Saturday, January 29, 2011

Plan for the Dining Room

I have the absolutely wonderful Taika dinnerware by Iitala. Look how magical it is. However, it is very hard to have a "traditional" dining room with this energetic and bold set. Bottom picture via flickr.

As you can see the dishes are pure white, while my dining room is off-white, and it is obvious the two shades don't match. This might not bother some people, but it really bothers me.
Now take a look at this picture below. See the moulding stripe in the middle of the wall between the floor and ceiling? I have one of those in my dining room but it is at the top of the wall, about 3/4 of a foot away from the ceiling. Therefore I think it would be cute to put one in my dining room that is exactly like the one in this picture.
Have you heard of Jonathan Adler, and the ridiculously expensive but colorful things he sells, and his books Happy Chic Colors, Happy Chic Accessorizing, and My Prescription for Antidepressant Living? While I have yet to get my hands on these books, I have flipped through them and seen pictures, and I really want them. I am the kind of person who despises color - in fact the majority of my closet is black, and yet I can't help but feel that I would be happy with my home looking like Jonathan Adler personally decorated it. Use ultra pure white as a blank canvas and add a bunch of color pops and textures.

I am also loving the new West Elm catalog. The picture below features their capiz shell chandelier and a small buffet/sideboard, and the picture after that shows their lime green curtains. I think all three of those items would be perfect in my dining room. The shell chandelier would be the perfect conversation piece, a little bit traditional, and glamorously understated. The lime curtains would be the foil to my Taika plates, matching them in an unexpected way.

Add a white textured rug and some wall art, and I'd be set except for the different shades of white between my walls and dinnerware. I think the wood table I currently have, some Eames chairs or other modern seating, the lime curtains and shell chandelier, a white rug, and the black shelves I have, would all compliment each other. The only other curtains I would go with (and this is exceptionally rare for me) would be a sheer yellow, not quite bold and not quite subtle. They would have to be the perfect shade. Is it strange to put sheer yellow curtains with black shelves and a wood table when you have a white chandelier, white walls, and white dinnerware?

1 comment:

  1. Cristina, your house is beautiful. You have done a great job decorating. Can't wait to come and visit.

    Love,
    Padrina Rosaria

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