What to do When There's No Room for a Server in the Dining Room

what to do.....what to do.....???????

Sooooooo.

I left you guys at this point of decorating Connie and Chris's dining area where I crammed a long table into a not so long space.

There was no room at either end for a piece of furniture.

Unfortunately, they have a large family, and a long table was required for the job.

It looked unfinished with nothing against the walls.

Remember....

I had been given the edict that there were to be no plates hung on the walls in this house!!!!!

Sooooo.....

I whined to Connie about the appropriateness of walls in eating area having stuff on them there related to eating stuff!!!!!

SHE WAS NOT SWAYED.

Her hubby wasn't going to buy it.

Soooooooo.....

When we were at the Boston Design Center looking at antique furniture in Charles Spada's showroom.....

There behind the glass of a display area was......

(at this point there must have been angels singing.....AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!)

a VERY LARGE plate rack hanging on the wall of the display window.

It was wonderful and felt unique.

Connie just loved it.

I pointed out that it's purpose was to hold plates against the wall.

HOWEVER!!!!!

It seemed the rules were that they couldn't be hung against the wall themselves....

BUT IT WAS ALRIGHT IF THEY WERE SITTING ON A SHELF!!!!!!!

Wellll,

coming back to reality,

it was too large for the wall we wanted.

Worse.

There weren't two of them.

I needed two.

That's 2. 

Not 1.

2

So this wasn't going to work.

WHEREUPON!!!!!

Charles informed us that he had a guy that could copy the look of this baby, down to the distressed finish and all.

All I had to do was a drawing showing what I wanted.

I could do that!!!!!

Soooooo...

This is what I sent to Charles.

I wanted the middle two shelves to extend across the whole rack, as we had no clue what we would hang in the center otherwise.

A piece of artwork that low would have seemed awkward.

Besides.....

the more shelves.....

THE MORE PLATES!!!!!

In case you're wondering,

that squiggle to the right is supposed to be me.

I always draw myself into an elevation so that I can get a sense of scale.

I wish my ass was that round.

Well, that's what Fredrick of Hollywood underwear is for.

are they still around?????

Sooooo.....

I sent the drawing in with a purchase order, 

and Connie paid her money,

and 

we got them!!!!!

The cabinet maker did an absolutely bang up job.

The finisher excelled him (or her) self.

At this point, 

Connie hauled out the brown transfer ware that we had collected for her Vermont home.

She had shipped it down to Flerida, just for this use.

Remember her dining room in Vermont?

Well....

all that pottery is now retired in Flerida,, where old things go to collect dust.

I had the cabinetmaker groove two rows into each shelf, in case we wanted to have a platter behind a plate.

I love this shot through the hall from the kitchen into the living room.

It shows how everything flows together.

So,

here they are,

both up on the walls after Connie's handyman did his magic.

It was wonderful,

all I had to do was point.

I didn't even need to hold a hammer!!!!!

(just a tape measure.....)

We had so much fun arranging the pottery.

I had Connie buy some extra stoneware to fill out the shelves.

We had enough for both racks.

Of course if it were my house there would be more stuff, 

but Connie has more restraint than I do, 

she's more mature because SHE IS OLDER!!!!!

So, 

here is one of my famous side by sides, so that you can see what a difference something on the walls with three dimensional qualities has.

It's starting to get cozy.

Just wait till you see it with the draperies!!!!!

On that note,

Latah, Gatah

Designing an Eating Area for Connie and Chris

Well.....

Now that I've shown you how far we've gotten with Connie and Chris's living room, 

it is time to tackle their eating area in the kitchen.

Their new home doesn't have a formal dining room, but a large area in the kitchen.

This room is actually an open concept floor plan which includes the family room as well as the dining area with the kitchen sandwiched between the two.

I have shots of how the room was decorated by the two previous owners.

The first shot is of the owner before the ones who owned the house before Connie and 

Chris.

So they are before squared. ? .

As the room can't accommodate a long table as well as a server, the first owners had a folding screen placed against one wall.

The next shot, below, is the real estate agents shot, so a wide angle lens was used making the space appear much larger than it actually is.

 They kept the same chandelier from the previous people, used a shorter table to allow for the console placed against the right wall.

I think that these owners moved from house to house using the same drapery treatments, as all their window panels were WAY too long for the rooms.

There is a lot of fabric here, and it created a more formal look than Connie decided she wanted, so we went for something with simpler lines.

Keeping in mind that the wide angle makes the room look ginormous, below is a shot showing the kitchen, so you guys can understand the relationship of the dining area to the rest of the room.

If the kitchen were actually as large as it seems below, you would need roller skates to get around while cooking.

Sooooo.....

The first thing I needed to do was to find a dining table that was in a light wood.

Connie had really liked the one that the sellers had.

The meanies took it with them.

Soooooo.....

I put on my detective hat and started trying to find one like it that was large enough for 8 chairs and wasn't a new one.

WE WANTED AN OLD ONE!!!!!

Well...

I found one on First Dibs, the eBay for folks who are willing to shell out the extra money for wonderful stuff.

IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED!!!!!

I said to Connie.....

BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!!!!!

I was worried that someone else would grab it up, as it was a newly listed item, and this style is very popular right now.

Below is the image that was on First Dibs.

I contacted the seller to make sure that it was a size we could use, and that chairs would fit comfortably underneath, and he sent me this picture.

IT'S AN ACTION SHOT WITH SOMEONE ACTUALLY SITTING AT THE TABLE!!!!!

Connie is not good at waiting.

She claims that it is so that Chris doesn't get upset that the room isn't done.

I don't believe her.

not at all

She wanted a chandelier 

RIGHT AWAY!!!!!

No time to look for a cool old one.

No No No No No.

She wanted a rectangular one.

I don't know why, cuz I can't remember her reasoning.

But I DO WHAT I'M TOLD.

and I found her one on Restoration Hardware that was rectangular.

She liked the look of flickering candles.

Very romantic.

Cuz that's just the way that Connie and Chris roll.

Restoration Hardware Pillar Rectangular Chandelier 

Connie wanted a nice mix of materials and styles for the chairs, and left it up to me to figure out how that was going to be accomplished.

NEVER FEAR!!!!

I CAN DO IT!!!!!

I AM SUPER DECORATOR!!!!!

We found these wicker arm chairs at Grange in the Boston Design Center

We didn't like the skimpiness of the cushions, so we had them made in Flerida.

Then.....

I had to figure out what should be the host and hostess chairs.

I was getting a lot of input from the peanut gallery.

Sometimes Connie and Chris don't seem to realize that just because this is their home, 

and these are going to be the chairs they sit on EVERY SINGLE DAY during the winter.....

 their opinion comes after my fun!!!!!

Sooooo.....

I went back to 1st Dibs to look for some fabuloso chairs.

I found ones that Connie and I both fell in love with at Charles Spada Antiques

that turned out to already be at the Boston Design Center.

Soooooo....

She and I went to look at them and ended up buying half the stuff in his showroom.

These chairs are even older than Connie and Chris!!!!!

I loved the way the three styles worked together.

I don't like it when all the chairs are the same around a table unless it is a round table.

Then I like all the chairs to be armchairs.

Don't know why.

It's just my quirky brain.

Sooooooo.....

This is how far we had gotten to this point.

There's that damn wooden trough again.

It just moves from room to room.

IT'S A NOMAD!!!!!

Next time I'll talk about the fabrics I used and the window treatments.

maybe.

On that note,

Latah, Gatah

The Last of Connie's Living Room (for now)

Sooooooo.....

In Connie and Chris's living room.....

We had installed the major pieces in the room including the artwork.

Now we just had to add the last coffee table to go with what was already in place.

I didn't want to match the one we already had bought as I wanted each sitting area to have a slightly different feel.

On top of everything else, 

Connie had never been happy with the way the sofas looked.

They were skimpier than she had anticipated, and the slip covers didn't fit the way she wanted.

Now......

I am a wrinkly slip cover kind of a gal.

She ain't.

NOT AT ALL.

End of story.

Well,

not really the end, as I have a lot more to say!!!!!

Luckily, we were able to use one of  the living room sofas in her home office.

The other one was greatly appreciated by a lucky friend.

I ordered a pair with similar lines from O Henry House Furniture to replace what was not appreciated.

When you are decorating,

and you are unhappy with something in a room.

First 

(and foremost) 

live with it for a while.

If you still don't like it, and can find another good place for it,

 whether in your home or someone else's,

 and can afford to replace what makes you unhappy.....

REPLACE IT!!!!!

This is your home.

It's important to love where you live.

It affects your overall feelings.

This may seem silly, but decorating actually can have a big impact on one's life if one is affected by the trappings of one's home.

My dad only cares if it's comfortable.

For him it wouldn't be important.

But for me, it would drive me bonkers.

(further than I already am.)

Soooooo.....

The sofas got changed and the room looked much better.

This is the old sofa.

This is the new sofa.

 They are very very very very very similar.

Very Very Very Very Very much the same.

The differences are.....

The top picture has slipcovered sofas.

The bottom picture has upholstered sofas.

And it has T cushions.

And bigger arms.

And a less contemporary look.

AND ARE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE!!!!!

The bottom line is that there is a difference in price, and more expensive upholstery just looks and feels better.

Sometimes.

Now, to the new coffee table that I found to work with all the other stuff going on in this room.

I had found this one for the seating group by the front window.

I wanted something different for over by the fireplace.

Connie doesn't like low coffee tables.

Probably because she is very very very old (snort.....ha)

and she doesn't like to have to lean over too far to pick up her coffee.

This is only for coffee tables.

When she's having a cocktail.....

she doesn't like to have to lean too far over to pick up her drink from her cocktail table.

I found a beautiful piece that has a gilded iron base with a white marble top.

(the shot below is pre-hanging the artwork over the bench.)

There's that darn primitive wood planter again.

We really have to work on what to put on the coffee tables when I go back down to Flerida in the fall.

Sooooo

Now I've brought you up to where we've gotten in this room.

Next post we will go into the dining area in the kitchen.

How exciting is this #$%???

On that note

Latah, Gatah

Contemporary Art in a Traditional Space

Connie and Chris....

 (well, really Connie, as Chris is just swept away in the fervor of his wife's vision.....) 

wanted art with a more contemporary feel in the living room.

Connie is attracted to modern art.

Chris is attracted to Connie.

I'm attracted to pretty rooms.

So EVERYBODY is happy.

We stumbled upon this print of a flower while shopping for furniture.

We both fell in love with it, but didn't know where to put it.

This was early in our shopping, and the house, at this point had no furniture.

It's a traditional subject, but done in a contemporary manner.

While antique shopping, we then discovered this vignette in a West Palm Beach store on antique row.

 The thing both paintings have in common is that they are iconoclastic images of a traditional item.

Lately, I have been attracted to this love affair with the shape of just one thing, simplifying the composition of the work of art. 

WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PLACE FOR THIS PIECE EITHER!!!!!

We were just blindly shopping for furniture.

Bumbling along, trolling for antiques or anything else that would catch our eye.

sooooooooo......

The living room continued to develop, and all I had found were the iron grates for over the concrete console tables.

We were trying to think of what direction we wanted to go, and Connie and Chris were racking their brains as to what they wanted.

I took a passive back seat, as artwork is personal, so I let them figure it out by themselves.

NOT!!!!!!!

Did I have you believing that for a second or two???????

We had gotten to this part of the decorating.....

We wanted something fabulous for over the fireplace and iron bench.

I had never been able to get the image of that beautiful dahlia out of my mind.

Soooooo....

I said.....

"Hey! Connie! Remember that painting of the white flower we saw a year ago when first shopping for furniture??????? I wonder if they still have it?????"

Sooooooo.....

Connie and Chris went trundling back to the store, and sure enough.....

IT WAS STILL THERE!!!!!

It wasn't the cheapest thing around, so it hadn't sold.

We were first thinking about putting it over the iron bench.....

But it just begged to go over the fireplace.

It's so sad when a painting begs, it looses all of it's dignity.

To stop that from happening we had the wonderful handyman guys come and hang it for us!!!!!

It was very large and needed some expert assistance.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

That's Connie and Chris.....

We needed the big guns to hang this baby.....

So they got it on the wall, and everyone jumped around and shouted full of happiness and joy.

'CUZ IT LOOKED GREAT!!!!!

Now we just needed to figure out what to hang over the bench.

We had researched the artist who painted the dahlia over the fireplace.

I was very clever and looked at the signature!!!!!

Peter Arnold.

And then I goggled him.

AND LO AND BEHOLD.....

he was a real person.

His images are absolutely stunning.

If you want a visual feast, click on the link above to see some of his work.

 Connie has become his buddy because she has been corresponding with him.

He travels all over the world taking his wonderful photographs and then turns them into paintings.

Now we needed to figure out what to hang over the iron garden bench.

I didn't want another big picture, as the room would start looking like an art gallery.

When hanging art in a room, it's good to vary the scale of the pieces.

We needed a collection of something to go over the bench.

but i wasn't allowed to hang no plates!!!!!

(even though that was a double negative....I really wasn't allowed to hang no plates!!!!!)

In Connie's beach house, we had hung a collection of shell pictures and collages in her entry hall.

The shell collages were done by a Massachusetts artist.

We also hung them in her living room.

Connie loved these collages, Chris.....not so much.

But as we all know.....

a happy wife is a happy life.....

she even made me deign and needlepoint her a pillow with that saying......

Oy,

where was I?????
OH, YEAH.....artwork.

So,

we had 5 pieces of collage art.

I thought they would work just great in Connie's new living room.....

however....

I needed nine.

I wanted three rows of three.

WELL

we didn't have nine.

WE HAD FIVE.....

Soooooo.

I figured how hard could this be, to make four more????

I measured the canvases.

They were 12 by 12 inches.

I checked Micheal's website, and they had similar, if not the same, blank white canvases for sale.

Soooooo...

I told Connie that I would create four more to match.

She was not convinced.....

Oh ye of little faith.

Soooooo....

I very cleverly looked on the back of one of the collage canvases.....

AND GUESS WHAT I FOUND!!!???

A signature!!!!!

(unfortunately I can't remember the woman's name......Connie will know, so I'll let you know at a latter date. I'm so professional!!!!!)

Anyway,

I goggled her and found a number and called and left a message.

WELL.....

A month went by and no return call.....

HAD SHE DIED?????

No, she hadn't!!!!

She was just in Florida, which for some is the same thing.

She hadn't been checking her phone messages on the cape.

I was just about to head on out to Michael's when she called me back.

IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!

HER FLERIDA HOME WAS HALF AN HOUR FROM ME!!!!!

Not only that, but she would create some more collages plus sell us the few she had hanging on the walls in her own home.

Connie and I were in heaven.

Chris......

not so much.

 Well.

2 out of 3 is pretty good.

Soooooo....

Connie and I loaded our old bodies into my trusty screaming blue PT Cruiser and headed on down to the artist's Flerida home.

It was great.

She was lovely.

Her husband was a doll.

But more importantly.....

we got the #$% 4 more collages!!!!!

Now, 

I had to hang the suckers.

What a pain in the a$$.

Lining up three horizontally and three vertically when all the hangers on the back are a little different.....

BUT I DONE DID IT!!!!!

Here they are, just waiting to be hung.

Three down.....

All hung!!!!!

I THINK THEY LOOK LIKE DA BOMB!

They relate nicely to the Gustavian furniture.

I like the way they work with what I hung in the hall.

I think they look great with the flower.

Please ignore the wooden coffee table.

The iron one had to go to the furniture doctor due to a finish problem.

Even Chris likes the way the collages look in the living room.

So everyone is happy.

Now we just need to find another coffee table.

More on that in the next post.

On that note,

Latah, Gatah