A Traditional Dining Room Intro
Hey all it’s Ginny again bringing you another intro at the Griffith Park (1939 Georgian) house we’ve been working on. We already posted about their Sunroom and Living Room so next up is the Dining Room. They loved the design of the Silver Lake Hills dining room and really wanted us to channel that vibe. They’d already tried to purchase the wallpaper Emily used in there, but sadly it’s been discontinued (why would they do that, yet still have the raspberry color?!). With this being their main dining space we did want to make it feel really special and eclectic yet formal but not too stuffy.
Until writing this post it had been a while since I’d looked through the before photos. I’d completely forgotten that the top half was painted in that blue color. Although I don’t hate the paint, I’m so happy the clients were open to wallpaper because it really makes this room feel extra unique. Before we started working with them (December 2015 – you can tell by the holiday wreath), they had already purchased the dining table from Restoration Hardware, but needed help pulling the rest of the room together. The bay window is a fave of ours and there was talk of adding a bar cart or extra seating in there. The windows are pretty much down to the floor so it didn’t seem right to add any kind of built-in.
They wanted to replace the chandelier with something that felt more ‘them’ and more interesting. The drapery and rods are actually in good shape so we decided to keep them and save the some money.
Mirror | Tea Set | Chandelier (similar) | Wallpaper | Console Table | Curtains | Bar Cart | Dining Chairs | Table | Rug
MY LATEST VIDEOS
We wanted use a mix of vintage and new in this room so we didn’t do a crazy amount of moodboards. The one above was used as an aid to capture the general vibe and get conversations started. The room is rather wide which gave us plenty of space for a buffet as well as a bar cart. Burlwood was a high contender for use in this house and we have other pieces in the living room and bedroom. We brought over a lot of options of wallpaper including some that had similar deco style detailing to the one from the Silver Lake house. The one on the board above is from Farrow & Ball and I’ve seen this installed at Big Daddy’s showroom in LA – it’s not as bonkers as it might seem and the more muted, tonal colors are really beautiful.
The pattern in the wallpaper is made up of tiny metallic silver dots (or pearls as they are called on their website) which is very subtle but still feels dramatic and eye-catching. It took many attempts, but I managed to twist their arm into buying the 1960’s Italian Stilnovo style chandelier. It also sparked off a love for other Stilnovo lamps in this house which you’ll see in other rooms. The chairs already belonged to the clients and while the style doesn’t really work in here, the idea of using wood did. White would be too contrasting and anything really dark would get lost against the dining table. They really wanted 10-12 vintage worn leather chairs (that didn’t cost a small fortune) which was virtually impossible to find, especially when taking into account the size of the dining table. Here you get a detailed view of the rug that we got from Loloi. It’s fairly low pile and has a striped ribbed detail – nothing too fussy because we wanted the wallpaper to be the focus in here. The tone is oatmeal with light and dark colour flecks in it, rather pretty in person.
Moving into Easter (you can appreciate how long we’ve been working on this) we found this beautiful Italian console with burlwood drawers and black lacquer frame. Not usually a huge fan of two tone furniture but this is very elegant with a few nice traditional details to it. We’ve since added a round mirror above it to break up the wall space.
The above moodboard is fairly accurate as to what is happening in there now. We have a side table and two chairs going in the bay window and we found these dining chairs from West Elm (now discontinued). The mid-toned wood along with the finely woven caning works well and helps to lighten the dining table.
Mirror | Tea Set | Chandelier (similar) | Wallpaper | Console Table (similar) | Curtains | Accent Chairs | Accent Table | Bar Cart (similar) | Dining Chairs (similar) | Table | Rug
Here’s a little sneak peek into how this room is coming along. It’s really hard not to show you all the recent progress photos we’ve taken, but it would just give too much away. So for now this is as much as you’re getting. Sorry 🙂 The room through the doorway is the living room intro we spoke about the other week, so be sure to check it out if you didn’t do already.
We still have a few more intros in this house before the final reveals, but let us know if you have any questions so far!
I don’t think of myself as a fan of traditional, but I love the way this house is coming together. That chandelier is to die for!
Agree! Could you provide the source of the exact one pictured?
The RH dining table feels a bit like a “needle scratch” in the room. Wallpaper, chairs, rug and chandelier all go together.
I used to work at RH and HATED this collection. Hated it. I like where this is going, though. Never would have paired those chairs with this table but I’m into it!
I feel like they can pull it off. Once we see the room accessorized, I think it’ll blend nicely.
Agreed – if anyone can make it happen, it’s Emily. I think the table gives the room some interesting tension. And those chairs are just awesome.
I totally agree. It just doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the room. It’s not a terrible table… just an odd choice for this particular space. I hope it all comes together and makes sense in the end.
I love the chandelier too and how you’re mixing modern and traditional but I gotta tell you, all these intro posts without any final reveals are a little frustrating. I would rather see an intro with a final reveal no more than a week later, even if that means you’re doing some finals before the whole house is ready. P.S. I’m really checking back every day to see Orlando’s kitchen final reveal. Can’t wait!!!!!
We are looking forward to that post too and it is coming up next week. We had to push it back slightly as he is in Italy for work right now (lucky him) xx
When you do the final reveal of this house, would it be ok to share a floor plan? Sometimes I find it disorienting to just have photos and a verbal description. I love this house!
Be sure to wear sunglasses before scrolling down to the ‘after’ photos to avoid being blinded by blown-out highlights
I would like to unsubscribe: glderby@yahoo.com. I never asked for these ads
I’d really like more detail on these posts, way more. Other chairs that you considered but ultimately weren’t right and why, anything else you ordered but had to be returned, how you arrived at certain decisions, what was ruled out beforehand, and anything else at all that gives us more of the process and more content. I just can’t get enough!
Thanks!
I love the light fixture that you chose!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I liked the before chairs better. More ecclectic and relaxed…
Can I buy their old chandelier? Its so awful and old and hideous, maybe they’ll pay me to take it and ship it free ; P Let me know. #omgiloveit
That chandelier is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
Man, oh man, this house is going to be fantastic. The bones of this house were already gorgeous and all the work you’re doing is looking so wonderful. I really want everything for me!
I’m really interested in this rug! Am I right in thinking Loloi doesn’t sell to the average chick? Tks!
Is it just me or is the wainscoting just too low? I hate to be the critical one, the rest of the room is to die for. That wallpaper is gorgeous too! I’m hoping once the whole room is tied together, Emily will work her magic and I won’t notice the low wainscoting too much. I think it is because the ceilings must be higher than usual (9′? 10′?) so it just looks “off” to me. *insert shrug emoji*
I think 1/3 is the rule for chair rails… looks fine to me.
Wallpaper, chairs, rug and chandelier all go together.
Could you please tell me how I can get the color of the wood stain on the hardwood floor? I have eighties color stain on my oak flooring–almost orangy–and I’d love the color that’s in this house. Thanks a billion!!!
This room is perfection! Every detail is stunning together!
Does the credenza and table have to match? If you have a table, credenza and bar cart, can they all be different or do 2/3 have to match?
Your furniture should relate to other items in the room. So if there is a black table, there should be a couple other things in the rooms that are black (they could be small accents). The furniture does not have to match and probably shouldn’t. Matching furniture sets usually look like they came from a furniture catalog, rather than the ideal look of being collected and curated over time (the exception is when you have an identical pair of something, like chairs, side tables, or lamps).
Once we see the room accessorized, I think it’ll blend nicely. Thanks for sharing.
The chandelier seems too high from top of the table?? Isn’t 33 inches above the table the norm?
thanks!
Most traditional dining room still beats some modern designs. And this is one of them. The matching of the color palette and the serenity of the setting makes this dining room inviting.