Tuesday, January 11, 2011

8 Reasons I Love this Dining Room


1. The rose print linen on the walls and chairs is feminine, but the oyster and grey colorway and grid pattern keeps it from being overly sweet.

2. The more modern mix of wingback and Parsons chairs is a great counterpoint to the traditional Louis Philippe table.

3. The settee -- I love bench style seating in any dining space!

4. The silver leaf screen; because every dining room needs a touch of elegant Chinoiserie.

5. The painted tin ceiling adds character and texture without distracting from the upholstered walls.

6. The simple panel drapery mounted on a bamboo rod lends a more casual and modern air, despite the floral print walls and strong use of metallics. 

7. The sisal rug takes the entire look down a notch and warms up all the gray.

8. A tight monochromatic color palette keeps all the pattern from overpowering the small space.

So what does all that add up to? One great room in my opinion! But it also showcases a new twist on classic English style, which I think we'll be seeing a lot of in 2011. Classic English decorating is marked by floral fabrics, matching prints, tin ceilings, touches of Chinoiserie, an eclectic mix of modern and antique furniture. Windsor manages to make this style feel fresh, young and a bit more undone with the addition of the sisal rug, less fussy drapery and a more monochromatic color palette. 

What do you think? To see the rest of this gorgeous California home, check out the House Beautiful feature HERE.

9 comments:

Janell @ House of Fifty said...

Great breakdown of the room and why it works...love the bamboo drapery rod, I would have missed that if you had not pointed it out.
Janell

Chic Coles said...

We love everything she does.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

It's a lovely room. I agree with every point on your list. But the mono-gray palette does run the risk of looking cold without the styling touches above. Unless you're putting out fresh flowers and bowls of lemons every day, this room could use a few accent colors that wouldn't take away from the serene elegance. Possibly replace the current pillows with some thing in muted pinks (like the floral arrangements on the table perhaps?) Hey - if you love the new Honeysuckle trend from Pantone - it would fit in nicely here.

On the other hand - the room can also easily be transformed into a very formal dining event space with even more cool grays and blues in linens and centerpieces.

Love it.

Maureen Stevens said...

I adore Windsor Smith! And banquet dining is so cozy & warm

Karen said...

I love the settee as opposed to having a bench, so often seen in modern dining rooms. The settee looks like a comfortable place for guest to linger whereas a bench might not be as practical. Beautiful room.

Mona Thompson said...

Love the way you broke it down. I agree with every word. Fabulous!! First time here. I'm going to look around.

Dayka Robinson said...

good point about the sisal--it definitely grounds the room and takes the traditional factor down a notch, but in a good way. i enjoyed your assessment!

Liz @ It's Great To Be Home said...

Although I couldn't live with this room personally, I love the breakdown you did - it's always great to try to see why something works so you can try to pull it off yourself. :) I do love the settee, the sisal rug and the color palette - beautiful!

Acanthus and Acorn said...

Averill,
You are bang on with your observations! At first glance it may not seem all that special until you note all the details and what went into to making this a fanstastic space!

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