Dining Room Update

As you may recall, last January (2019) I had a group of friends over for lunch and asked for their critical feedback on some of the rooms of my home. See luncheon post here. Their recommendations for the dining room was to “lighten it up”.

The larger wall of this room is facing east and gets the gorgeous morning sun, but due to the front porch and overhang, the lighting is mostly indirect. The “bay” of windows faces north and has the porte Cochere right outside. Again no direct sunlight.

The first thing I did was paint the walls all white. I was very fond of the soft gray/blue that was above the wainscoting, but all the women agreed it had to go. My favorite painter, John, came to the rescue.

The next change I made was to replace the Mr. and Mrs. chairs with upholstered camelback ones from Ballard Designs. I waited for the best sale and then placed the order, but not before I had them send me swatches as there are many different fabrics to choose from.

I wanted the fabric to blend in with the walls and trim, which are painted a creamy white, not a stark white. Dunn Edwards Cottage White SP113. Fabric is Pique Salt Sumbrella.

The chairs arrived and I was so delighted with the quality. The fabric feels rich and the workmanship did not disappoint.

For the balance of the year, the dining room was fine, but still felt heavy due to all the dark wood ~~table, chairs and buffet.

The holidays came and went and with decorations and tablecloths, the room was satisfactory. And I was still pondering what else I could do with this room.

Then an opportunity presented itself last month. My dear neighbor was moving and had a yard sale. I scored 4 upholstered Parsons chairs for $50.00! I was so excited I bought them immediately. However, the fabric, though lovely, would not go with anything in the dining room. Plus they were stained and worn.

I contacted Ballard Designs, hoping their Parson chair slipcovers would fit (who knew Parson chairs would be different dimensions). I ordered one as a trial. Long story short, after experimenting with different white slipcovers, I finally purchased 4 of them~~ at $44.25 each!

Ballard Designs did offer the ability to have custom slipcovers made out of the Pique Salt Sumbrella, however, the cost would have been over $200 per slipcover. My total investment for the 4 chairs and stock slipcovers is $227.00

I still need to steam them to get the packing wrinkles out, but I am so happy with how they look. Though the fabrics are different, I believe the shades of white are similar. Slipcovers are Super White Twill.

I still need to properly accessorize this room. The painting above the fireplace is okay, but just not quite right. My friend, Janie, recommended a softer looking painting. I am confident I will stumble upon something that will be perfect. Also, any other suggestions from all you talented designers out there, would be GREATLY appreciated.

So here is the before and after. What do you think?

As always, I am so grateful for your kind comments and feedback. I am off to steaming these slipcovers so I can move onto a different project!

As we all settle into our new “norm”, I am sending the best wishes for your health and happiness.