Room of the Day: Antiques Help a Dining Room Grow Up
http://www.decor-ideas.org 03/11/2014 22:22 Decor Ideas
It’s hard to believe that this dining room once “looked like a satellite store for Toys ‘R’ Us,” says interior designer Jules Duffy. “I had to tell my clients that they needed to reclaim their dining room for the adults.”
Ready to let the dining room grow up, her clients wanted to bring in watery turquoise and charming antiques. Mixing the traditional with the unexpected, Duffy created a room that is now a family favorite for meals and homework — but no longer a playroom.
The table, custom designed by Duffy, and the drapes were the first two additions, and the pieces helped guide the rest of the design. The room originally had heavy burgundy drapes that blocked the light and covered up much of the beautiful molding around the windows. The new drapes are linen with a damask print that looks like it’s been splashed with water. “I like a fresh take on a classic,” Duffy says of the print.
Distressed table legs anchor the antique feel of the room. They were painted first with turquoise, then with ivory on top.
The homeowners originally disliked their marble fireplace surround, but Duffy cautioned them about replacing it impulsively. She urged them to see how the rest of the room turned out first.
Sure enough, after some dark pieces that picked up the chocolate and black hues in the tiles were added, the homeowners were shocked at how much they adored it.
Meanwhile, antiques give the room its unique character. The clock is Danish, and the bottles are antique French wine bottles. In fact, several French pieces made it into the room, including the antique plate rack and chairs. Duffy upholstered the bottoms and inside of the chairs in soft, comfortable crushed velvet. Then she took an unexpected route and covered the backs in faux iridescent pebbled ivory leather.
A beautiful chandelier with blue glass beads and pearls adorning an antiqued iron frame is the focal point. Other glass items like bottles and antique marine floats pick up on the chandelier’s glass beads.
Duffy scooped up the antique French plate rack in Sonoma, California; its distressed, peeling-paint look comes from age. Thanks to her, the homeowners are now avid ironstone collectors and enjoy finding pieces to add to the rack.
To hang the rickety piece on the wall, Duffy designed a distressed iron frame that a metalworker fabricated, then she affixed it to the wall and attached the plate rack to it. This added about four extra inches to store larger platters.
“Mixing the unexpected in with the mainstream helps create a dynamic room,” she says.
Contrasting the chippy plate rack is another updated take on an old idea: curved sconces that nod to traditional Venetian mirrors. “I love to use reflective pieces in a room; they help bounce the light around,” Duffy says.
The wire basket is a French antique. It’s filled with ostrich eggs.
Drapes, mirror, rug, table, chandelier: through Jules Duffy Design
The designer also loves to include organic touches, like shells and textured hemp wallpaper.
“Reclaiming the house for the whole family and not just the kids has really changed and improved my clients’ lifestyle,” she says.
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