One of my guests at a recent dinner party asked me how I started putting together a room? What did I use for inspiration? What resources do I consider? How do I start? While I am a textile designer, I have spent decades staging and decorating homes so I have a myriad of wonderful vendors and ideas making an appearance in my “mind’s eye”. Often the dining room plays second fiddle to the living spaces, so today I’m going to take the lead with the dining room. I am also selecting pieces that are more readily available. Availability and delivery times for furniture, lighting and accessories can be up to six months for delivery. Buying art from a gallery allows you to take your purchase home today. Buying slightly used, vintage or new items from online sources such as Chairish and 1st Dibs dramatically reduce delivery times. Hopefully these ideas give you inspiration for forging ahead with a dining room refresh
Look at all the pieces together…
Wide board v-groove is a wonderful wall treatment for any beach house room.
This v-groove is 8” wide installed on the horizontal. Table is 59” round and the pendant comes in a variety of sizes.
A vintage sideboard found on Chairish paired with modern art by Brian Coleman an Atlanta based artist play very nicely with the v-groove and the rest of the components: table, pendant and rug!
This natural fiber rug and six chairs are available on Chairish.com and the 72” round table is available from Dovetail.
The chairs available on Charish.com appear to be in great condition but I might consider a more “beachy” seat fabric. Yes I am a textile designer so I am partial to the Design No. Five Seaweed XL in Waterloo Blueon Natural Linen or the Horseshoe Crab Large in Black on Natural Linen - so many more fabric options. Take a peek at Design No. Five’s Shop.
Select the table
I always look for something interesting that works for how you entertain. I was thinking of a dining room somewhere in the range of 14’ wide x 16’ long or smaller 12’ x 14’ as summer cottages are often on the smaller size. As of late I am more in favor of dinner parties for 6 to 8. This allows everyone to spend some time chatting with the entire group. Given this predisposition for group size I selected a round table from Dovetail which is 59” round - allowing for the day-to-day of a family of four but can accommodate double that. This 59” size makes it easy to talk and pass across the table…plus the criss cross look of the legs creates interest!
LARGO ROUND DINING TABLE - Available on Dovetailonline.com (DOV50012)
Reclaimed White Pine
Grey White Water Based Sealed Finish / NC Lacquer
Made in China
Dovetail may require that the table be purchased through a Designer Trade Account. Pass this information on to your designer and they will be able to purchase for you or if you’d like the team at Design No. Five can help - just email hello@designnofive.com and let us know.
2. Next the chairs
After scouring Chairish.com this set of six Mid-Century Regency Klismos Dining Chairs
Set of 6 $1186 (make an offer)
Information provided by the vendor on Chairish.com, Mobelhuset i Virginia, Danville, VA: Just based on the simple lines of this minimalist interpretation of the Regency Klismos chair, we believe that this set dates from the 1950s or '60s. These chairs are solidly crafted -- sturdy and sound. They appear to have been made either at one of the fine furniture houses in North Carolina or in a bespoke woodworking shop. Sadly, we have found no mark or label. They are solid mahogany. These chairs came from an estate in southern Virginia, near the North Carolina border. The clean lines and neutral colors give these chairs broad versatility with a wide range of palettes and design schemes. The ivory frames have been paired with a new ikat chevron fabric on the seats in a soft, dove gray and ivory. The chairs measure 33 inches high, and the seats are 17 ½ inches from the floor. They are 18 ½ inches wide and also 18 ½ inches deep. All six chairs are identical.
The ikat fabric on the chair seats is very nice and works well with the vignette; however, you might
consider something more coastal. I am partial but it’s worth a look at Design No. Five’s fabrics.
3. Now the rug
Rugs can be tricky, not all rugs are equal. Natural fiber rugs like jute and sisal are great for a summer coastal cottage - which is the look and feel we are going for in this collage of dining room ideas. The winner for our purposes in this post is a Grey Trim Jute Scallop Braided Handmade Rug 9’ X 12’ $1,599. Also available on Chairish.com.
This hand-made natural jute fiber scallop rug is made by Golden Fiber Rugs in Agra, U.P. and based on Golden Fibers Rugs comments the rug is soft to the foot to walk on. Jute rugs are particularly well suitable for high traffic areas and easy to vacuum clean. Other colors and sizes are available.
4. Moving right along to the accessories
Consider a sideboard as a place to store china, linens, silverware and glasses. I am always partial to something vintage or a great reproduction for this purpose. Found this beauty on Chairish.com from Designe Gallerie in Farmers Branch, TX. As the folks at Designe Gallerie state: Deliver a little touch of robust, rustic and revitalizing style to your dining room with this sensational sideboard. Crafted of recycled wood with natural finish offering plenty of storage. Place this piece against the wall for easy access to dining essentials during your next dinner party.
Sideboards make for great side table for large platters specifically for those wishing seconds. This vendor Designe Gallerie has many great options if this piece is too big for any of your walls measuring out at: 18ʺD × 81.25ʺW × 38ʺH. The piece is made in India of recycled boxwood - nothing is more eco-friendly than recycling. The piece is representative of a Danish crafted piece in a distressed chestnut finish. Tip: factor in 3’ for chairs to pull out from the table.
5. Ah yes lighting - always a must have
Staying with the organic “beachy” theme for our beach house dining room, let’s go with a pair of raw rattan pendant lanterns. Each is handmade with a natural finish so there will be slight variations. Includes a 3’ chain and black ceiling plate. 100 watt max fixture - bulb not included. Another Chairish.com find from the Design Mix Galleryin Los Angeles, CA. I am suggesting two hanging over the dining table or one over the dining table and one or two over the sideboard. So many options - and you might consider a collection of shapes as shown on their Chairish.com site. The Large Rattan Mushroom Hanging Pendantselected measures: 28ʺW × 28ʺD × 30ʺL
6. Last but not least
Here’s my secret… I often decorate a room based on the artwork. Yup, you got it, I start with what some think of an accessory. My reasoning for this is that every home tells the home owners story - so the artwork needs to reflect you, not just a piece of art to match what else is in the room. Make it personal! I have been wanting to include one of Brian Coleman’s works for so long. Here you go From Me To Youby Brian Coleman. Mixed media on canvas done in 2021; 48” x 60”. Available at the Annie Irwin Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, GA. The whimsy, movement and colors speak to me. I just love Brian Coleman’s work!
Please reach out with any questions or comments to hello@designnofive.com… I promise I’ll get back to you!