Thursday, July 8, 2021

A Wonderful Chinoiserie Dining Room

Colleen Bashaw - House Beautiful

 I really love everything about this dining room. For me, it is the perfect mix of classic and modern, of formal and casual.

The marble oval Saarinen tulip table is such a favorite of mine. Created in 1957, it is an iconic and timeless mid century classic. Louis XVI chairs are covered in an indoor/outdoor Quadrille fabric. Practical and beautiful. The fabric is Quadrille's Magic Garden. I love the green tape and nailhead trim on the chairs too.

The rattan lighting fixture and jute rug give the space a more casual and informal feel. I love the lighting fixture, but I would use this one below myself. I wish I had a spot for it. It's the Lidor by Made Goods and it's calling out to me. I love the scale of the one she used - there is nothing worse in a dining room than a dinky chandelier.

Lidor by Made Goods

Have you noticed that the prevalent look nowadays for staging a dining table is laying out everything in stacks and such, sort of buffet style, as opposed to setting the table? Again, I guess this is for a more modern and casual look. I love blush pink and the napkins, glasses, and striped candles are very pretty.

In the House Beautiful article, the interior designer Colleen Bashaw, principal at Brown Hall Design, said she never uses window treatments for her own home. This is her dining room. I use to be so into window treatments, and now I am so over them. They are expensive if done right, look dated, block out light and the view, and close in a room. Just my personal preference.

Notice the white walls with greige trim. This reverse look is really catching on and it's really growing on me. The modern approach is crisp white walls with light color trim and not much contrast like here.

The gorgeous framed chinoiserie panels are Gracie Studio. I like how she used a very low profile silver leaf frame.

I love the mix of the formal chinoiserie panels and Louis chairs with a mid century modern table and casual lighting, rug, and windows. This would work at the beach, in the city, or in the suburbs. 



16 comments:

  1. You're right, Beth, this room is perfection! Remember the kids' game where they were challenged to find the 'hidden' objects within the picture? You scored 100% on finding each of the lovely details that went into making this room special.

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  2. I really appreciate you breaking down all the elements of the room - I learn so much.

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  3. I love everything about this room too, especially the colors, and I agree with you on the light fixture. The one she chose seems a bit clunky for a room this pretty and feminine. At first I thought the Gracie Studio panels was a room divider.

    I've recently abandoned some of my window treatments too. Unless I need privacy or to block out the hot sun, I don't really use them, and I love inviting the outdoors into my home.

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    1. I agree - I like either bare windows or plantation shutters or bamboo blinds.

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  4. Agreed! Except for blackout curtains in the bedroom, I have foregone window treatments in our new home because I want to see as much view and light as possible. (The sales rep who came over to measure for the blackouts was aghast when I told her as much!)

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    1. Agree completely - not to mention the expense of custom window treatments.

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  5. This is a room I adore but don’t think I could pull off independently. It takes the combination of flare, understanding of proportion and daring. It’s wonderful and could be attempted at every budget level.

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    1. I love your point about being able to do this room at any price point which is so true. There are great versions of all these elements regardless of budget.

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  6. I have a beautiful black, silver and gold painted screen that I brought back from China..it is a canvas with crackled paint on it...how do you hang a screen on a wall? I would love to!

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    1. I have had several hung for clients by people who specialize in such things. I would advise that or Googling it. The method depends on your frame, the weight, etc. Good luck.

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