Dining Room Chandelier Progression

The first time I saw Jonathan Adler's Meurice chandelier, I loved the use of small round bulbs instead of traditional candelabra bulbs.  I've seen these bulbs used on more traditional chandeliers as well and have been itching to try them out.

via the Cross Design

Although I love small round bulbs... I did not love the vintage round globe-light fixture that was installed in our dining room when we bought the house.

(This is not a true "before", since this fixture was originally a peachy color.  Until we were ready to replace it, I painted the frame white to help it blend with the ceiling.)

After living with the globe light for a while, we started hunting for a reasonably-priced replacement.  Because of the age of this house, we thought it best to hire an electrician to change out the fixture... which left a minimal budget for the new fixture.  A couple of years ago, we found a nicely shaped traditional polished brass chandelier (including 6 toile shades) on Craigslist for about $55 - sprayed it white for a more updated look - and had it installed. 

 My original goal in spray-painting the chandy was to bring a little funk into the space - so, I put the shades aside.  But, with regular candelabra bulbs, the chandelier felt a little naked... and ultimately, I put the set of 6 toile shades to use.  We've had the chandelier as pictured above for a few years - and it looks perfectly suitable in our home... but, I still yearned for something a little more youthful and spunky. 

A quick trip to Home Depot, and a few dollars later... and we have a new look!

I think it achieves what I had originally intended, and am surprised it took me so long to make such a quick and simple change.  I wouldn't say that this is our "forever" chandelier... but, for a budget makeover... I'm happy with it (for now)!  

Dining room perfection

Jennifer Dyer via Lonny

Have you seen this gorgeous dining room from the Mar/Apr issue of Lonny?  The traditional elements are so perfectly balanced with a few modern touches.  So many aspects to admire... the mouldings and door frame, black door, glamorous chandelier, ring pulls on chair backs (such a fabulous detail), organic driftwood lamp, chic contemporary sconces, delicate antique chairs, lovely shade of gray warmed up by the natural wood tones... I could go on and on. 

Stencilled wall panels

Sorry for the delayed post - blogger was down last night and this morning. How frustrating!

Inspired by this photo that I posted a while back...

Savant Interior Design for Washington Design Center's Dream Home

my Mom suggested we think about doing something similar in her dining room.  We'll be spending next week visiting my family, and I'm hoping we'll be able to work on some design projects - maybe even this one.

Browsing for stencils, I came across Cutting Edge Stencils, which has some very stylish designs.  These are some of my favorites.

All images above via Cutting Edge Stencils.

Alternatively, we could use wallpaper... I'll post some pretty options tomorrow.

My Mother's Day gift makes me smile

For Mother's Day, my sweet husband offered to have our new Jill Moser print framed for our dining room - it came out great!

I love this print - there's so much excitement and fluidity in the brush strokes - it injects a welcome jolt of energy and bold pattern into our otherwise neutral dining room.  I also love the text at the bottom... my dad is a conductor and I have such fond memories of seeing him conduct at the Met and New York City Opera when I was a little girl .  To me, he is one of the "Great Performers at Lincoln Center."

The framed print is not the only new addition or sentimental item in our dining room.  In fact, everything in the photo above (other than the glass pedestal dish) is new (to us).  Along with our new bedroom furniture, we inherited the beautiful buffet, buddha lamp and candlesticks.  The buffet conveniently houses (and conceals) all of our kiddie art supplies.  My girls could spend hours each day making projects, coloring, stickering, cutting, gluing, etc (hmmm, take after their mom much?)... and now everything is easily accessible. 

The lampshade on this buddha lamp is funky (it has a gold mesh over parchment or rice paper of some kind), but pretty beat up.  It's a vintage shade, and I'm not sure they even sell this style (which sits on a glass bowl that covers the lightbulb) anymore - I haven't had any success googling.  My first stop will probably be a lamp shop...  but, if I have no luck, I might just have to figure out how to make a new shade (without the gold mesh this time).  I will keep you posted!

Have a lovely weekend! 

 

Beautiful Blue

Steven Gambrel via Elle Decor; photo by Simon Upton

I've loved this bathroom for so long, but lost the source.  Anyone know?

Leslie Klotz via House Beautiful; photo by Laure Resen

Amanda Nisbet

More chair reupholstery

A while back, I blogged about my dining room chairs - and how badly they need new cushions.  I bought the chairs a couple years ago on Craigslist for a steal, and immediately reupholstered them in Sunbrella indoor/outdoor fabric, thinking that would be kid-friendly.  Boy, was I wrong.  I'm embarrassed to show these photos... but, please bear in mind that we do not have an eat-in kitchen... so our "dining room" chairs, are really our "everything" chairs (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and art projects in between).  They take a serious beating! 

Evidence:

(horrifying, I know - and this isn't even the worst one!)

I knew that vinyl was my only option - and had planned to go bold.  I even ordered some vinyl fabric in orange a few weeks ago.  But, then I had second thoughts about how the orange vinyl wood look with the warm tones of the wood (after reading the comments to this post on one of my favorite blogs).  So, yesterday afternoon - while taking a quick look around the Calico Corners Outlet in Lancaster, PA - on our way home from a fun-filled weekend at Dutch Wonderland - I was excited to find a beautiful, soft ("like butta") off-white vinyl at a great price.  I was totally beat from our amusement park adventures, so I didn't get too far with this project - but had to at least re-cover one of the chairs.  Here are a few photos from last night's progress.



And here, you can see before & after:

This 1 cushion took about 45 minutes, so, I'll need to find another 3 hrs and 45 min soon (somehow)!

DC Design House - Part IV

To wrap up my tour of the wonderful DC Design House, today's photos take you through the dining room by Camille Saum, family room by Barbara Francesci and the garden/koi pond by Scott Brinitzer. 

 A dining room is the perfect space in which to do something bold and different and Camille Saum's quirky opulent dining room does just that with its moss-covered fireplace mantle, glamorous chandelier, acid yellow floor treatment and chair upholstery, and voluminous flowing tableskirt and drapes.  But notice how the walls and trim are painted the same taupey-gray shade - this creates a nice neutral backdrop to the interesting statement elements in the room.

These chairs are right up my alley.  Remember my post on bold dining room chairs?  What a great example - with their patent leather upholstery and coordinating floral fabric on the back.  The scale and palette of the floral pattern keeps it fresh and unfussy.



This floor treatment is beautiful, too.

 

These are the talented designers.

Unfortunately, I missed the barebones tour, but from what I heard, the family room was a sad space enveloped by dark wood panelling.  I was delighted when I stepped into Barbara Francesci's cheerful and sophisticated updated family room. 

Barbara blends traditional and modern elements seamlessly in this space.

The soft roman shades are simple and elegant.

Camel is probably my favorite shade for leather - this beautiful bench with the furry bolster pillow is a perfect way to break up a conversation area - creating a sleek partition without blocking any views.

I loved the way Barbara painted the panelling, but left the wood tones on the window sashes, bar area and dentil moulding. 

Barbara commissioned these graphic exaggerated silhouette portraits by local artist Dave Peterson.  Aren't they fun?

If I weren't worried about little heads crashing into the sharp corners of this amazing side table, I would have snapped it up (most furnishings in the Design House are generously donated and for sale).  I love the lucite with faux woodgrain design!

Interesting patterns and textures... the loveseat is beautifully upholstered with this amazing herringbone fabric and solid contrast trim.  Playful elements like this loopy pillow, the portraits, lucite woodgrain table and the graphic rug bring a sense of humor and informality to the space.

Isn't this spectacular?  Here you can get a sense of the exterior of the house.

Off in the rear right, you can see umbrellas and chairs over by the pool.

It's hard to believe this oasis is just a couple blocks from the apartment buildings along Connecticut Ave in Van Ness!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Design House this week.  Doors open on Saturday, so if you are in town, you can see it in person!  I didn't catch every room and detail - so, there is much more to explore!

Bold Dining Room Chairs

A couple of years ago, I happened upon my best Craigslist find ever - a set of 6 gorgeous queen anne style dining chairs (2 armchairs; 4 side chairs) - for $55 (TOTAL).  The chairs must be at least several decades old and the fabric on the seats was tired and worn, but they were otherwise in pretty great shape.  A simple reupholstery project was not going to scare me off.

They're pretty similar to these Pottery Barn's Queen Anne Upholstered Chairs in the Antiqued Honey Stain (a set of six of those would have set me back over $1500).

Thinking that I was being clever and kid-friendly, I reupholstered the chairs in Sunbrella outdoor fabric.  I've heard so many rave reviews about how stain-resistant and durable it is.  Well, that has NOT been our experience.  In under 2 years, the seat cushions are truly disgusting.  We do not have an eat-in kitchen - so, we eat all meals at our dining room table - and do most art projects there as well.  It's time for a change!  But, this time - I'll be going for a bullet-proof solution... vinyl. 

I'm loving these rooms with their bold and colorful dining chairs:

Jonathan Berger; photo by Francesco Lagnese; via House Beautiful



Ashley Whittaker; photo by Eric Piasecki; via House Beautiful



Jonathan Berger; photo by Francesco Lagnese; via House Beautiful



Leslie Klotz; photo by Laura Resen; via House Beautiful



Massucco Warner Miller



I think painting the wood a bold color is not an option (I'm not the only decision-maker in our house), but how fun are these!

Jonathan Adler; photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo; via House Beautiful

Especially since my chairs don't have back cushions... I think I can probably get away with something bright and fun on the seat cushions.  Orange?  Peacock Blue?  Kelly Green? 

Any tips on good upholstery-grade vinyl?