Hey guys. You know what's cool about writing stuff and publishing it to the world wide web? Well, first it's pretty great that about a couple dozen people read it (thanks, Relatives!) and a handful non-relateds read it too. Meet some of the non-relateds, Anna & Kole and their little kiddos, Atticus & Sophia. Let's all do a collective sigh over this beautiful family, shall we? And they're just as kind & cool as they are good-looking. We gathered our families together over dessert and tea & Anna asked if I'd be willing to give her some input & ideas for her home.   Anna & the fam live in a Victorian across town. One little factoid about me is that I love Victorian homes. They're so stately with their high ceilings, tall windows, beautiful moldings & trim work and man--all that natural light flooding the rooms is just amazing. 

Anna's dining room is the first room you walk into off the front entrance. It has three gorgeous tall windows, fresh paint, a pretty chandelier, neutral wood floor, crisp woodwork and a newly installed wainscot wall. She's also got a perfectly-scaled table and chairs in the room, a skinny console table against the wall and a piece of artwork (shown below) that she is trying out.  The dining room already has so much going for it. High five, Anna. 

Anna really digs Emily Henderson's style, particularly her use of oil paintings & vintage finds but also appreciates a the occasional splash of Amber Lewis' bohemian vibe. In other words, Anna & I are style besties. We talked through mirror & art options/placement & furniture. There's a couple special considerations about Anna's dining room:           -it's the first room a guest walks into and it should feel inviting, not cramped           -she has two little kiddos & some storage needs           -table is multi-functional for art projects, homework, etc.           -there's not a lot of walking room around the table, so any furniture needs a very slim profile           -Anna has a console table in the dining room already, but it doesn't add any storage and             the base doesn't allow for baskets to easily tuck underneath Here's a couple interesting design quandaries that I wrestled with:           -is it weird to have oil paintings/framed photography of people you don't know? (Maybe-                 depends on if I feel connected to the work).           -would I want to look at myself in a mirror while slurping spaghetti at dinner? (No, unless I am                   having a really great hair day).           -would I want to hang a mirror on the wall to reflect light from the windows, even if it's too                  high to use as a functional mirror? (Maybe).           -should a floor mirror be used as a glorious statement piece even through it wouldn't add any              storage to the room? (Hmmm....) The practical side of me won out in this situation. I nixed the glorious floor mirror idea because it takes up too space without adding storage. I added a rug with a banded border to add the cozy factor and offset it from the wood floor. I sourced some vintage oil paintings and found a couple console table options that have a slim profile and add storage.  Here's plan A. The mirror's grid adds interest and some curves to a room with mostly straight angles. The brass finish on the sconces, console hardware and mirror add that collected, vintage vibe. And the artwork remind me of Anna & her family. And that bust vase is entirely non-functional, but I like the bit of funk it adds, like a really fancy chia pet.
Sources: paint//light//vertical landscape//flourish print//oil portrait//horizontal landscape//family painting//sconces//mirror//bust vase//console//rug//basket//table (similar)//leather parson chair (similar)//upholstered parson chair (similar) In Plan B, I switched out the mirror & console options. This console adds storage and ties into the reclaimed vibe of the dining table. The mirror above is fresh and crisp enough to keep the room from feeling too old: paint//light//vertical landscape//flourish print//oil portrait//horizontal landscape//family painting//sconces//mirror//bust vase//console//rug//basket//table (similar)//leather parson chair (similar)//upholstered parson chair (similar) In Plan B's room, I may even scatter some of the artwork on the mirror/console wall to add more interest, along the lines of this:

via

I could cozy up in either of these rooms. Which is your favorite? 

I love perfect timing. When the folks at Chairish reached out to me for the Mix & Chic Style Challenge a couple of weeks ago, the timing was perfect. They asked me to create a room using their rad vintage furnishings and add some of my own style. And here we are, smack dab in the middle of the bungalow series and I get to share a very cool room idea and tips with you. Yes, even if you don't have a bungalow.

First, let's talk rugs. Friends don't let friends buy ivory rugs for their dining room. I know they look pretty. I know that magazines showcase priceless ivory moroccan rugs under dining tables, but listen. Just stop thinking about it. At that next dinner party, one of your guests will drop a blob of marinara on your ivory rug. And part of your friendship with them will die.  If you're going to have a rug under your dining table, find a patterned rug. Something along the lines of this rug is a great option because it'll be forgiving of spills will save all your friendships from marinara-induced tragedies.  Ok, moving on.  Every dining room needs a good table and I love the timeless appeal of this one. The lines are classic and I love that I could move the benches into the adjacent living room for extra seating, or I could use them elsewhere (think end of bed or in the entryway) if I wanted to change up the look.   The light, the artwork and the subtle patterns on the chairs and rug pull the look together and keep the room from looking perfectly matched. That's my style right there.  The extra chairs are great to add texture & pattern, and will also be handy to pull up for extra seating. Throw in a fiddle leaf fig tree in a vintage planter and you're going to look like a design rockstar. My tips for a great dining room: -Classic table with good lines -Multi-use furniture, such as benches or upholstered side chairs. You'll be able to pull the chair over    to a desk when not in use, or into a living space for extra seating. -Patterned rug. Obviously. -Mix artwork with family photos and objects. It creates an interesting wall and also creates a   conversation piece for your guests. -Have something growing and green. It adds fresh color to a corner. -Find a great light, which is not always new or always expensive. Think of repurposing a piece or   shopping vintage finds. It's the jewelry of your room and can take your space to the next level.   Consider putting the light on a dimmer switch for a soft evening glow. -Use a storage piece for extra glasses, napkins, candles and you're able to easily set the table. My favorite of this room is the armoire. You know what I love about armoires beyond their ability to be gorgeous and hold millions of things? I love that all I have to do is close the doors and my guests would never know that I just shoved all the kids' book bags, yesterday's breakfast dishes, and a pile of unfolded laundry into it. Armoires make it look like you have it all together. That, my friends, is priceless.  Hats off to you, armoires of the world, for saving the day and looking good while doing it. I aspire to be like you. And thanks to Chairish for curating a collection of very cool furnishings and for letting us buy them.   Sources: Chairish Shabby Chic Collection  Rug // Light // Table // French Street Sign // Armoire //  Vintage Planters // Leopard Chairs // Floral Pillows // Carved Bowl  // Small Watercolor Painting // Acrylic Landscape Painting // Vase    Paint Colors, left to right are Sherwin Williams Sensible Hue, Sherwin Williams Aloof Gray, and Farrow & Ball Hague Blue

If you've been reading this blog, you likely already know that I have a tendency to be indecisive and obsessive about paint colors.  The dining room is one of those spaces.  It's smack dab in the middle of the floor plan and if I choose the wrong color, the feel of the WHOLE HOUSE will be ruined.  Ruined, I tell you.

Anyway, when we moved in I invented my own color for the dining room.  I told the paint guy "I wanted a mix between this color and that color, but please mix it at 50% strength, okay?"  He didn't even look at me like I was strange.  I bet he deals with people like me all the time.

But I am painting over that color today.  I like the color a lot but I wanted to unite the colors between the kitchen and dining room to make it feel like one big room.  At least I won't have to freak out  about it because I already love the kitchen color.  



Wish me luck, okay?  I hope to have some AH-MAZING photos for you tomorrow.... 

So...still haven't done anything with the 80s chairs in the dining room.  I've been around to several fabric stores in the past couple weeks and haven't found a suitable fabric for reupholstering them.  Here's a couple options I've been considering:




The fabric needs to hold up to globs of oatmeal, spills, and general kid issues.  The last time we upholstered our chairs, I used a really pretty fabric, but it didn't hold up to what life dealt out.  This time around, I just want to live my life and stop scrubbing down chairs.

Also, our dining room feels really traditional with the cove ceilings & built in buffet so I have to find something that communicates "hey, we're hip & fun" and not take it too seriously.

So in other words, I want affordable, scrubbable fabric that will communicate our youthfulness & coolness in a subtle way that still resonates with the traditional vibe of the space. Let me know if you guys see anything out there like that, okay?

It's supposed to be around 50 degrees here today so I just may drag some chairs outside for a good sanding. Perhaps that will get me motivated.