Day 4 started off my second week of the January Cure with a little reminiscing: I used to gain a fresh perspective in my previous small-footprinted, high-ceilinged old apartment by sitting in the door of an upper storage closet ten feet above the floor. Looking down from such great height allowed me to look at the apartment in an objective manner, as opposed to being "down in it". So, I tried to do the same in the dining room of my conventionally-sized, conventionally-heighted current house. I climbed up on a step ladder and perched for a while:
This is my problem room. Perhaps that's because it still feels empty to me, despite our recent purchase of dining room chairs and a credenza. Maybe it's because I've never had my very own dining room and I'm at a bit of a loss over what to do in there (we eat at a kitchen table on a daily basis and end up using the dining room only occasionally, when we have guests). Whatever the root of this room's problems, viewing it from a corner opposite its entry and way up high, I was able to gain some insight: The dining table, as much as I love it, is extra long and extra narrow. Probably too much so for this square-ish space. Indeed, I probably need a rug in here to make it look and feel less bare. Wow, I really do like orange, don't I?
Day 5 brought me back to my large to-do list and required that I choose one project to complete. While I wanted to get busy removing the fireplace doors, my husband was having second thoughts, so I moved on to a less exciting but alltogether overdue project in the kitchen. We reconfigured our base cabinets last year and had a cabinetmaker friend do the work. He did it for a great price because he's a great friend and because he did just the bare-bones work of installing the cabinets but not cleaning up or repairing adjacent surfaces. Nah, we could handle that on our own! Cut to six months later and we still have marred and missing baseboards where the old finishes meet the new. So, I am finally going to get to the task of installing new baseboard to match the old where it abuts our new cabinets.
Next, on Day 6, I chose a piece of art to frame. The "artwork" is a Ronchamp postage stamp I gave to my husband as a gift, unframed. It's still in its little stamp-collector's mini plastic baggie awaiting some attention. Since it's small and, I think, manageable (refer to the paragraph above, as I have mis-calculated the difficulty level of DIY projects before) I'll be attempting to mat and frame it myself.
Now, to Day 7 and Day 8. These are the days where I stumbled, even fell, when it came to sticking to the Cure! Saturday was my son's second birthday and we hosted a party at our house for 18 adults and 12 children. Instead of planning my end-of-Cure celebration, I was up to my eyeballs in planning games and decorations and food for the very next evening. My flowers for the week were actually a bouquet of a dozen yellow helium balloons, and my new recipe I tried out was a layered birthday cake (based on this and this). Here's a glimpse of the fun, frenzied blur of the party:
I am happy to report a deep-cleaning of the kitchen Saturday morning - even emptying the 'fridge of its past-due contents - while my husband and son were at a pre-party daddy-and-me playgroup. I had the kitchen in tip-top shape for the party that evening, and I was proud as everyone made their way through the buffet line laid out on our kitchen counters. Still cleaning up post-birthday-party, I placed a quick call to my sister and invited her as my sole guest to a quiet, her-and-me-only dinner for the weekend of February 1. I can't wait!
(Images: Regina Yunghans)
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Completely off topic, but could you tell me about your dining room chairs? They look just like two that I recently purchased at an estate sale and I know nothing about them.
They're from Drexel's Declaration line of furniture, 1950's. Here are some I turned up on a quick search just now: http://www.etsy.com/listing/104586319/rare-1950s-6-drexel-declaration
I think a bright patterned/textured table runner and a lovely green pot plant (maybe a peace lily?) on the end of your credenza would go a long way towards livening up this dining room. At the moment it's quite sparse - a rug would definitely help but a table runner would bring the textures and patterns up to the table. And a splash of bright green foliage would work beautifully to offset all the stunning orange tones, especially in that beautiful painting.
What thelemonofpink said! (Or, just a bouquet centered on the dining room table. Or even a small grouping, maybe three, ornamental items like vases.) The tabletop is a large expanse, and with nothing on it seems very stark.
I rarely use my dining room for eating, either. (Sometimes I craft there.) When it's between used, I have a tablecloth on the round table for some softening, and three IKEA blue glass bottles in different sizes. Looks good to me!
use the dining room for something else! reading, in an orange hammock, perhaps?
I'm with devienne. I'm active in the on-line quilting community. Quilting is an art that can take up a good deal of space. Most quilters dream of a dedicated studio.
So often someone will bemoan her lack of a studio but, upon questioning, will admit she has a formal dining room she uses once a year, or has a formal living room but it's almost never used because everyone gathers in the family room.
So what if the architect/former owners called the room where you have the table a dining room? It can be whatever YOU and your family need and want it to be! A library? An office? A studio? The possibilities are only limited by you.
Cheers!
I'm with devienne. I'm active in the on-line quilting community. Quilting is an art that can take up a good deal of space. Most quilters dream of a dedicated studio.
So often someone will bemoan her lack of a studio but, upon questioning, will admit she has a formal dining room she uses once a year, or has a formal living room but it's almost never used because everyone gathers in the family room.
So what if the architect/former owners called the room where you have the table a dining room? It can be whatever YOU and your family need and want it to be! A library? An office? A studio? The possibilities are only limited by you.
Cheers!
You're so right thelemonofpink! I would just add a wood bowl on the table - or some more- to break the big white splash of it and as a "recall" from the beautiful fourniture
I had a similar problem with my dining room -- large, spare, zero formal dining going on -- and then I changed out the big rectangular dining table for a smaller oval table, almost round. And poof! It totally changed the vibe! The room went from being an "extra" room to being the center of the household. Much better flow. Guests all congregate there to sit and chat, I do all my desk work there, friends' children do crafts projects on top and build forts underneath. We even dine there now!
"This is my problem room. Perhaps that's because it still feels empty to me, despite our recent purchase of dining room chairs and a credenza. Maybe it's because I've never had my very own dining room and I'm at a bit of a loss over what to do in there (we eat at a kitchen table on a daily basis and end up using the dining room only occasionally, when we have guests). "
Regina, what's your definition of 'occasionally'? Is that definition worth the investment in that lovely table & chairs? Or do you feel 'obligated' to furnish your first 'very own dining room'? Does the room really suit your family's lifestyle? or is it just wishful thinking when, in reality, you only use it a couple times a year? Might the room be more functional for your family if repurposed? I ask only because you say you eat at the kitchen table on a daily basis and this is your *problem room*.
Just some thoughts to consider as you move forward. If your very own diring room is the answer to a dream, GO FOR IT, no holds barred. I'm sure it will be lovely. Good suggestions here. Just saying, I dusted my first very own dining room for yearsssss before that real estate became functional on a daily basis. I look back and wonder why I waited so long.
Either way, have fun! :)
I would put a runner on that table and a great bowl of oranges! It needs something to break up the expanse of wood and cozy things up a bit. That big white bowl on the credenza might work as a centerpiece on the table. I'd put two or three colorful bottles of glass or pottery on the credenza at the end, and a big tray in the middle with a potted plant, an orchid, and maybe a knick-knack or two. A few well-chosen pieces. I love that big painting over the credenza. You want to highlight that, not detract from it.
I was thinking how lovely and spare it looks in the photo, and personally wouldn't change a thing. I don't know how long you've lived there, but it will no doubt accrue more stuff over time. Leave it the way it is now, and go in there when you need to breathe...
Oh, and use it as a dining room. It's nice to eat away from the kitchen with its pots & pans, at least a few times a week.
I think I see a white cloth on the table? I second/third/fourth the suggestion to find a runner with both color and texture to replace the cloth, and co-ordinating mats (get 6 or even better 8, but leave as many out as there are of you to eat at the table regularly.) Also candlesticks - three or five, depending on the length of the table. Light those as your evening meal cooks. Presto! If you can relax some of the formality, I think you will find carrying your plates and flatware and glasses in from the kitchen, fun. Keep the in-kitchen eating for breakfast and quick lunches. (But start having friends over for lunch or supper, even just one other friend, or a couple, and find out how fun it is to have a elbows-on-the-table meal with pals!)