I also have to get R on board with my desire for some of these more contemporary touches. He is a traditionalist at heart despite a few flirtations with modern designs, particularly the art deco period. He also tends to default to pieces that complement the period of the house -- something I absolutely appreciate. I put together a couple of mood boards to help him (and me!) visualize the directions the room could go.
The blue floral pattern is our current rug, which will stay. It's even a little more muted than it appears, and has some gold, yellow, pink and rust colors throughout. We have four very long, very dark brown velvet curtains in the sun room that overpower the small space, and R wants to repurpose those to the triple window in the dining room. I used them as the guide for coming up with a softer balance to their heavy visual force in this "Modern Deco" mood board. I think a pale pink paint would connect with some of the colors in the wool rug and look great behind the chocolate brown. And with our usual bright white trim, of course.Besides the rug, the other two elements that carry over between both boards are the dining room chairs and the expedit shelving from ikea. We want to have one location for the bulk of our books, and these shelves would bring in a sort of library feel to the dining room, an idea I love. Sort of like this, only our ceilings are definitely not that tall:
In the mood board is a period style art deco chandelier that I think Jeff will like best, but this is another one I thought captured the "youthful" feeling I seem to be going for. Probably too trendy but I still like it.
The Brinkley Girls poster is actually the cover of a book, but it's so beautiful I think I could find a way to make it an art piece. I also think it offers a clever nod to the period of the house and introduces a bit more color in an otherwise "safe" palette.
Lastly are a couple of images of vases that resemble my Sascha Brastoff pottery pieces, and a lampshade from anthro that could be used with one or both of our existing cheesy Home Depot floor lamps that R and his brother bought when they first moved in.The Modern and Bright mood board leans toward bold additions of color.
The picture of the egg chair is really for the paint color (though I would take that chair in a heartbeat). This rhubarb shade could either be limited to the wall of windows where the sideboard is, if not painted throughout the whole room. It draws on the bits of rust in the rug and in the sunny curtains from anthro.
I like the idea of using yellow as the accent color, so I included the Ork San Francisco poster we already have, an Orla Kiely lampshade I have wanted for ages, and some Dwell Studio linens I thought were in the right family. It might be too much pattern. Finally, I love this reproduction midcentury chandelier, which I think ties in perfectly with our dining room furniture.
What do YOU think? Is one a clear winner? Or do I need to go back to the drawing board?
