Thoughts on Styling the Dining Room

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone that commented and emailed me with such kind words about my dining room project reveal last week. You guys make my day!

With the reveal fresh on my mind, I thought I would share my thoughts on dining room styling.   Here's the thing.  You need to keep it S.I.M.P.L.E.  Are you surprised to hear me say that?

 Think about it.  You're having his side of the family, your side of the family, and a few of your favorite friends to celebrate ______________.  You're going crazy with menu planning, shopping, thinking about who should (or maybe who shouldn't) be sitting next to whom, what wine to serve with that new recipe, and a million other little details that need to be tended to before the big event. Do you really want to go through the hassle of clearing lots of  accessories off of every surface before you set the table and prepare the buffet? I know I don't.

Raise your hand if you love this dining room by Stephanie Sabbe as much as I do. I think it perfectly illustrates that simple can be dramatic.  And you could get in there and set that table lickety-split.

In my client's dining room, a silver tray holds a collection of family ironstone pieces that  is easily moved to set up for entertaining.

And that's why I like to keep things simple in the dining room.  Agreed?

Have a great week!

If you live in the Chattanooga, TN area and you're looking for an Interior Decorator, please visit my website to learn more about the design services I offer and to view my recent projects.

Client Project Reveal - Classic Blue and White Dining Room and Powder Room Refresh

What an exciting day!  I have a recently completed project to share with you, and this dining room is one of my favorite projects to date.  If you're visiting today from The Pink Pagoda, surely you're a fan of classic blue and white interiors. I'm so glad you stopped by and thank you Jennifer for featuring my work!

First, I want to share a little background info.  We've taken the slow, steady approach to decorating this home.  It's a big brick Georgian style home - very traditional - which suits my clients' aesthetic.  They love classic design elements and the husband has a keen eye for antiques.  One of the concerns and challenges we addressed was their desire to keep their home from feeling too formal. They're a young family and they wanted their home to have a relaxed, fresh feel.

Here's the inspiration photo.  The only inspiration photo. The wife knew exactly what she wanted.

 

No argument from me..This is gorgeous!

When the project began, I had this antique china cabinet and their dining table to work with. Here's a "before", as a reference point.

And now:

Blue and White Bliss.

My clients loved the Farrow & Ball Lotus wallpaper but were hesitant to wallpaper the entire room.

So I had the walls painted (Benjamin Moore's Niveous), which is the same color we used in their entry  - it's a pretty, ivory white.

And then I had the walls professionally stenciled with this pattern.  The blue we used for the stencil design is Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue.  If you look in the top right corner of the photo above, you can catch a glimpse of  Palladian Blue on the ceiling. 

The antique sideboard is a Scott's Antique Market find, as is the Persian rug.  My workroom made the sheer linen shades and I sourced the Italian silver candelabra, lamps and other accessories for them.

The husband found the chairs at auction (10 of them!) and, after some debate, I had them lacquered with Benjamin Moore White Dove and had the seats recovered with blue faux ostrich.  The fabric choice was met with a little hesitation, but with 4 small children it's a practical choice that they should enjoy for years to come. The ironstone pots and pitchers and the silver tray they're sitting on are family pieces.  I love their simplicity and pretty form.

We also recently refreshed their powder room off of the foyer.  My client loves blue and white, so again we went with this classic color combination - but in a modern context.

In this room we added a chair rail with box molding below and a fun blue and white geometric print wallpaper. They opted to keep the white pedestal sink and brass fixtures. 

There was just enough room behind the door to add this lucite console and a few baskets under it for easily accessible storage.  I think every room needs something natural so the baskets and the framed pebbles add some soft, organic texture.  I love the juxtaposition of the natural elements against the modern print of the wallpaper.  Do you agree that contrast creates interest?

Once again, I thank you for stopping by to have a look at this fun project.  And thank you to Jennifer at The Pink Pagoda for featuring the dining room on her blog.  Have you visited her online shop?  Lots of opportunities to add some classic blue and white!

Have a great week!

If you live in the Chattanooga, TN area and are looking for an Interior Decorator, please visit my website to learn more about the services I offer and to see my recently completed design work.

When my schedule won't allow me to post to my blog, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Follow along!

One Room Challenge Linking Event - It's Reveal Time!

Okay, okay.  I know you have many blogs to visit today so I will keep the written part short and sweet.  It's been a tough 6 weeks and I didn't accomplish everything I had hoped to get done for the reveal, but I think you'll get the picture - actually you're about to get lots of pictures.

First, the obligatory "before" shot.  (If you'd like to catch up on the posts leading up to today's reveal, you can do so here.)

Oozing with charm, right?   Sure it is!  See the "afters" below.

Please don't judge my photos too harshly - I took them myself because my room is not yet totally done (as if that will ever happen)  and I worked on it up until it was time to post the photos. Oh, and some of my DIY projects might be a little rough around the edges.  Still working on those finishing touches!

I'm still playing musical chairs around the dining room table.  Bench and chairs or just chairs?

Do you recall the Chinoiserie fabric that inspired this entire space?  

Sadly it's nowhere to be found in here - yet.  Due to unavoidable circumstances, my upholsterer was not able to get my host dining chairs done in time for today's reveal.  Sad face  :-( . As you read this, my chairs are getting upholstered with my Chinoiserie print fabric on the backs and they will flank the ends of my dining room table.   Kind of a bummer they're not here yet but I'll be sure and take photos when they arrive.

And lucky you!  This reveal is a 2-for-1 because I did my living room too!

Leopard pillows - I'm all in.

Most of the items I used in both rooms are vintage and "found" items. People always ask me about decorating with vintage finds, and I always give the same answer.  It takes time, people!  And patience too.

Just look at how excited Ellie is over this new space!

And that's where we are today!  I owe a giant "Thank you" to my Mom who spent a weekend with me placing  furniture and accessorizing. And a big thank you to everyone who's followed my progress along the way and taken the time to comment with such kind words. It's much appreciated!

UPDATE:  At the 11th hour, the upholsterer that was redoing my chairs emailed me to tell me he got one finished up.  Hurray!  Here's a look at that

Finally, a Super Sized thank you to Linda for providing the motivation and for hosting the One Room Challenge and The One Room Challenge Linking Event.  Make sure you head over to Linda's blog where you'll find the links for everyone who participated in this round's event! 

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in  Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge Week 4 - Brass & Glass Pagoda Chandelier Makeover

Okay so I missed posting my progress last week.  Rest assured that even though I didn't get a chance to post everything that went down over here, I have been making sweet progress in my living room/dining room makeovers. That DOES NOT mean that I still don't have major concerns about getting the room to full completion on time.  I'm at the mercy of my upholsterer for a few things and he's pretty covered up right now.

In any case I'm going to put my worries aside and share a little progress I've made in the dining room.  And there's a DIY involved that meets two major requirements.  It's quick and easy.

So I have your attention now?  Meet my circa 1970 something brass and glass chandelier that was practically free at my Habitat for Humanity store.

I'm sure it's no secret why I was drawn to this fixture. (Hint: It starts with a "p" and rhymes with "lagoda.")  Of course I love that! But what I wasn't crazy about was the highly lacquered brass finish. I wanted something warmer and softer, but still gold.

I'm sure you already know where we're going with this.

After removing the glass I quickly and not so carefully applied rub n buff to all brass parts that I could see well enough without my reading glasses on.

I'll give you that the change at this point is subtle.  But we're not done yet. I thought it might be fun to update the glass by doing an antique mirror finish on the glass panels.  I've seen a number of tutorials on Pinterest and then again on Little Green Notebook.  

So I laid the glass panels face side down on a tarp and sprinkled them with a mixture of water and vinegar.  I didn't measure how much of each.

Then I sprayed them with this stuff (found on the shelves of my local Wal-Mart)

See how the vinegar/water solution lays on top of the glass?  Just grab a paper towel and blot/lightly wipe it off. 

As a final step I  sprayed on a coat of black to "age" those bare spots.

And then it was just a matter of reassembling the chandelier.

And all put back together and lit up.

Told you it was quick and easy!!

Thanks for checking in on my progress! 

And 2 weeks to go!! Yikes! (x 2)

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge - The Current State of Things and the Direction

Welcome to this week's drama installment of The One Room Challenge.  If you're new to this thing called the Internet then here's the story.  Linda came up with the idea to have a group of bloggers participate in an online room makeover one week at a time for 6 consecutive Wednesdays and Thursdays sharing our progress (or lack thereof) each week and culminating in a big reveal on the last installment.  I'm tired just thinking about it.

My chosen room is my living room/dining room combo at my own little abode known as Project Dollhouse.  I'm happy to report that some progress has been made on some major design elements. Like the floor. We have one now.

And paint on the walls.  Want to know what color it is?  If only I knew.  I originally painted it Benjamin Moore's Symphony Blue (after I painted 1 coat of Farrow & Ball's Brinjal) and it was a little too intense.  Like being trapped in an oil painting.  So I added a little of this and a little of that of the leftover paint I had and this is what I got. I would describe it as navy teal, or marine blue.  It's darker than it appears in these images, as is the floor.

I also pulled the Craigslist green velvet sofa out of storage so here's a gander at that.

Classic tuxedo with brass nailheads.  The craigslist gods were smiling on me that day.  My iphone photos do not accurately capture the brilliance that is this sofa.

So, where am I going from here?  In the end I'd like to have a space that feels collected, colorful, layered, and mostly classic with a sense of age - but still feels like right now.

Some rooms that are inspiring me:

Are you still with me?  

The obligatory mood boards:

I created these mood boards months ago so naturally a few things have changed. Or more than a few things.  But I think overall it will have the same feel and color palette.

Makeovers start next week - sneak peeks on my Instagram.  Follow me!

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com