We are finally getting around to crossing off the items from our to-do list. First up, the dining room. 

Here is a reminder of how it looked, and what we had planned to do:

– rug: bring in oriental from family room (pictured below).
– install curtain rods (and pick curtains).
– replace chandelier (go for fresh/younger/funky vibe)

Here are the choices we made:

And ta-da! The finished product, (set for our Christmas dinner):

In reality, it felt much less like a “ta-da” and more like a marathon – who knew it was so hard to pick curtains? And curtain rods? 

So let’s go back to the beginning…I started out with the two inspiration shots below.

(Photo credit: @changoandco )

(Photo credit @amberinteriors)

I wanted somewhat traditional, but with a little funk. Is that a technical design style? Traditional funk? 

It also had to be approachable and comfortable. Not too formal or stuffy.
We already had the table and chairs, and the rug was a family heirloom that we moved in from another room. So the key items we needed were:

– chandelier

– curtains and hardware

– side table for storage/serving

For the chandelier I wanted a bit of a statement piece, a more modern counterpoint to balance out the decidedly traditional rug, table and chairs. A little funk. A little whimsy. Here is the roundup of the contenders:


In the end, we loved the sputnik look, and were comfortable with Restoration Hardware quality, so we went with their Sputnik Elliptical Filament – and I’m in love. It really brings warmth to the room with the gorgeous filament bulbs.

Here it is right after install:

I also wanted to use the side table/storage console to bring in some modern, clean lines. It also needed to be very functional, with lots of storage for linens, candles, placemats and silver.

We decided to go with a bureau, because we wanted lots of drawers, as opposed to shelves. I’ve long admired the furniture at room and board, and settled on the Berkeley Dresser – with clean lines, beautiful walnut wood, and satin nickel pulls to echo the nickel metal in the chandelier and curtain hardware.

Here it is in our space, partly set up for thanksgiving dinner:

And another picture, including the chandelier:

For the curtain hardware I knew I wanted a simple design without any end filial. We priced out Restoration Hardware and compared it Pottery Barn, and the price difference was minimal – so we went with  the Endcap and Rod set from RH, where everything was in stock and ready to be shipped. 

At first, I thought I wanted a bit of subtle pattern in the curtains – and so we tried a pair of Linen Ikat beauties from west elm. 
Here they are mid install:

 

And up close- peakaboo!

I really did love them, but they weren’t perfect for this space.

Next, we tried an all white pair, that had a little bit of chevron texture:

Again, they were beautiful, they draped so well and had a lovely subtle pattern/texture. But they were too light for our room.

We ultimately fell in love with the Belgian Flax Linen curtains from West Elm. I absolutely love how they turned out:

So that’s the story of our journey from this:

To this!