China on Dining Room Walls

Trying to find appropriate, but not over-used, dining room wall decor can be a challenge. I wanted something unique to fit within the perimeters of our room.  I finally settled on mounting china on the walls, but not in the form you might expect.

 On one wall in the room, we have a lovely family painting.  

But across the room, on either side of a corner cupboard I had two blank walls.

 I considered a mirror or an arrangement of plates.  Both struck me as too predictable. What to do?  Once I had drapes made for the room, the fabric became a starting point for my creativity.

 

I remembered in Baltimore seeing a graphic shadow box display at Patrick Sutton Home.

That amazing collection of sea urchins in the shadow box was unforgettable.  But, hmm....dead sea creatures?  That didn't sound very appetizing for a dining room.  What could I substitute?

Then I remembered the white porcelain flowers my daughters had given me for Mother's Day.

They are the perfect size and are fabricated of a matte china. How perfect is that?!

My next problem was finding a large quantity of the porcelain. A call to the shop where my daughters had purchased my Mother's Day gift only yielded a few flowers--not enough. After much searching on the web, I located the china flower distributer on the West Coast.  (Now, I will admit that it took courage to pull the trigger on placing an order large enough for what I had in mind.  What if I didn't like the outcome? I was fairly certain the finished product would look good, so I took the plunge and ordered--fifty china blossoms!) 

When the flowers arrived, I visited several frame shops looking for just the right shadow box to compliment the frame already in the room.  

I chose a simple gold frame which also matches the chandelier in the room.

In discussing my idea with the owner of the frame shop (The Right Angle), she suggested using a thin white filet inside the frame to draw out the white flowers. Great idea!  It really makes the display cohesive.

Next, I took home several mat samples to hold up against the wall color.  The one I chose is a very soft pearl-toned silk mat, a subtle contrast to the white porcelain, while still allowing the flowers to stand out distinctly from the background. In addition, the silk mat's sheen provides a subtle contrast to the matte finish of the flowers.

Finally, I decided to have two shadow boxes made, because the corner cupboard cried out for something on each side.  (I am partial to balance.)

Well, what do you think of the final product?  Should I produce more china-in-a-shadow-box for marketing?

Dining In

Our home has several places suitable for eating.  Now that we are empty nesters, cozy spots for only two have been added to the "dining rooms."

Breakfast, when we take the time, is at the bar.  This pass-through between the kitchen and sunroom is ideal for a quick bite.  I love using different placemats depending on the season.

Lunch is sometimes at the zinc topped table between the kitchen and sunroom.  The placemats were a splurge I couldn't resist because the aqua and white polka dots matches my wallpaper perfectly!

True confessions:  Our evening meal is often eaten off trays in the library, so we can watch the evening news.  (Now doesn't that age us?)

In spite of all the little spaces, I must say that my greatest delight is having a table full in our dining room.

Ok, it's your turn for honesty-hour.  Where do you eat in your home?

A Year Later...Decore Scrubbed Clean

One year ago this week our home was damaged by water. Basically, the year was divided into three phases:  negotiation, reconstruction, and redesign.  The most nerve-wracking phase was the five months of negotiating with the plumber's liability insurance company before they agreed to pay for the itemized and verified damages.

What a happy day in February, when we could actually begin reconstruction.  The rebuild took four months.  Ceilings, walls, and flooring were demolished, then replaced to provide fresh perimeters.

With a blank slate, I began a redesign.  First, I decided my rooms had been smothered.  Walls and surfaces cried out for breathing space.  So, I edited furniture and accessories ruthlessly.  We threw away, gave away, and sold the extraneous. I also took this opportunity to update my color schemes.

Finally, in mid-May, we moved back in.  Over the summer, we have continued to replace damaged furnishings and have added a few bits of modern to bring the house into the twenty-first century. Now on the anniversary of the flood, all three floors of our home have been given a facelift.

Would you like a tour?  I always like the before and after postings on other design blogs, so I'm hoping you do too. Here is an overview of some of the main rooms.  This will be followed in future posts by a more detailed room-by-room examination.

The dining room lost its lovely Gracie hand painted wallpaper.  I was sad to see it go, but the moisture in the house finished lifting the already compromised paper from the walls. Before the room was a soft yellow with pink, blue, and green accents.

Now, neutral grasscloth adds texture to the walls.  The formal swags and panels were replaced by sheer Lee Jofa fabric with trapunto medallions giving a more youthful,  casual, and updated look to the room.

The kitchen went from raspberry

to a grayed blue-green Benjamin Moore paint color called "picnic basket" (50%). My husband confessed after it was repainted that he was never a fan of the pink! :)

The adjoining sunroom went from yellow

to a kitchen companion blue/green grasscoth.

And the living room went from green

to neutral.

With the pain is behind us, I am actually thankful for this opportunity to freshen up a seventeen-year-old home.  How appropriate; our home is as fresh as a landscape after a rain.

Poaching Design Secrets

I've never stolen so much as a wash cloth from a hotel, but I'm not past sneaking some design ideas into my mental valise.  I pocketed some tips last week, when Bill and I were in Miami for a medical conference.  We stayed at the Fontainebleau, a renovated mid-century hotel which, six decades since its opening, is still quite avant garde. Let me share my booty, the hotel's age-defying design secrets.

Amazingly, this landmark is not a past-her-prime grande dame; rather, the post-war edifice is still a debonaire gentleman whose eloquence could grace current pages of GQ magazine!  From the lobby through the corridors, to the guest rooms, and out to the ocean and pool-side oases, it is obvious:  the Fontainebleau has found the fountain of youth.

Just inside the front door, I was able to ferret out some design tips.  Take, for example, the gentleman's signature black marble bow-ties on the lobby floor; would you guess they are original, laid in the 1950's? Idea to steal:  classic white and black marble never goes out of style.

Then, the lighting in the lobby is noteworthy for its age-defying glow.  Each of the three enormous chandeliers reportedly cost a million dollars.

At the back of the lobby, the bar's blue lights are forever young.

This hip luminescent blue is repeated in LED screens behind the concierge desk.  Who says seniors aren't with-it?

Here's the design truism from the lobby: Lighting can produce an amazing face-lift!

Leaving the lobby, guests ride Art-Deco elevators to their floor.  The doors open to vestibules also decked out in up-to-the-minute style.

Look at the gorgeous silver and blue striped wallpaper.  The horizontal stripes are trendy, but the soft colors are classic.

Along the corridors, blown glass fixtures dot the ceiling in military precision.  They are unique, reminding me of mini-Chihuly installations. (If you aren't familiar with America's living national treasure, Dale Chihuly, the world renown glassblower, go to:  http://www.chihuly.com.)

Idea to steal:  Details, such as light fixtures, matter.  Their color and form should match the overall design.

Once guests have located their room, they enter their own private upscale retreat.  Our room was an example of the Fontainebleau's up-to-the-minute design--a neutral backdrop with color in small splashes.

The headboard was faux-leather, an off-white tone.  In spite of the nondescript color, it had a presence, because of its height and gridded texture. Take aways: Tall headboards are quite in vogue, and texture prevents neutral-boredom!  The lamps, presumably to accommodate the headboard height, were gargantuan. Note to self:  Keep proportions in mind when choosing lamps. Finally, notice the restrained use of color.  The aqua throw and aqua/lime green pillows added zest, but can be changed out to accommodate the color trend of tomorrow, without a complete facelift.

Then, too, notice the guest bathroom.  It was gorgeous. Oversized, Carrerra marble, subway tiles covered the walls from floor to ceiling, while the flooring was 10 X10 inch marble squares. Using the two shapes was a clever way to defy age-detection.

But, the coolest feature was the frosted glass door leading to the commode cubicle.  The three-quarters of-an-inch-thick translucent glass allows light into the space, so you don't feel claustrophobic in the tiny privacy closet. I dare say this is an idea whose time has come and will become classic.

Another enduring feature of the hotel is the outdoor decor.  The Fontainebleau, when it opened in 1954,  boasted 250 cabanas around the 6,500 square foot pool. And here we thought outdoor rooms were our idea.  Not so, the senior statesman offered his guests these opulent oases as respite from the Miami heat from day one. Since copying is the highest form of a compliment, I don't think the hotel would mind if we decked our own backyards in white sail-cloth, installed a flat-screen tv, and laid out oversized cushions.

All other design tips aside, the singular feature of the hotel which never ages is the view!

Decorators can't put the Creator's amazing seascape in their suitcase, but they can take away mental images of his amazing sense of color, texture, and form.

(Photos, other than those marked, are from the Fontainebleau's website or ones I took myself.)

Tablescape: A Twist on Tradition

I thought you might enjoy seeing a tablescape designed by my daughter, Anna.  She has a unique flare for combining traditional with modern designs.  

The eclectic candlesticks in this arrangement are a perfect example.  The two large brass candlesticks are antiques--made from a traditional material in a classic form.

However, the matte black candlesticks, although traditional in form, are fabricated of an unexpected material--bisque.

Made by Klein Reid

Then Anna added a third type of candlesticks--miniature, midcentury brass candlesticks by Danish master designer Jens Quistgaard (1919-2008), for Dansk Designs.    

But the most unusual elements in Anna's tablescape are the three foldable stars.  In 1965, John Kosticks made these models as examples of mathematical concepts. He describes them as "mathematical truths you can hold in your hand." Kosticks fabricates the bronze stars in Massachusetts.  Much to his delight, they were chosen this year by Elle Decor as one of their favorite gift ideas for the holidays.  

I could never have conjured up this arrangement, but it is captivating!  Well done, Anna!

Face the Sunshine

Dark, dank January days remind me yearly of why I love light-filled houses. Just as chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and uses its energy, so the human spirit is charged by light. This is why, when I look for a place to live, at the top of my wish list is a southern exposure. It is also why the kitchen and sunroom are the two brightest, most cheerful rooms in our home; they are banked with south-facing windows.

To reinforce the sunny spirit of these two rooms, I have chosen white and budding green as their new palette. In the sunroom, white linen with a variegated green embroidered scroll will bracket the side of the windows without obstructing one inch of light.

KravetCouture--Linen Scroll:  Jade

The wall color, 50% of Benjamin Moore Color Stories CSP-790, budding green, not only picks up the secondary color found in the entrance wallpaper, it also harmonizes with the lush greens found in our Haitian landscape paintings.

Because our sunroom is our "Haiti" room, it is filled with West Indies colonial furniture which will be reupholstered in creamy white linen.  However, the "piece de resistance" will be a shadow box full of green sea urchins.  

Patrick Sutton Home

Adjacent to the sunroom is my predominately white kitchen.  Really, it is an extension of the sunroom, so I have carried the white and green theme into this room as well.  The white cabinetry is at eye level, so it is  primary.  However, the wall space above the cabinets will be painted Benjamin Moore CSP 760, oil cloth, a slate green color.

The three extraordinarily tall double-hung kitchen windows are topped by transoms.

They will be softened by a relaxed shade, held up with ribbon to keep it from blocking the light. For the shade, I have chosen a lovely white batiste with a slate-colored embroidery running through it.

Lee Jofa Fabric--Threads--Silver Birch  

I can't wait to read once again in my sunroom and cook in my kitchen! Finally, this week, we received the insurance company check, signed with a builder, and were given a tentative construction schedule which marked the end of May or the beginning of June to re-occupy. Knowing how building projects can be delayed, I am thinking the end of June or July 4th as the re-entry date.  I am anxious to get back into our home, so I can follow Helen Keller's wise advise: "Keep your face to the sunshine, and you will never see the shadow."