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When we are in our 20’s and 30’s, our dining rooms are often overlooked spaces, rarely used and often filled with hand-me-down furniture some one else didn’t deem worthy of keeping any longer.
When you decide it is time to have your own ‘grown up’ house and are ready to start decorating you quickly realize how prices add up and will often hang onto your table and chairs to avoid making a large financial investment.
If you are ready to decorate your dining room, but don’t want invest in a new table and chairs, I am going to give you a list of what I think are the key elements you can use to make your space fabulous, without having to buy all new furniture:
1. A striking paint selection
Flow and continuity is extremely important element to developing a ‘put together’ home. However, the dining room is an area where you can take a chance and be a little more dramatic. Look at the color strip for your main area paint and go to the last or second to last color and go with a nice, dark, tone.
Here is one example, I’ve used the Sherwin Williams color strip with SW7042-48 (or those close to it) quite a few times. Imagine painting the majority of your home in SW7043, Worldly Gray (light gray color block)- nice and neutral, right? If you like that color, I bet you love the colors to the far right, such as 7047 Porpoise. You probably wouldn’t want to look at Porpoise everyday on every wall in your home, but I am sure it would look dramatic in your dining room!
Here is a real life example from Atlanta designer Kay Douglass which shows lighter paint in the main living area and a darker selection in the dining room. And, great news for your budget, just about anyone can afford to paint a room, even if they have to do it themselves.
Foyer:
Dining Room:
2. A really interesting light fixture
This one is a challenge, especially for new home owners. I mean, your dining room came with a light fixture and it works just fine, so why budget money to fix something that isn’t broke, right? It seems to me though, even in a million dollar home, most builders will put in really average ‘builder grade’ light fixtures in your main living spaces.
This is a great opportunity to personalize your space with some jewelry of it’s own. You can find interesting light fixtures at places like the Round Top Antiques Fair or at unique lighting boutiques such as Julie Neill out of New Orleans (http://julieneill.com/)
Here is a picture of a great chandelier I just used in a client’s home. I can’t wait to share pictures of the final room with you, it is so beautiful.
And don’t think you can only go ‘formal’ in your dining room. If you live a more casual life and want to be comfortable, here is an example of interesting use of light fixtures in a California Casual dining setting:
3. Intriguing wall décor
I’m a big fan of original artwork. Some of my current favorite artists are:
- Elizabeth Stockton (http://www.elizabethstockton.com/elizabeth_stockton/_home.html)
Here is a dining room with one of Elizabeth’s pieces on display. I think this is from an old Coastal Living issue.
- Mallory Page (http://www.mallorypage.com/)
- Joyce Howell (http://joycehowell.net/, available in Austin at the Wally Workman Gallery)
An amazing piece of art on your main wall, especially above a buffet, can really make a style statement.
If you can’t afford original art, here are my 2 next best recommendations:
1. Obtain a ‘series’ that you can frame locally and hang on a grid. These can be botanicals, sea life, etc. It is the repetition that makes the décor appealing in this scenario.
2. Install millwork or wall paneling to add architectural character to your space. If you are not ‘into’ art and would rather spend your money elsewhere, you should invest it in millwork. If your room has great architecture, you don’t need to ‘decorate’ it to the same degree. It looks finished even with bare walls.
Millwork is not an inexpensive option by any means, so if you already have it, make sure you are accentuating it by painting it with the right color scheme. Do anything you can to highlight this feature.
4. Symmetry
If your dining room just doesn’t feel ‘right’, take a step back and determine if you have any element of symmetry. Symmetry can be defined as an “an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance” (Wikipedia). Symmetry often provides a feeling of comfort or wellness and can often be achieved in using pairs of items, such as lamps:
or accessory items
or arrangements, such as inside your china hutch:
Here is another example, I just snapped this photo from my breakfast room. All the items are color coordinated and evenly spaced. I could fit more items in this cabinet, but it looks cleaner and more ‘put together’ with fewer items.
You need to pay as much attention to the arrangement inside your open display cabinets as you do everything else. This is not a place to cram in anything that can fit. Displaying items inside your hutch should be a thoughtful process attempting a repetition of color, size and scale. If your space doesn’t feel ‘right’, consider placing some of those serving pieces and crystal goblets away in a closed cabinet for future use.
These 4 elements should get you on your way to designing a fabulous dining room. As your budget allows, add custom drapery and a new rug. Once you are confident of your personal style and are ready to make the plunge, then go and purchase your new dining table and chairs that will hopefully serve you for many years to come!
Do you remember when I told you about these fantastic books we came across at High Point back in October? Well, our books finally arrived. We also ordered a large variety of traditional ‘old books’ with aged spines in solid colors such as blue, red and beige. They are great to use in decorating book shelves and side tables.
However, for something unique, I thought these books were really fun. They are sold as a set of 5 for $165. I think they are fantastic! A few sets just might have to make their way into my own home!
We hope everyone is enjoying their holiday time! We are opened our regular hours this week, but will close a little early on Saturday, December 31st and will be closed on January 1st. We look forward to seeing you in 2012!
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It has been a couple of crazy months at Heather Scott Home & Design. Scott and I have been enjoying the festivities since we decorated the store November 1st! We are so glad Christmas is finally here!
As if we didn’t have enough to do already, Allison and I spent Wednesday night decorating a gingerbread house (or should I say ‘fantasyland beach cottage’) as part of my friend’s, Stacy Naquin, gingerbread decorating contest.
If you ‘like’ the house, you can go to her facebook page and ‘like’ it there. The contest has two judges who will be the final deciders, but their vote is influenced by the number of ‘likes’. The winner gets some cool audio equipment for the home.
Here is her website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacy-Naquin-Interiors/160797013945101
And let me just say, as a first time gingerbread house decorator, there is a lot more that goes into putting together a gingerbread house than I ever imagined. 4 hours of ‘set’ time? Really?
Now, onto some practical tips about lighting. Make sure you file this info away for future reference. I use these numbers all the time and regularly get questions about light fixture placement.
I know, a lot of decorating ‘rules’ are meant to be broken, but you can’t break them if you don’t even know what they are. So, here goes for some key lighting ‘rules’:
Chandeliers – often used in a dining room or entry hall
- Tip #1- How high to hang the chandelier
The bottom of a chandelier should be about 6ft9” to 7’3” from floor and 30”-36” above the surface of the table (30” with 8ft ceiling, 33” for 9ft, 36” for 10ft). There should be at least 18 to 24 inches of clearance between the bottom of a fixture and the height of a taller person
- Tip #2- How to determine the right size chandelier
To determine the correct size of chandelier, a good starting point is to add the length and width of a room and then use that number as the diameter of the fixture. For example, a 12’ by 12’ room becomes 12+12= 24, so 24” is the rough starting point for the size of the hanging fixture. I think light fixtures are the jewelry of a room and always go by the ‘bigger is better’ mantra. Skimpy looking light fixtures are not for me.
- Tip #3- How big should the chandelier be over a dining table
Start with tip #2 to get your basic dimension, then figure fixture should be 12” -24” narrower than the width of the table it hangs over. Again, if in doubt, go bigger.
Pendants – often used over a kitchen island or bar area
- Tip #4- How high to hang pendants
Hang pendants 30”-35” above counter height or 72” above the floor.
- Tip # 5- How many pendants do you need
The pendants should be 12” smaller than the width of the table (ex., 2 lights for 3ft counter). This ‘rule’ is a hard one because so many factors come into play.
Wall Sconces: often used in bathrooms, in hallways or beside mantels
- Tip #6: What type of sconce should I use
In bathrooms, a single light fixture on either side of a mirror (as shown above) is much better than 1 overhead with 3 lights on it.
- Tip #7: Where should sconces be placed
In the bathroom: 5’6” above the finished floor (AFF- meaning once your floor is installed).
In a hallway or stairwell: 5’6” above nearest tread at stairwell
On either side of a mantel: 15-18” above the mantel
Lamps
- Tip #8: What size lamp you need to read by (i.e., functional lighting)
You generally want your lamps to be about 56-60” AFF. Usually lamps are 27-30” H on tables that are 29-30” H
- Tip #9: What size floor lamp you need to read by (i.e., functional lighting)
Floor lamps are 60-66”H, but if used next to an armchair, try a 54”
Lightbulbs
- Tip #10 What type light bulb you should use
Since this is a blog about making things look good, I’m going to side step the environmental issue and say hands down designers prefer a GE Reveal light bulb (yes, incandescent light). You can have a beautiful room, but if the lighting is bad it can bring the whole feeling down. Do yourself (and your guests) a favor and invest a little bit more in some good light bulbs.
I hope this post helps you when it comes to selecting new light fixtures for your home. If you are looking for new light fixtures of any shape, size or form, swing by to check out the catalogs for some of our favorite vendors. We would love to help you out!
A lot of designers are big fans of the line Bungalow 5. If you aren’t familiar with them, you can see their website here:
Just to give you a taste of their look:
We have carried several of their furniture pieces and have some fun ones in stock now. We also just received these lamps:
The lamps are turquoise ceramic, 30.5”hx 17”d. At $585 each they are not inexpensive, however, when you look at them you can tell they are quality. We have a pair in stock now. When you come by ask us to show you some of the other Bungalow 5 pieces we have in stock. See you soon!
My “winterscape” tabletop made it to the top 6 in a holiday decorating contest! You can vote on your favorite on pinterest until noon (central time). Check out the great pictures and choose your favorite. You may recognize mine (silver and white with snowflake place-mats) from my blog post last week!
Here is the link to vote:
When I signed up for my ‘mastermind’ group with Tobi Fairley, I was excited to learn there would be 2 members in my session from Texas, one from Dallas and one from Houston. We’ve just had our 3rd session and I am going to share with you some of the wonderful work by Denise McGaha, from Denise McGaha Interiors in Dallas, TX.
Denise is an amazing business woman and designer. No matter what is going on, she is always chic and put together. Here is a photo of our group last week in Little Rock:
I am second on the left looking slightly exhausted, while there is Denise in the middle with her stylish pose.
Denise started her firm over 10 years ago, after working for Neiman Marcus and helping to launch their online division. She has a natural sense of what is stylish and has a certain level of taste which comes from working with luxury goods.
You can see her website here:
Denise just did an amazing space in Dallas at the “Home of Tomorrow Designs” in the state fair. Her home was the “renovated home”, if you happened to attend.
I just love this room! The wood wall adds so much character to the space. The wood is reclaimed barn wood from Ohio.
The light fixtures really make the room, as does the art and accessories. Much of the lighting is from one of our favorite manufacturers, Currey & Co. Look closely and see if you can pick up on a theme in the space (hint, hint: shapes).
Many of the furnishings came from Hickory Chair, a lovely high end upholstery and case goods line.
During this time frame, Hickory Chair launched a partnership with Hable Construction and she was lucky enough to work with Katherine Hable in selecting various fabrics for the furniture, pillows and draperies.
You can barely see this orange popping up on the sofa in the form of pillows.
This dot pattern is used on the window treatments and additional pillows.
Here are a few other photos from the event:
Notice the interesting wall décor here. Denise was on a budget for the space, so she made an interesting display out of shears she picked up and basic white frames. A fun and unique way to fill some open wall space affordably.
Off the living room was the kitchen and it will make you say ‘wow’:
My first thought when I saw this was Missoni- and it turns out Denise was inspired by their use of chevrons, color and pattern. The bright, yellow stove is an Italian Bertazonni which was painted in Ferrari yellow from the Ferrari factory!
Here is another interesting trick- Denise used fabric as a backsplash and protected it with glass. Talk about low commitment. If you are afraid to put a backsplash tile up you think my be trendy, here is a very creative way around that problem. For those of you thinking that ‘backsplash’ looks familiar, here it is:
If you like pattern and color, you may recognize this as one of Trina Turk’s prints. Here is another view of the kitchen, I love the appliances. You can see the detail of the chevron floor tile better here.
The master bathroom uses reclaimed wood on the countertops and mirror frames.
Here is another creative aspect- look at the horizontal bands of paint which morph into tile once reaching the glass enclosure. Great way to allow your eye to continue throughout the space and make the area appear larger!
You can read a little more about the showhome here: http://www.candysdirt.com/2011/10/05/state-fairs-house-future-ready-today/
I feel like the showhome was a little more rustic than Denise’s typical work, which you can see from these photos:
However, I think this just shows Denise’s talent as she is able to easily transition from one style into another realm and still have the rooms look fabulous and maintain ‘couture’ level of detail. I encourage you to check out Denise’s website and blog to learn more about her practice, particularly if you live in the Dallas area.
I found researching Denise’s approach to using materials creatively a great inspiration to challenge myself to think outside of the box for my design projects!
We just received this pretty little chest. It comes in washed gray and the palest celery green (shown below).
We have a pair of each of these chests, which would make great nightstands or could tuck into hallways or niches. The sizes are approximately 36”wx16”dx33”h and they cost only $585.99 each.
We had a great event with Austin HOME magazine this week at Heather Scott Home & Design. Here is a photo from the event, with Scott, Cathy Hale, Austin HOME’s Director of Marketing & PR, and I . The event was to celebrate the launch of the winter issue of the magazine (which Cathy is holding in the photo). If you don’t already subscribe to the magazine, you can do that here:
Subscriptions for Austin HOME magazine
It was great fun to see a lot of our friends and regular customers and enjoy a glass of wine with them.
I decorated 3 tables as part of the event and this week I am going to share some tips for what I put together and how I approached the decorations. I’ll start with each individual table and then recap the key points.
My first concept was for a “Winterscape” table which I thought could be used for a more mature evening. We all know how popular it is to decorate with the color gray right now, so my color scheme was white, gray and silver. I also wanted to use my existing formal china, which is Wedgewood Sterling, with some accent pieces from their archival collection.
Once I knew my color scheme I looked for an inspiration element that would fit and these snowflake placemats from Dransfield and Ross (available through Heather Scott Home & Design) were a key focal point. They fit my silver and white color theme and added something unique to the table. They are finely made, as well, so I know they will last and will be worth keeping over the years.
I used the snowflake theme in these place card holders which I already had (a gift from Carolyn- thank you!). They aren’t ‘holiday’ but they are silver and white.
I went to Michaels and purchased some white cardstock paper and some snowflake stickers to make the place cards. I used power point to make a small border in gray and then downloaded the font for the names for free from this website: http://www.dafont.com/
I applied the stickers and there you go- a classy, fun, name place card.
For a second tablescape I wanted to do a Southern Traditional table with holiday china. However, to keep the table from being too formal or stuffy, I ‘took it down’ with several elements:
The first thing I did was to mix up the chairs so they were different. I have 2 blue velvet head chairs, a white linen banquette and 2 wood and cane chairs on the sides. This avoided having formal dining chairs lined up like little soldiers. You could borrow chairs from your every day table to mix with your formal dining room if you plan a cohesive design scheme through out your home.
Second, I decided to use a burlap tablecloth. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and just had them cut a couple of yards, leaving the rough edges for effect.
Third, I used inexpensive, gold chargers so the table didn’t feel too antique or ‘precious’.
Finally, I used traditional sterling silver with a twist. Each place setting is antique sterling silver, and are all well known and different patterns.
Now, being confident my table would not be too stuffy, I focused on the key design theme, which were the holly leaves in this case. I found some beautiful holly ribbon (available in our store) and wound it throughout my garland. Additionally, I added some pinecones (also in the holly pattern on the plates) and wine glasses which have holly painted on them. Lastly, I printed some great looking menus (again in powerpoint) by using their clip art feature for a touch of sophistication.
I also placed some starburst mirrors under the garland and put candles on top of them to incorporate a nice reflective element. Finally, to make each guest feel welcome I put a candle as a take home gift at each place setting.
My third table was a table for the young at heart. My inspiration for this table came from the black, gold and red Christopher Radko Holiday Swag china. While black is not your typical, youthful element, I thought I could have a lot of fun with a red, black and white theme.
My foundational element was a square tablecloth in my color scheme. I then found some red sashes to tie on my chairs to raise their ‘holiday’ factor. In the centerpiece, I used a casual, felt ribbon in red with jingle bells and fun holiday sayings on it to keep the theme lighthearted and yet completely appropriate.
Continuing the youthful theme with the china I added bright, red chargers, reindeer plates and mugs (available through Pottery Barn), 12 days of Christmas napkins (from William Sonoma), Vietri reindeer bowls and votive candle holders, and seeded glass wine and drinking glasses.
One thing of note, my reindeer plates have silver rims, but my dinner plates have gold. Traditionally one would think you should not mix these elements, but here is an example where you can mix and match and it works quite well.
I also made place cards for these tables shaped like candy and decorated with fun, colorful ribbon. I got this idea from Martha Stewart’s website. I just purchased colored cardstock and very colorful ribbons (at Michaels), hole punched the paper and threaded the ribbon through. The colors used were red, hot pink and light pink, which further add to the fun and unexpectedness of the table setting.
I’ve shared with you my thought process and approach to decorating 3 very unique tables for the holidays. Here is a recap of the key elements you can use to do the same in your own home:
Work with what you have to reflect your style and be cost effective
- Use your existing formal china and everyday pieces as a starting point- they will look completely new with some decorative accents. You don’t have to have ‘holiday china’- take your existing pieces and pull some accent colors from them to inspire your table theme
- Using what you have is ‘green’ and it will leave you the budget to splurge on items to make your table unique
- Fresh flowers are beautiful but only last a short time, consider investing in elements you can use every year (a garland, ribbon, linens, hurricanes and candles). Purchase the best quality you can afford
Mix things up to update your table
- Just as in furniture no one buys the whole matching set any more, you don’t have to have every piece of china match. Interest will be created by expressing your own style with unique and different pieces
- Items that may not seem to match (gold rim vs. silver rims) may blend if you develop a theme
- Entertaining is less formal these days- look for elements to bring down the formality of your existing pieces (burlap, seeded glassware)
Pick a theme
- Find a unique element to inspire your table, ex. a pretty embroidered ribbon, a fun tablecloth, unique placemats
- Carry the theme throughout various elements, especially on items you can create on the computer place cards, table menus
- Look for ways to personalize individual place settings such as with little gifts or name cards, even for close family
Mix high and low
- Find chargers for as little as $1 a piece at places like Target and Cost Plus
- Your tablecloth doesn’t have to be expensive. Get a couple of yards of burlap for a few dollars at Jo-Ann fabrics and layer it under your nicer elements (placemats, china).
- When using inexpensive items, be sure to add some finer elements to bring the overall quality level up
Now, no excuses, go create a fabulous table setting for you and your family to enjoy this holiday season!
Scott and I found some fabulous wood lamps when we were at High Point and they have already arrived. These lamps are really rich. Heavy, turned and painted wood. I am convinced lamps are the jewelry of the room and if there is one place to splurge, this is it!
These lamps start at $400 and go up to about $875 for the floor lamps. See them in person and you will know they are worth it!
One more reminder- tomorrow (Thursday) is our Holiday Soiree- hope we get to see you there!
I hope you enjoyed last week’s post about Lilly Pulitzer fabrics. This week we wanted to share some exciting news- Heather Scott Home & Design is going to be the retailer in Austin, TX to carry the exciting, new Lilly Pulitzer furniture line!
I showed you a client’s project last week which includes Lilly fabric, and it also has several Lilly furniture pieces:
Some of these pieces are from the new Lilly Home line:
You can look at their website here: http://www.lillypulitzerhome.com/
These are a couple of the custom upholstered pieces we will be using:
This is a new venture and the company has a number of great products for your living room, dining room and bedroom. Tobi Fairley wrote a blog post recently about this new line and showed some great photos from the Highpoint market. You should check it out here:
http://tobifairley.com/blog/2011/sunday-showcase-lilly-pulitzer-home/
This line is not your predictable furnishing source. They have some really fun and unique pieces, such as these:
Jewelry Armoire in white or pink:
Shoe pouf ottomans- this ottoman opens and has built-in storage compartments around the edges to store shoes. Next year it will be available in other colors. It could fit easily in a closet or bedroom.
There are several fabulous banquettes and settees which can really add interest to your home:
Scott and I are really excited for our order to begin arriving. We are already planning an event in the new year when the furniture and fabrics arrive. If you are a Lilly fan, be sure to sign up for our enewsletter to be notified of the event when it happens:
http://www.heatherscotthome.com/location.htm
In the meantime, visit the Lilly Pulitzer Home website to learn more about all her fun pieces and let us know if you need any additional information about the products!
Also, don’t forget our Holiday Soiree this week with Austin Home Magazine! It is Thursday night the 8th between 5pm and 8pm. Be sure to RSVP: rsvp@austinmonthly.com. See you there!
