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Lindsay’s Design Dilemma

Posted by
February 20, 2009

When Lindsay and Ryan came to us for help sprucing up their blank slate of a dining room we got right down to business. Here’s her letter:

My fiance, Ryan, and I just bought a cute little 1950s house and we’re completely stuck on the big blank space that is the dining room. I like a comfy/casual/simple look, but I also like having some bright/eclectic/eye catching pieces or accessories around (kinda Pottery Barn meets CB2). Ryan would certainly appreciate it if there was some bright saturated color. We’d love a solid, chunky wood, dining table (I’ve been eyeing the “Lugano” table) and as for chairs, something sleek and padded with a pop of color is great. The peach wall color has to go and the dining room opens up to the living room which will house our two monster couches that are kind of an olive-y green with tan piping, so the wall color shouldn’t clash too horribly with those, but other than that we’re pretty open. Should the dining room and living room be the same color? The dining room has recessed lighting, but I’m all ears if you think we should add something else there too. What should we do with the wall of bookshelves and wine rack (hidden behind that door)? Should we paint them? Ryan’s against it, but I thought it might be a good idea to have a little less “wood”- and since we don’t really want our dining room looking like a library, some ideas for interesting accessories to intersperse with the books would be great. Can’t wait to see what you suggest! -Lindsay

dining-room-before-and-after-mood-board

There’s nothing like an inviting and casual space with a few punchy pops of color to say “bon appetit,” so we whipped up this custom mood board for Lindsay and Ryan:

green-and-teal-and-brown-dining-room-round-table-mood-board-makeover-before-and-after

Now for the mood board breakdown.

1. When it comes to the color palette for this room, we think some pops of green and teal mixed in with handsome chocolate furnishings will really make this room a stunner (while working with Lindsay’s existing olive and tan couches in the adjoining living room). And when it comes to the wall color (in both the living room and the dining room) a pale greeny gold (Glidden’s Fennel) will really set the stage for a major makeover and tie both rooms together to visually expand each space.

As for those bookcases, we think painting them is the way to go (since it might be a bit of wood overload leaving them as-is, and they don’t match the deeper wood we’ll be bringing in). We’d love to see the back wall behind the shelving get painted a slightly darker golden green tone (Glidden’s Sage Green) while the shelves themselves get a coat of soft cream paint (Glidden’s Boston Cream) which would also look great on the trim and even the doors in the room. Shifting all the shelves into more of a balanced grid shape (so they all line up with each other and are evenly spaced) will also crisp things up and keep them looking sophisticated and organized while the colored wall behind them adds a nice focal point to the room.

2. Although Lindsay had her eye on a chunky rectangular table, we actually though a round table would work best in this square-ish space. The room will feel bigger and it will be easy to pass through on either side of the table since it can be centered in the middle of the room. And what’s a big round table without some fabulously sleek (and comfy) chairs? These babies have clean lines, sexy curves, and they just happen to be seriously marked down. Six of them should fit around the table nicely (although Lindsay might want to keep four around most of the time and add the other two for bigger crowds). Oh and we actually have big plans to add a splash of color to these chairs, so stay tuned…

3. This gorgeous fabric pendant light features every color in our palette and will look breathtaking when centered above the dining table. It looks as if there’s already a fixture box (covered) in place, so it might be as easy as removing the cover and hanging this gorgeous drum shade above the table. The round shape of the pendant will perfectly mimic the circular shape of the tabletop below, for a sleek and foolproof pairing.

4. Round pedestal tables often need a semi-substantial object in the middle of the table to ground them and make ‘em feel “finished.” This pretty teal vase works with our color scheme and will do a fine job of polishing off the table and adding another dash of color.

5. Finally, after all this table talk we get to the table! This amazingly substantial yet curvaceous pedestal table will add clean lines and balance to the dining room in an instant. And the price (along with the user ratings) just can’t be beat. No wonder it’s about to sell out. Hurry Lindsay, hurry!

6. Here’s a little DIY element that we just had to throw in. Lindsay originally requested a pop of color in the chairs, and although we love the lines of the ones that we found, we agree that the seats could use a dose of saturation. That’s where this gorgeous teal fabric comes in. It’s around $11 a yard, and it will only take about two or three yards to recover all four chairs but the effect will be utterly transformative. Chairs that once looked elegant but a bit forgettable will become “where’d you get these?” items that everyone oggles. And our easy chair recovering tutorial should get Lindsay through the whole ordeal in under an hour. If you can wrap a present you can recover a chair!

7. Here’s a bit of art that we dug up which just so happens to work seamlessly with our color scheme to add yet another dose of hue and interest to the space. We’d love to see it hung (in an espresso wood frame) on the center of the right wall (thanks to the generous size it will completely take care of that whole side of the room). And on the opposite wall, a smaller mirror (since there’s a doorway to account for) in the same deep espresso wood will keep things feeling cohesive yet open.

8. Lastly, Lindsay asked for some shelf-accessorizing ideas, and we thought that these lacquered boxes (on sale!) in a few different tones of green would look great interspersed between books, vases, candle holders and other decorative objects. In fact, we’d get two or three sets so that they’re more obvious since one of each box might get lost in the shuffle. When adding other decorative objects, keeping things in the green, teal, cream, and chocolate brown family will help to tie everything together. And if Lindsay really wants to get things looking sleek, she can recover all her books in butcher paper and hand write the titles on the spine with a thin brown marker for a truly sophisticated and less chaotic effect. Yep, it’ll take a while. But it will feel less like she’s eating in a library for sure.

So there you have it. A complete dining room makeover for Lindsay and her love. We can’t wait to hear what you guys think!

Update: We sadly can no longer find the time to take on client commissioned mood boards (we now whip up general inspiration boards instead) but if we ever reinstate them we’ll make a big announcement!

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