My Paris Apartment, Reveal

So, maybe it's not quite a Paris apartment but I desperately wanted a change in our chateau and painting the dining room seemed like the obvious solution....that's a stretch but it's all I've got!

From Sherwin Williams Backdrop to Sherwin Williams Alabaster here is final product.

I love, love the change! Even though Alabaster is a cool shade I really like it as a palette for all of my warm colors.

If you missed my last blog about the dining room you can find it here!

(On a side note, some other whites I considered were Swiss Coffee, Steamed Milk, and White Dove.)

'Til next time!

A Dining Room Make Over, Already!

Almost immediately after posting my dining room blog I decided to do a mini makeover…I don't know why.  Oh, I do know why…I just can't stand to leave well enough alone! Actually, I've had my eye on some Restoration Hardware chairs for some time and they finally went on sale.  I love them because, they are not only gorgeous but they are on casters which makes them easy to maneuver, especially in our small space. Because we have such a small entertaining area in this Quarters One, the dining room needs to be extra comfy. I also hung my own chandelier and moved the existing chandie upstairs to our family room. 

AND I painted the white built in shelving, it was making me crazy. The white space just contrasted too much against the brown and made the odd wall really stand out. 

Here is the second, and (maybe) final, edition...

The head chairs are Slipcovered Wingback Chairs in Belgian Linen, Sand and the four side chairs are from the Slipcovered Camelback collection in the same fabric. I can fit 8 of these chairs around the table but I opted for 6 for now.

Here is the before shot in case you missed that blog or you can catch it here!

 

I just love the graceful curve of the arms of this vintage Venetian chandelier;  I think they are so romantic.

Not everyone will agree with me on painting these built-ins but I think it was the best idea for this particular room. The difference in time of day sure makes a difference in the way the paint color looks, I think the photo below is the best representation of the Sherwin Williams color Backdrop.

A sweet someone asked if our Italian relatives were still hanging in our dining room…yes they are…we never set up shop without them! They, in fact, are not our relatives but some portraits we found at the market in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy. 
Bill has always been intrigued by the Italian Bersaglieri and when we found this Bersaglieri we knew we had to welcome him into our family…and of course he had to have a wife, so here she is too.  They are Carlo and Francesca (my son calls them the Kripis aka "creepys") but I prefer the Martinis…thanks, Joanie, for that surname! 

Obviously, we don't really know their stories so we've made some up for them up...it makes for great dinner conversation!

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Did I  mention our new puppy?! Next time!

This Quarters One Dining Room

You know the old saying…military quarters are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get…or something like that!  Oh boy, that has certainly been the case with us. If you followed Q1 at Ft. Riley, you may know that our quarters were so large it had a dining room with a table that sat 24! It was very unusual and we were blessed. 

See more photos here!
Our current space was built in 1899 and comes with all the quirks that are so endearing about "updated" historic quarters, hmmm... let's just say I'm warming up to these cozy accommodations. Here are a few before shots of our town house style dining room.

This odd configuration was a fireplace once. I'm not wild about the built-in shelving.

I don't even know what to say about the world's most unattractive heating and air boxes that are positioned in the worst possible places in this house.

The chandelier is beautiful but it's too small for the room and hung too high. I am planning to rehang it in the guest bedroom.

These two windows are the only source of natural light. 
I might have made a mistake in painting the walls Backdrop by Sherwin Williams.  I adore the color with all of my gold and red, but, it's very dark on a dreary day…which we seem to have a lot of here, lately.
So, here's what we've done so far..

 I'm not sure how many more moves this old china cabinet can take, we purchased it when we were stationed in Italy, and it has held up pretty well considering its travels! Love my Italian gold fabric, it has hung in many different spaces.

Our own dining room table that sits 8-10 on a good day.

 A painting of Delft and my new sconces I picked up at La Bella Luce. I added the crystals for some bling, what else would anyone who knows me expect?!

 I love Rembrandt's last self portrait, 1669. This reproduction is quite a bit larger and several years younger!

 Because the room is generally dark, I kept everything silver and white on the shelves.

When I use something here I just rearrange to fill the empty space!

This is a dark Instagram photo but I wanted to show the curtains, I chose to hang them this way to open the small room.  Four panels would have just made the room too closed in.

Backdrop is a warm neutral grey brown that goes beautifully with rich colors like gold and red.

 When I unpacked my dining room chandelier I discovered it was in need of some repair so I'm waiting to get that done and then have all of my chandeliers hung at once.

Thankful for Trader Joes, the best place for well priced flowers!

The loveliest jewel of all in these quarters, our daughter!

I am not a professional designer but I do love to pretend to be one! I am happy to share ideas and give a glimpse of the inside of quarters not everyone gets to see. 
 And lest I sound ungrateful…far from it! We're in a beautiful spot and I actually am happy to have downsized. 
'Til next time!
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