apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Could we see more or better pictures?

Possibly a quarter-round bankette instead of those chairs, and perhaps have it upholstered to match a chair or two that might face the wall, and have the round table more in that rounded corner. Also a spherical pendant light fixture hanging down above the table might emphasize the curve.

But of course, more pictures would definitely help.

I think, if the wall is flat enough at the apex of the curve, a long narrow picture at that apex would create the emphasis you want. Otherwise hang a tapestry/cloth in that place.


I like the banquet idea from Curtis.
The current special kitchen issue of finehomebuilding magazine has an article on building banquets whichm, even if you are not a DIYer, is still interesting in terms of space needed, design, etc.

Perhaps some detailing along the ceiling of the curved portion? A wallpaper border?

oh i like that idea--sort of a built-in sitting bench that goes along the curved wall and under the window with a table to match the line...

I agree with Maxwell and Curtis. Paint is a must. A band of contrasting paint would certainly highlight the curvature, as would a custom banquette, although the latter might be costly.

The February 2005 issue of Martha Stewart Living (you can buy it here ) has an article on dining-room banquettes. I agree that a pendant lamp would help define the area.

If that's a bar to the right, I would consider removing it or lowering it to give the area a more open feel.

Good luck!
Molly

I'm not saying this is a good idea but ... MAP. I don't understand which part is curved.

Which is why we need better pictures...

or flowers in a kind of mural a la Carl Larssen if you plan on keeping that furniture.

I love the built-in seating idea. You could build a semi-circle bench all along the curved wall and a semi-circle table, leaving room for people to pass along the hall. It would make the most of the space for dining and I'm sure would be a popular hangout area at parties.

Lowering and updating the bar from the kitchen is a good idea, too. You might replace that dated-looking wood bar with granite or stainless steel, or could stain it an espresso color.

the part that's curved is behind the dining chairs. took me a while too.

I have seen a million nyc apartments where they have tried to squeeze a dining area for 4 or 6 into a tiny eating nook.... if you NEED a dining area for 4 or 6, by all means go for it.... BUT, recently I wandered into a friends apartment and saw a novel solution..... they had placed 2 really comfy velvet lounge chairs and a good sized round coffee table in their nitch (like star bucks, in a good way). It worked for there space and it worked for their lifestyle as they only really tended to drink coffe and eat an ocational meal there.... a thought.

A friend of mine once used the non-permanent blik decals to decorate a curved wall. Not only did it look fantastic, but it added a nice burst of color to the wall. you can find them at whatisblik.com.
Some of the designs are a bit much, but the simpler ones (birds, boxes, dots etc.) might work well.

Perhaps a metallic/high gloss/reflective paint would put a little emphasis on the curved surface?

Horizontal stripes. You could use tape a la AT's Jill.

oh, i was just about to recommend taping off and painting a stripe, as Szig suggested. the top of the horizontal stripe would be lower than the doorway, and higher than the base of the window. depending on what's behind the fridge, this will allow you to paint without creating an abrupt break between the painted and the unpainted wall.

nice accent color, but something you can live with everyday, of course...

I definitely think it requires a nice bright paint job accenting what colors are already dominating the room (i.e. tile, flooring etc) . But it also seems like a personal, family area, so what about a floor to ceiling art gallery of photos and artwork? Have fun...

Hi Alison, I like the rounded corner wall. Go here http://www.humboldt1.com/~mobiles/ideas/multius/multiussample.jpg
to see my Multius mobile in that corner, it works well. It is also very rounded, it moves with the breezes, and is very colorful.
-Julie

Use items that you can fold and keep.
There is a nice shop in Long Island - I think they are japanese. they have very good protein fold away furniture.
Use a day bed that you can use as a place for sitting and sleeping.

or try to have low furniture . it also helps the room look large. choose few pieces with multiple uses. One bold accessory and there you have a beautiful room to own

I really like the idea of a hanging lighting fixture in this space: either a pendant or a chandelier of some sort. And I second phil's suggestion for LOW furniture. Both of these things could potentially add alot of drama to the space.

i like the idea of a pendant as well, and i would definitely add other curves to the space to emphasize the curviness. i don't know that i'd go as dramatic as custom banquette seating, but i notice you already have a round table and curve-back side chairs. one way to highlight the curve of the room would be to paint the moldings a contrasting color to the rest of the wall. depending on your taste, that could be a wenge/espresso, one of the more muted "historical" colors from BM, or a really glossy and saturated bright (especially if you're a minimalist/ultramodern type). i'd keep the walls themselves in a warm neutral like you already have. you are so lucky to have such a cool architectural detail to play with...

I was away on vacation with almost no computer access for two weeks and didn't get to see these replies until today. :/

Looking at the photo now I can see that it's difficult to discern the curve, whoops, sorry. It is indeed the wall on the left with the table and chairs. It's basically a half-circle with a window in the middle of it.

Great ideas-- I had dreamed about some built-in seating that would fit to the curved wall myself (with storage underneath, imagine that!). And now that we've lived here for a while it seems we really don't use it for sitting at to eat much. Comfy chairs and a coffeetable isn't a bad idea.

I'm seriously going to think about the band(s) of color-- and a pendant light is a great idea as well.

Thanks again for the comments and sorry I wasn't around when this was initially posted!

This idea may be a little late in the offering. It may also be too radical. If you are not using it to eat in then how about a study area? you could install a curved workbench and have som estorage underneath. It would also double up as a low breakfast bar. As for the curve, I would mark a large square (or any pattern) and paint it with blackboard paint, you can then create your own artwork or just wrye your must do notes and lists on it. To enhance the curve further you could try hanging strings of charms and beads from the ceiling, close to the wall following the curve.

Good Luck

Alicia

How about some vinyl wall decals? Really easy to apply and remove. One company that actually has some very unique designs is http://slicksticks.com The people there have an art background. Anyways, good luck with your wall graphic projects.

I agree with Dunc. The wall decals at slicksticks.com are definitely worth checking out. Very cool designs...everything from modern to fun. Slicksticks seems to put out new designs every couple of months so I would recommend bookmarking them and checking back every so often.

As a designer myself, its nice to see a company put together a package that has everything in it and is well thought out as a room decorating solution. Kudos to slicksticks.com...I personally have used them and will continue to do so.

Good luck with your project.

Michael

THIS IS IT--you HAVE to go to this website:

http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php

I think the ShaNickers cherry blossoms or 3 sets of upsy daisies would look awesome there!11