a rectangular dining room and a big family.
Chairs
Dining room chairs are another important element that help define your space. Although a table and chairs often come together in a set, but it is nice to mix it up and choose different chairs to make the space your own. I happen to love a fabulous upholstered chair -- of course not all chairs are created equal, we need to find chairs that are plenty comfortable in addition to being good-looking or no one is going to want to stay at the table. I also love chinoiserie chippendale chairs. Since we are going for a rectangular table, we might consider making the hosts' chairs somewhat different.
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| Shield back chairs |
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| Chippendale chair -- love the nailheads for an updated look |
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| Tufted chair, lovely |
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This would look great with that refractory
table |
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| This chinoiserie chair in white with the parsons table |
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| Love these chinoiserie chairs |
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| Love this upholostered chair |
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| You just know these scream 1stdibs |
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| Great chair love the simple lines of the legs. |
What do you think? Upholstered or Chippendale chairs?
It seems that every coastal inspired room I love has framed sea fans. Recently, however, I saw some sea fan giclees (which are art prints on canvas) at Home Goods and I am not sure that this is a good sign for the trend or if the Home Goods buyers just hit a home run. Usually if it is at Home Goods, it is everywhere, which means it could nearing the end of its run. Lets hope that is not the case for sea fans since I love them and hope to use them in some upcoming spaces. Two of my favorite friends, who happen to have exquisite taste, have sea fans adorning their walls. Ivy and Jill's favorite sea fan "artist" is Karen Robertson (whose shell pictures appear in an earlier post) and her collection of sea fans is really appealing.
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