Blythe recently wrote to us for help with her empty dining room. She is starting from scratch but has given us plenty of inspiration with her stunning hand painted dishes as well as her other accessories. Blythe wants her dining room to reflect the look of a cozy and stylish french cafe….we found tons of darling furniture and know that she will be excited to start shopping! We can’t wait to see the room complete.
Take a look at Blythe’s letter:
It is now time to start on my dining room and I am super excited to see your suggestions! I have completed the updates to my kitchen and living room but the dining room is bare and I am ready to finish up my “to do” list. As you can see, the room is a completely empty. I would like to use my grandmother’s plates as an inspiration for the room as well as my love for French Cafes. My sister and I have traveled to France a handful of times and I have based my entire home on the places we have stayed. The look I am going for is a stylish French dining area that will be comfortable for me and my guest to sip coffee or drink a few glasses of wine. I am not a huge fan of bright colors so I would like to keep the room neutral. I am open to painting the room a soft color but want mostly simple furniture. I like the white washed look, hand painted furniture and classic Louis furniture. I guess if you could imagine a cottage on the French Countryside that is more stylish than rustic that would be it! I need seating for four and want a buffet for storage. As for seating, I am open to your suggestions but want something grand. I have newly refinished hardwood floors but if a rug helps the room come together better, let me know. Thank you for your help! I will be patiently waiting to see your ideas!
-Blythe
Don’t you just love Paris! We do and I couldn’t wait to get started on this Home Away from Home project for Blythe. We think she will love our ideas for her new dining room and will be serving coffee and crepes in no time!
Take a look at the details of Blythe’s Finish Board.
1. Let’s start with the color palette of Blythe’s dining room. Nothing says French Chic like the monochromatic colors of ivory, taupe and white. Since she already has hardwood floors in a deep rich chocolate stain it would be best to warm up her existing white walls with a soft sage. Benjamin Moore has an amazing color selection and we suggest she use Saybrook Sage HC-144 for the walls. The sage wall color will tie in perfectly and make Blythe’s hand painted brown and ivory plates pop off of the wall.
2. Now let’s start from the ground up in this room. Adding a rug to the dining area will pull the furniture pieces together and will bring a much needed pattern to the room. We don’t want to completely hide the hardwoods, so this simple taupe and ivory rug will be just what we need to define the eating space.
3. I have always been a huge fan of mixing square and round pieces in a room. When you have a square room, square windows and other square details in a room it can feel harsh. By using this round distressed creamy white chateau style dining table we are able to break up all of the harsh lines in the room.
4. Blythe needs storage as well as a place to serve from while she is entertaining guest. This hand painted toile cabinet is perfect for the 10″ wall in the dining room. Blythe can store her dishes and dining linens here too! Tres Chic!
5. Now on to the seating. This velvet arm chair is covered in a deep rich chocolate and has a white wash finish on the arms and legs. Four of these placed around the table will look stunning and really give Blythe’s guest a comfortable place to sit and chat for hours!
6. Blythe has a 5′ wide x 8′ tall window in the center of the other 10′ wall. We want to continue to soften the room and these ivory linen drapes will soften up the harsh window. We suggest a 3″ puddle to really dress up the room!
7. Lighting is one of the most important elements in a room. The dining room already has can lights with dimmers that provide plenty of room but can be a bit harsh at night. This green crystal chandelier will look amazing over the dining table and will be the centerpiece of the room.
8. This large gold flower mirror will be perfect over the buffet. It will reflect the light from the window and continue to bring in a touch of chic and give the room a more formal feel.
9. Last but not least, this set of 48″ wide x 40″ high paintings will complete the chic cottage cafe look Blythe is going for. The colors tie in perfectly with the walls too.
