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A family, with a baby girl in tow, approached Washington, DC, interior decorator Lindsay Speace www.lindsayspeace.com to help them create a proper dining room in the sparely furnished open space adjacent to both their kitchen and living room.
The oversized orb light fixture not only ups the design quotient in the dining room, but is also a strong statement visible through the arch to the living room. Gold-hued curtain hardware updates the look of the room, while adding polished shine.
WALL PAINT BM HC 153, Marlboro Blue 50% strength CHAIRS Dayna Side Chairs www.ballarddesigns.com DRAPERY Carolina Irving Textiles, Calico www.carolinairvingtextiles.com DRAPERY HARDWARE Custom Estate Metal www.rh.com
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The mix of Chippendale-style chairs and a French table are a nod to the homeowners’ eclectic sense of style. The block-printed botanical fabric adds a pleasing pattern to the room. Stationary curtains are a cost-effective way of adding some luxuriant fabric on a budget.
TABLE Vintage French Fluted Extension Table, Weathered Oak Drifted, www.rh.com CHANDELIER 30″ Orb Chandelier www.rh.com DRAPERY HARDWARE Custom Estate Metal www.rh.com
Working with an existing period built-in cabinet, Speace painted it as part of the room’s architecture, and then put its’ shelves to use for displaying items.
“They wanted a great place to entertain their friends,” says Speace, who was offered the luxury of commencing the design process with a blank slate. “But they also have a young daughter, so it had to work for their lifestyle too.”
The DC couple favored blues and whites, so a color scheme was quickly established and executed, with fresh pale blue paint adorning the walls against white moldings.
“The space also has a lot of good natural light, but it’s also part of a city rowhouse, so privacy was a concern,” says Speace, adding pattern and warmth to the dining room by way of window treatments.
Texture is added by way of a neutral sisal rug, woven linen window treatments, and grasscloth shelf backing in the china cabinet.
RUG www.safavieh.com CHINA CABINET Antique
“TO OFFSET ALL THE BLUES AND WHITES, I WENT WITH A SATURATED YELLOW ACCENT COLOR IN THE BACK OF THE CHINA CABINET.”
Paint and grasscloth refresh an older piece of furniture, while providing a stylish spot for dishwares and objects.
CHINA CABINET EXTERIOR PAINT Farrow & Ball Hague Blue CHINA -CABINET INTERIOR WALLPAPER Phillip Jeffries 5272, Quince
She chose a combination of top-down/bottom-up roman shades to softly filter daylight, as well as stationary curtain panels combined with light-infusing floor-to-ceiling sheers.
“We selected a natural wood dining table, with a French rustic feel, that also has a spare leaf for when the couple entertains,” adds Speace.
Paired with the table are white-lacquered faux bamboo chairs in a Chippendale style. The seating is of durable linen. The also neutral sisal rug was an inexpensive one, and like the seat covers, will get switched out to something more luxe as the baby girl grows.
More fanciful touches include a dramatic oversized capiz shell and wrought iron chandelier, anchoring the room. An antique china cabinet was also purchased and then lacquered blue, with an unexpected punch of acid yellow in its grasscloth shelf backs.