This Covid Coop Up has mind dreaming of fun new spaces. The other day I found myself wandering around from room to room contemplating, “Do I like you? Could you be better? How can I change you?” The dining room became my first victim…I suddenly had big and bold modern dining room design ideas!
Yes, you read that right…THE DINING ROOM! The room that everyone loves. Imma monkey around with it and hope I don’t break it.
If you’ve been here before, then you’re probably familiar with this space. The vintage pink Pierre Cardin brass cantilever chairs broke the internet 4 years ago. Originally, I paired them with a blue bokhara rug and the blue lady painting by Picasso. Over the years, the wood table from Craigslist was swapped out for a 1950s French pastry table with a marble top. The blue rug was swapped out for this beauty, and I painted my grandmother’s china cabinet black. Other than that, the decor that remains unscathed has been the chairs and the Snowbound white walls. But what if I flipped the switch?
Ever since the chairs arrived, I’ve been toying with reupholstering them. I mean, I dig the pink, and they photograph nicely, but the fabric up close and personal is filthy…not by my doing. When I purchased them online, the seller did not show close-ups. If I knew just how bad they were, I never would have purchased them. They look like they went to war in a chocolate factory against toddlers.
With the help of Photoshop and a little bit of creativity, I’ve been playing around and visualizing what would happen if I monkeyed around with color in the dining room. Mind you, the last time I experimented in here, I broke it with the Purple Pig. Remember that? I proved publicly that I suck at color. It was a complete and utter disaster. I believe I compared to myself as Alfred from Hitch…you know when Will Smith is like none of this…stay in your box.
Being slightly overwhelmed by all the color options, I threw my reupholstery pipe dream out to Instagram. Color favorites were emerald, navy, fushia, rusty cognac, peacock blue, mossy green, saffron yellow, chocolatey brown…I got hit with some serious color FOMO and decided to dust off my photoshop skills…here’s what transpired.
ERMERGED!!!! Navy and rust and green, oh my! I have to say, I’m not sure if I have the guts to actually commit to this much color, but clearly, I’m loving a few of these mood boards. A little dash of wallpaper, a pinch of paint, whisk in some fabric, and voila, a recipe for possible disaster. Feeling a bit more confident, I hit it with a little bit of this.
Ummmm, nope…too far. Pull it back Kyla.
After staring at these for about a week, I’ve been more and more drawn to the green, but I think my grandmother’s painted china cabinet is too dark and found this beauty by Nina Magon for Universal Furniture. Those arches are delicious, and I love the idea of three pushed together. But the quarantine gods have me under a strict budget, so that purchase will have to wait.
How are you feeling about this change? I’m nervous but will sit, stare and contemplate for a bit longer. Maybe order a swatch of that Divine Savages + Natural History Museum wallpaper. What about the blue lady? Do you like her with wallpaper? Does she still work or does she need a rest? Do you have any dining room idea suggestions for me?