Dining room switch complete

The dining room switch has been completed and although there are a few finishing touches that will need to be added to the sitting room side of the space (we are still waiting for the chandelier, the lamp and rug and a few more pillows to be made) I thought it was time for the big reveal.

Remember, this is the room that used to be the formal living room that never got used. The color scheme for many years was a light blue and red and the client loved it. But she was ready for something new.  She also had a new piece of art she wanted to incorporate somewhere and I thought it was the perfect jumping off place to set the tone for the new room by adding some modern touches and a some brighter colors to a previously very traditional space. 

I wanted to bring in a darker blue - a navy - that would richen up the blues that were already woven throughout this lovely beach home and add some turquoise for a new change.  It all started coming together when we found this Ikat fabric from B|Berger to use on the backs of the new wingback chairs.

Here is the mood board I put together to help the client see my vision. The pencil legs on the Petrie chairs from Crate and Barrel reminded me of the people in the painting:

The sideboard was added and the art wall installed:

The bar cabinet that previously separated the two rooms was moved into the family room where it could be enjoyed when they entertain outdoors:

The new chairs for the sitting room arrived and the new artwork framed and hung. I left room for a 24" high lamp with a white drum shade to sit on the new nesting table. The rug is on it's way and the turquoise beaded chandelier should arrive soon too.

Are you ready for the final reveal?

Here is what the room looked like before:

BEFORE

And here is the room now:

AFTER

A successful switch!

Switching rooms

The wingback chairs arrived for the new dining room I am working on ... you know, the one where we moved the dining room into the former living room (see previous posts here and here).

They turned out great ... I quickly snapped a few photos with my iphone but wish I had taken a few better ones. The front fabric is a Sunbrella outdoor fabric that will be easy to clean - which is so important for a dining chair ... and especially one in a home with a family of kids and dogs and real life. The back is an Ikat from B|Berger and is not as easy to clean. The existing side chairs were reupholstered in an outdoor fabric as well. We wanted this to be a room that the family could live in comfortably.

I took the photos after we had just come back from a trip to HomeGoods and were playing around with some new accessories - the placemats are for casual everyday eating - styling the dining table is next on the 'list' so you've got to ignore the tabletop.

The wingback chairs were designed to flank the ends of the table. But I didn't like how one of them blocked the new sitting room from view when you walked into the room so I placed it next to the sideboard - and I kind of like it that way. 

We are still waiting for delivery on the chandelier and rug, the window treatments and a couple of table lamps ... but it is nice to see it shaping up as a real room. Want to see what it looked like before?

living room "before"

living / dining room "before"

The living room never got used. That was the biggest complaint. And the dining room was small. There was no room to place a sideboard or even walk around the chairs when they were occupied. So we moved things around.

The dining room now has plenty of room and the new sitting room is used often even though it is not even completely finished. I hear it is the perfect spot to read the morning paper, have a cup of coffee and throw open the french doors and enjoy the morning sun or relax with a glass of wine in the evenings.