Client Dining Room

A couple weeks ago I posted about a dining room I was working on.  We designed a custom console table to fill in a very large blank wall.  So large in fact, that if I selected a table to fit the wall proportionate to the size, it would have dwarfed the dining table by comparison.  The solution was adding some architecture to the room to fill in the space by way of picture frame molding and crown molding.

In every design,  there is a jumping off point.  For my client, it was the fabric I selected to reupholster her dining chair seats (and two new upholstered dining end chairs which will carry the fabric at eye level for more visibility, but they are still being made as we speak).  The fabric is from Calico Corners called Kaiya Shiki.  I'm not sure I've ever had so many people comment on how much they love this fabric.  Everytime I pulled the swatch out at a store, someone would say "oh, love that fabric".   

From there we selected the paint color using the fabric swatch as guidance.  We ended up going with a saturated clay color call Sienna Clay from Benjamin Moore.  

This dining room connects directly to the kitchen which we are also in the middle of updating and redesigning.  In the kitchen we selected bold blue and white damask window treatments, along with a gray/aqua/dark-blue glass backsplash. To tie the two rooms together, I choose a rich azure blue as the accent color for the dining room.  

The draperies are a solid bronze color so they don't compete too much with the kitchen fabric, but I did throw in a hint of pattern with the blue greek key banding on the edges of the drapes. (squint hard and you might see the color and pattern in the picture!)

 Here are the before pics, although the room was painted Sienna Clay by this point, so I don't have the original yellow walls to show you. 

Here are the after shots:

Upcycling

One of my current jobs, a dining room,  has had my creative side working overtime.  It should have been such a simple thing- add some window treatments, a console table, rug and a few pictures to the room and call it a day.  Well, sometimes the most simple project turns into a brain teaser.  I could not find the right table - at the right price ANYWHERE!  I started researching possiblities months ago, and it finally dawned on me one night lying in bed. A) It wasn't as simple as it seemed b/c B) the room is actually bigger than many living rooms, so it really needed more than just a table and pictures, and C)  we needed to custom make a table.   I did an about face and suggested we really need to added architecture to the room instead of just filling the wall with "stuff".  We worked out a elevation plan to add picture frame molding to all the walls to bring down the scale of the room and cozy it up a bit.    


And the custom table.....I wanted something rich, with history and patina, and I found it at an architectural salvage store. Restoration Resources came to my rescue when I came upon these pedestals:

According to the store owner they are from the old State House in Boston, but since my client is in RI, that won't mean much to her! Nontheless, they have the patina I had been searching for.

I came up with a sketch to add a tabletop and with a crown molding style profile, and handed it off to my furniture maker to work his woodworking magic.


Here it is almost done- we will be painting the top in a high gloss warm white with subtle gray undertones, Ben Moore Monterey White, to finish it off.  Stay tuned for the final pics in my clients home! 

Client Before & After

This is long overdue....and quite frankly I just need to be happy with the pictures of took of my clients home.  I haven't put them in my portfolio because I always thought I would get new photos taken of their place, but it hasn't happened.    


This was a great project, and the clients were completely on board with starting from scratch minus their artwork collection and the grand piano (not shown in the pics).   What a remarkable change and they are fully ready to entertain in style!  

Before -Living Room Center

Before Living Room Side View

After - Living Room Center

After - Living Room Side View

I Heart My New Stationery

Some of you may have noticed the slightest change in my logo- I recently had the very talented Tara Hogan of Ink & Wit do some beautiful letterpress business notecards for me....one thing lead to another and I ended up having her tweak my logo as well.  It was just feeling a little too busy for me, and I really wanted to refine things a bit- my old logo had a bit too much going on.  I couldn't be happier with the result, and I can't wait to deplete my remaining business cards for something a little more tactile.  

Very Tardy.....

With the end of my maternity leave and the arrival of fall, life has been busy, busy, busy. I have been terrible about posting anything- most of my energy has been spent juggling new jobs with an infant who still wakes a few times a night, wha wha.   I wouldn't have it any other way though: )
I was doing my usual Sunday morning blog reading, and I came upon this new e-mag, Gifted from the blog, Creature Comforts  It truly has me inspired for the holidays to come.  Not to mention its given me some great ideas to implement in merchandising The Little Fox Shop in Arlington.  I volunteer helping to merchandise this non-profit childrens resale shop inside the Fox Library.   Proceeds go towards keeping the Fox Branch Library open and running!


Check out Gifted below....more posts coming in the weeks to come: )

Open publication - Free publishing - More christmas

Graham & Brown Wallpaper

I am so excited to learn I won Graham & Brown wallpaper designed by Amy Butler as well as an autographed copy of her newest book, Midwest Modern! I'll be holding onto this wallpaper until I find a great wall and permanent digs to hang it on. I think I'm going to go with the Fountain pattern in Smoke, but I love Field Poppies as well.  See images below. Fountain in Smoke is a sophisticated neutral that can complement many accent colors-reds, blues, yellows. I can picture it instantly in a foyer with crisp white wainscoting or as an accent wall for a media room- a darker wall to help camouflage a TV.

Fountain in Moss

Fountain in Smoke

Field Poppies in Smoke

Field Poppies in Moss

Ulitmately I think Field Poppies works best in an area that you have preselected for a bold pattern statement, but I love the bold statement is DOES make! I also want to note the the Moss colorway of Field Poppies is actually much prettier in person than it is online. The greens are much more vivid in person, which is why I always suggest getting a sample before purchasing home merchandise online.

Maternity Leave

Thanks to everyone who has been checking my blog and/or Facebook page for updates. I have to apologize for falling behind, and I hope to get blogging again soon. I officially went on maternity leave 2 weeks ago after the birth of my daughter, Cora Elizabeth. Keeping after a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn is proving more time consuming than I even thought!

Please keep a lookout for more updates this summer as well- new pictures in the portfolio section of my website, as well as a new option for e-design where I'll be able to serve clients both near and far all through web!