Pages 40-46 of my March 2008 issue of
Cottage Living are well loved. I have turned those pages time and time again...looking...pondering...loving.
As you know from my blog, I love lots of rooms, lots of pictures, lots of designers. I'm equal opportunity.
But, there are a select number of rooms that I actually try to emulate. That I forever tape to my forehead and walk around thinking about. That I have memorized. This is one of those rooms.
All images by Tria Giovan via Cottage Living
Over the top, right? Craaaazy? GREEN? Magic.
Some things I love about this space designed by
John Loecke:
- The wallpaper. Obvi. I love wallpaper, and it's green, and it's trellis-y, which is one of my favorite motifs.
- The color green.
- The black furniture.
- The fact that each dining chair is covered in a different fabric. And that each fabric brings in different colors. And that the chairs don't exactly match.
- The Chinoiserie elements - the bench, the arm chair, the pagoda chandelier.
- The chair rail trim - inspiration for my fireplace.
- The fearless mix of pattern.
- The window valance.
I will be the first to admit that this room is a little "much". But that is what made me fall head over heels in love with it. It was so full of personality, energy, vida. I wanted to stand right in the middle of it and look up at that grosgrain-trimmed chandelier.
This room is definitely inspiration for my own dining room. Key word being "inspiration" - if I actually created this room, Carter would pass out each time he walked into it. And I do have to be sensitive to that.
So my goal in our dining room is to create a similar feeling in my own way. I've painted the walls with a green stripe. We have an old, claw-footed, round dining table (from Carter's great-grandmother) that we've painted black contrasted with dining room chairs (a Craigslist find) that I've painted ivory. You've also seen
my chandelier that will be getting a makeover and the
beginning of my bar.
I'm taking my time with this room (and probably stressing over it a wee bit too much) but I know how I want it to
feel in the end, so I'm having fun getting there. I'll keep you posted...
Now when I constantly refer to John Loecke's dining room, you'll get the picture.
p.s. John Loecke's current portfolio via www.jloeckeinc.com shows what I imagine are current pictures of the space with some lovely updates:
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