OK, this is fun...
My girlfriend, Keri, is being a good sport and letting me blog about her dining room.
I was over at her house last week checking out her family room updates
when she asked my thoughts on her dining room.
I had a few ideas and thought it would be fun to blog about...
She has some really great things:
I love her antique buffet & small china cabinet (not pictured)
The wicker chairs at both ends of the table
A new seagrass rug
The Challenges:
No windows
Lots of wood tones + dark taupe walls
A small budget, no major changes
What she wants:
Incorporate living room colors
Feel more casual with a French country vibe
So.....
1. Hang mirror vertically
2. Add pretty plates on either side to add color and some pattern
3. Add a pair of matching lamps to add symmetry and balance
4. Paint buffet and china cupboard ivory or a very light grey with a hint of blue.
5. Bigger chandelier
6. Add FABRIC!!! Consider slipped chairs.
See how pretty wicker + slips look together around a table? :)
If the white slips are too scary, you could paint the chairs
a light turquoise like below
Source: myhomeideas.com via Tessa on Pinterest
And add little box pleated chair slips like these...
traditional kitchen design by media and blogs The Lettered Cottage
I'd also have some of your pretty family pics enlarged, made B&W,
matted in big light green mats and thin silver frames to create a family photo gallery
on the wall that you plan to one day knock down to connect the dining room to the kitchen.
Hope that sparked a few ideas for you, Keri!
Thanks for letting me share this!
Of course you don't have to do a single one,
but I do think if nothing else, the room needs a little fabric
somewhere to soften and cozy it up.
Can't wait to see what you do!!
(Plates: Anthropologie, Lamp: Cost Plus Wold Market,
Green Shade & Chandelier: Ballard, Chairs: Ikea)
I'd also have some of your pretty family pics enlarged, made B&W,
matted in big light green mats and thin silver frames to create a family photo gallery
on the wall that you plan to one day knock down to connect the dining room to the kitchen.
Hope that sparked a few ideas for you, Keri!
Thanks for letting me share this!
Of course you don't have to do a single one,
but I do think if nothing else, the room needs a little fabric
somewhere to soften and cozy it up.
Can't wait to see what you do!!
(Plates: Anthropologie, Lamp: Cost Plus Wold Market,
Green Shade & Chandelier: Ballard, Chairs: Ikea)
I love the idea of blogging about your friend's decor! I want to do that all the time too! And, I really like your thoughts about the re-vamping...ciao!
ReplyDeleteVery nice post. I really like the plates and lamps. It's always nice to have other people make suggestions that you might not have thought of yourself. I just love that dining room with the sofa and turquoise chairs and leopard print rug.
ReplyDeleteYou neeeeed to be a designer - can I fly you down to GA to decorate our next house?!? Love all of the suggestions - wonderful!
ReplyDeleteTessa,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I especially love the more vertical mirror with two lamps/plates on the wall.
Adding some fabric would be great with all of that wood.
Have a great day!
xo
Ashlyn
Great suggestions! I really love the idea of painting or slipping the chairs to bring in the blue as seen on the curtains in the background.
ReplyDeleteWow Tessa! Even though you were talking to Keri...I thought you were talking to me! I have been looking at those wicker chairs for months and really want them! I love your idea of mixing it in with the white slip covers. Our dining room is in dire need of a change. Thanks for the inspiration!! I love that picture of the diningroom with the wood floors and white walls!
ReplyDeleteAll great ideas - wish I had a friend like you nearby to help me with my interior challenges! It's so funny that you posted that image of the woman with her two girls in her dining room - I was leafing through the issue of Southern Living in which her home was featured - great space. And, I love that her daughter's names are Ruby and Tulip. Unconventional, yes, but fun as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions! I would be tempted to paint the 4 chairs at the table - and you are right about 'lightening up' the space.
ReplyDelete-Trish