The Pink Dining Room Erik Designed BEFORE He Found His Apartment

Dear Distinguished Guest, At the request of Erik Kenneth Staalberg (that’s me), you are cordially invited to dine (virtually) in the Pink Parlor, upstairs at Suite 4, for an evening of unapologetic prissy fabulousness.

Hi yall! Charmed to have you back in my home for another room tour! Today we find ourselves in my scrumptious teeny tiny formal dining room. Doused in Benjamin Moore “Unspoken Love” and dripping in brass accessories, this room is the flashy one of the bunch.

Unlike my lime living room, which was an organic process that developed naturally, my dining room had been a twinkle in my eye for some years. Before I had my own apartment I had this style vision that now has become a design prophecy fulfilled. As any good glamour girl knows, pink and blue, especially in pastels, are a winning pair and to have that daintiness in what is usually the most formal and stiff room of any house provides a happy alternative to something typically moody. So with frothy pink walls, a good dose of ’60s chic, and lots of dutch blue delft porcelain that I inherited from my little dutch grandmother, I created my Pink Palace. My little slice of Barbie’s dream house.

This was the first room I tackled when I moved into my 1930s 1 bedroom apartment. Originally the room was painted a dingy taupe that made the room incredibly dark. Obviously with some new paint came a changed energy and the room quickly fell into place. I scored the Mid-century chandelier from an estate sale website for a record 30 BUCKS! The natural jute round rug at Target for 60 BUCKS! And the mirrored bar cart that my mother spotted on triple sale at Pottery Barn for 100 BUCKS! You could almost say this room was fate. Do you have chills yet?

As a prop stylist, I have a soft spot (read: unhealthy obsession) with beautiful decor accessories that serve no purpose which is why I had to put up shelving immediately. Not wanting to spend a ton of money, I got the cheapest wall mounted shelving from Lowe’s. To make it feel more glitzy I spray painted the hardware and brackets an antiqued brass. With the heights of the shelves being adjustable, this has become my favorite place to STYLE, PLAY, EVERYDAY! Emily has taught me well! I have an ever-expanding collection of blue and white porcelain and brightly hued colored glass objects, and the shelving is the perfect way to enjoy them over my morning cup of espresso.

My latest purchase was the white Saarinen tulip table that I bought off of a friend who was moving. Pro tip: Always have your radar on friends hand-me-downs – that’s how you can score the best deals! I originally bought the Ikea version when I first moved in but I always knew it was a place holder for the real thing. After several years of covering it with a vintage table cloth when I had company over, I finally leveled up! Now it stands proudly bare in the center of all my soirees.

I adore hosting tasteful, sexy, little dinner parties (well not of recently) and this small intimate place is the perfect setting. Dressing the table is my love language and it really shows who you are dining with how important that time together is. If you come over for dinner at my place and there are paper napkins and no candlelight, you better eat and run because clearly I’m not your fan. Take the time, especially for supper, and dust off your grandmother’s china and use the nice crystal serving ware. Life is too short to not use your very best stuff. You are worth it. 

Since this is a space for fabulous city gals, I had to represent my nerdy fixation with the iconic Sex and the City series. After my dear friend Cait Raft @caitraft gifted me an illustration of my muse, the character Samantha Jones, I had the idea to commission the other three characters from three different artists. Sometimes finding art you connect with isn’t always easy, but a great way to change that is to approach artists you admire about collaborating on a commission. I adore how each artist has their own style and yet framed identically, they still feel like a set. These four ladies will live many lives in my future homes, but for now they watch over the bar, blessing the martinis. 

My Pink Parlor has been a dream to make a reality. An enchanting place to break bread and pop champagne with loved ones. That has always been the goal for this room. Anyone who has dined here can attest to its infectious magic. Or maybe that’s just the champagne talking…Cheers! 

And because who doesn’t love a before and after…

Design by Erik Staalberg | Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp