Ginny’s Dining Room Reveal

Ginny’s Dining Room Reveal

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Hey all, it’s Ginny again! If you tuned in yesterday you will have seen my living room reveal and today I’m excited to share my dining room. This room is probably one of my favourites in the house because of the dark blue walls. I actually only decided to paint those wall a few months back. I was really worried about losing the freshness that the white brought to the space. But in fact what happened was the opposite. It brought a deeper, moodier vibe to the room that I love. It also highlights the white trim around the windows and moulding details on the ceiling. I used Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue, which to me is the perfect blue. I did try out an EHD fave – Hague Blue, but it had way too much green in it for me. And that’s why you should always, always swatch before committing because what might look great in one space can look not so great in another. This is also what sparked the thought to paint the living room and bedroom as well.

This is how the room started; painted out in a dark charcoal until we got the landlords permission to paint it out in a bright white to give it a fresh blank canvas. Look how sad it looks with a rug, chairs and no dining table. I bought the bentwood chairs from the flea market just after we moved in – I literally carried all 4 at the same time in the steaming Pasadena heat, through reams of hoarding shoppers – (I was working out a lot more then). Needless to say the AC was blasting in the car on the ride home.

Ugh looking back at these progress photos is cringeworthy. I think most people expect designers to have these amazingly put together home, s but it’s not always the case because sh*t costs money and sh*t takes time and we’re FOREVER changing our minds – or at least I am.

We pretty much lived with an Ikea desk top and legs for over a year before we got this table. I knew I wanted a white oval pedestal because this room is more of a transitional space as it leads to the kitchen and the back of the apartment. Plus I’d already collected a lot of wood pieces so I didn’t really want to do a wooden dining table, which would be the only other option for me. The oversized map which we hung on the wall (best seen on the first and last photo) is probably my favourite vintage find in the house. We were shopping at the Mart Collective in Venice when Patrick spotted the name Lancashire at the top of, which happens to be my home county in the UK. On closer inspection this map has all the areas I grew up in, even the town called Chorley where my family still lives. It was a pretty bizarre experience and I really wish I knew the history of where it came from or how old it is. Either way it’s a very special piece in this house.

We acquired the bar hutch when a friend was moving from LA to NYC and wasn’t going to have the room to take it. When I say bar, I actually think it’s purpose is a secretary desk, but I’m ok with it storing our glasses and hiding our booze, and the dropdown is perfect for mixing cocktails :).

The light fixture is original to the house. I was going to swap it out with something slightly more modern feeling but every person that comes here always comments on it. And when your English interior designer friends tell you to keep it, you keep it. Done deal.

I always like to have a tray set up on my dining table and I love this brass one from Schoolhouse Electric, it really pops off the white. I mixed a few different pieces of pottery here. The small black vase is from Melanie’s (one of our awesome designers) BF Blake Beaudette who is a legit amazing ceramicist. He started pottery about a year ago and is now finding his niche and his style and we’re loving it at EHD.

Here’s a fun little styling gif that shows how you can style out a dining table for everyday use. You don’t need to go overboard, but a large tray helps to corral pieces. Layer items with differing heights. Then add something organic like flowers, plants, or tall branches.

Another flea market find is this cute cabinet that hides all my decanters and tequila collection. I really love the line detail on the door fronts and it fits perfectly in this spot. The watercolor art is also from the flea market and there’s one guy there every month that I just hand money over to. He has the best collection. I’ve bought so many watercolors and oil painted seascapes from him that are stashed away because there’s no more wall space for them. This one and the one on top of the bar were both framed by Framebridge and the process could not have been easier.

Another piece that is evidence of my love for stripes is this rug from Annie Selke and Dash & Albert – I knew I’d get some mattress ticking stripe in here somehow. You can also see here how the blue walls really pops against the archways and it kinda makes me want to paint the living room in an even darker grey.

Another vintage piece I snagged for $40 is this rattan chair, I had the seat cushion reupholstered in a denim-y coloured linen fabric. No one ever really sits on it but I love it so much I can’t bear to part with it. Above the chair, you’ll notice the newsprint clippings. My husband Patrick has a love for all things Irish and wrote a script about the Irish Easter Rising. Sadly it’s not about an awesome Easter baking competition – google it, I had to! The framed newspapers were printed here in the U.S. in 1916 (100 years old!) documenting the goings on in Ireland at that time.

I think what I love best is that it does feel kind of old world in here and wouldn’t feel too out of place in England. I feel like a lot of older buildings back home have mismatched furniture that has been handed down through generations. And whilst none of these pieces have come from any of our family members, they did belong to someone one day.

So there you go, my moody transitional dining room. What do you think? Do you love the blue as much as me? Let me know what you think and here is a “Get The Look” with most everything linked up – sorry a lot was vintage in here. If you have any questions on anything else, then leave a comment below.

I’m also in the throws of finishing up the bedroom and office/guest bedroom – who knows when those will be finished �� Soon I hope and then I’ll be sharing them with you guys. Thanks for reading and a big thanks to Zeke Ruelas for the beautiful after shots.

Love Ginny

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Here’s some more dining room inspiration for you: 14 Perfect Dining Table and Chair Combinations, Living Room and Dining Room Makeover, Sylvia’s Makeover: Dining Room, Budget Dining Room: Modern Eclectic, Orcondo Living & Dining Room.

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Original article and pictures take stylebyemilyhenderson.com site