Paint revives drab living-dining room
Nicola is experiencing a rebirth of sorts. She just turned 40, started a new relationship and bought a beautiful beachside home in the city. While the duplex was fully renovated from the top down, the living and dining rooms were gloomy, dreary and reminiscent of a stuffy gentlemen’s club. With wood-paneled walls and minimal lighting, the rooms lacked the light and airy feeling Nicola wanted.
I took my crew down to the lake to give Nicola the ultimate birthday present: a funky, feminine room that screams, “Forty is fabulous!”
To kick off the project, I did what many would consider unthinkable: I painted a bright shade of antique white over all the woodworking on the walls. This helped to lighten things up dramatically.
In keeping with this light feeling, I chose a color palette of creams, pinks and greens, with dark-chocolate-brown accents to match the existing wood floor. For my jumping-off fabric, I chose a gorgeous creamy material with a pink and green agapanthus floral pattern that speaks to the natural setting of the house.
The color didn’t stop there. Many people forget about the fifth wall — the ceiling — when decorating rooms. But I wanted to create something special for Nicola to accentuate the beautiful curve in her ceiling. So I called on my vinyl specialists to create a whimsical graphic of the agapanthus flower found in the main fabric and transfer it onto the ceiling. The results are gorgeous, giving the ceiling the quality of a hand-painted piece of art.
To help brighten things further, I installed a whole new lighting arrangement, including a contemporary chrome chandelier with moody chocolate shades in the dining room; two sconces to flank the entrance; a sparkling crystal-ball pendant in the living room; and a host of recessed lighting.
To give the room a feminine feel, I put in a variety of new furniture pieces, including two chairs with the floral pattern; a sofa with a chaise in pearl-glazed leather; and six dining room chairs in a mixture of brown silk and pink polka dots. These chairs will sit around Nicola’s much-loved wooden dining table, on which I did a bit of reconfiguring to make it more comfortable for guests.
To add some ambience and warmth, I incorporated a gas fireplace insert into a new feature wall in the living room, installed a curvy surround and put up crinkly wallpaper on the fireplace wall.
After a few more romantic touches — including a funky mirror over the fireplace, some woven wood blinds, a cream shag rug, a dark pink velvety throw and a lamp with a feather shade — Nicola’s space was transformed.
By combining dreamy colors, luxurious fabrics, funky furniture and feminine details, this dark and dingy space got a healthy dose of coastal style. Now it is ready for beachside soirees, dinner parties and drinks by the fire. For Nicola, 40 is definitely going to be fabulous. How divine!
Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of HGTV’s “Divine Design.” For more ideas or information visit www.divinedesign.tv. Her column is syndicated by Scripps Howard News Service.