By Elizabeth Yeager Cross
WV Design Team
Before Christmas, you read about our clients, the Laynes, who were struggling to use and find purpose in various rooms of their home. Our last article about the Laynes featured their formal living room and how we transformed it into a useful bar/sitting area they now entertain in and use very frequently.
Perhaps you also have an under-used room in your home, a space that just doesn’t live up to its potential. Fear not; the possibilities are endless and exciting, and much more do-able than you might expect.
This cozy and upscale dining room features warm tones of linen, slate, gold, red and cobalt. Mixing wood tones and painted pieces helps this room feel eclectic and curated.
To remind you of our process to purposefulness, we like to ask our clients four key questions about a room or space they are not using:
– Why do you not use this room?
– What do you think would make you want to use it?
– What activity or use are you missing a space for in your home?
– Can we assign said missing space to these unused rooms?
When working with the Laynes on their next design project, we focused on their dining room, directly adjacent to the new bar area. Again, this area was one of the first things visitors saw when they entered the front door.
It pained me to hear it was an eye sore and source of embarrassment for the Laynes. They had grown so very tired of the deep red wall color, mismatched furniture and overall blah appearance of the room.
They rarely, if ever, invited guests to eat in this room and, more than anything, wanted a beautiful alternative to what they currently had. Bernie and Missy commented they would love to make this a dining room that was comfortable, inviting and a place where people wanted to linger, not rush out at meal’s end.
The Yeager Design & Interiors team was excited to help them achieve these goals and developed a plan to make their dreams a reality.
First, we pulled the new, cool gray wall color they now have in their living room into the dining room to replace the red and to bring continuity to the open first floor and entry. We also used the gorgeous new window treatments from the bar design to bring a nice flow to the windows on the front of the house.
When it came time to choose the main furniture pieces for the new dining room, the Laynes left it up to YDI to find the perfect selections. We actually found their dining table, captain chairs and absolutely stunning upholstered bench seating at High Point Furniture Market.
What was once a catch-all dining room is now a chic and updated room the homeowners are thrilled to use for themselves and even more proud to show off to guests.
We were able to spot the pieces we knew they would love, FaceTime with them for their approval and place them on custom order. While we were at market, we also found a stunning linen drum light accented in gold to go over their table. This new light was the perfect tie-in with the gold accents we installed in their bar design.
To create a pop of color and a bit of fun, we found a dramatic red buffet that would allow the Laynes to have ample storage for their serving pieces.
It would also provide an area for a unique bubble glass table lamp. Traditionally people tend to use small, skinny buffet lights, but since we had ample tabletop space, we chose this larger fixture to be a more prevalent design accessory and source of illumination. It paired perfectly with their new gold and mercury glass mirror hung above their buffet.
The Laynes had purchased a beautiful candle holder in silver horns and glass, and we provided a Mystique flameless candle that could be set on a timer.
Pops of cobalt in vases tie in the new art hanging on the adjacent wall, and faux florals bring life and freshness to the dining room.
To finish out the accessories for the room, we chose an interesting pair of paintings in hues of gold and cobalt blue. The Laynes are die-hard West Virginia University fans, and this abstract set was the perfect personal touch that brought even more color into the design scheme.
Small spots of cobalt were then placed on the buffet to further bring the color throughout the space. We always love to place florals and foliage in any space to bring life and nature in to the scheme. For the Laynes, we chose jasmine leaves, exotic gray faux florals and pear blossoms to create the perfect arrangement.
From the new furniture and accessories to the new dark-colored jute rug, the Laynes were more than pleased with the turnout of their second-phase design. They feel more at peace in their own home and love that when they now enter their front door, everything is finished and fabulous.
As huge West Virginia University fans, these blue-and-gold canvases were a must for the Laynes, and it’s just enough pop of color to bring intrigue to the room.
There is a congruous flow throughout their entry rooms that makes them actually want to be in these spaces. They have not only entertained in their new dining room, but they also find themselves eating breakfast there just so they can use the gorgeous space more often.
This is music to our designer ears. I love hearing that you not only like the look of your space, but also that you feel drawn to it and want to spend your time there. After all, this was our primary goal — to not only update the spaces, but also to find their missing potential and use.
Remember, design should not only be aesthetically pleasing, but, more importantly, it should be purposeful.
– To see more pictures of the project featured in this article:Layne Home
– To read the full article: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/life-home