Fantasy Dining

Iconic sideboard from Oscar de la Renta's collection for Century

It doesn't quite have the ring of "Fantasy Island," but assembling a dreamy fictional dining room was at least as fun as being greeted with, "De plane, de plane!" (Am I aging myself here?)

But I digress.

Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine graciously invited me to offer my take on "traditional," which as those of you who follow the blog know, it's basically not so much, though I do occasionally have thoughts of covering an entire room in toile...you know, in an ironic way.

I got to create my own client profile, and I'm now wondering what it says about me that I made her a single, childless woman of my own age. My interpretation of traditional was to design a classic dining room with a more contemporary palette and finishes, and upon reflection, it's basically the room I'd create for myself with A) more money and B) no children.

Being broke and with child(ren), and actually no dining room at all, I've opted for a functional but quirky eating nook that serves as our primary "hanging" spot in the house, but more on that in a few months. (We're prepping for a photo shoot of our home in a few weeks, to hit a magazine near you next year! Stay tuned.)

Take a look at the spread from the magazine, and be kind when taking in my rendering.

Here are some of the dreamy items I included:

The Empire Chandelier we all know and love, from the uber-fabulous Marjorie Skouras

To-die-for vintage pink Murano glass lamps from Swank Lighting

My current favorite dining table, the Phillippe by Oly Studios

Also from Oly, one of my favorite chairs of all time...

...tied with this one, a reinterpretation of Frances Elkins' classic design by Hollywood at Home

What you can't see well are the ahhh-mazing Jim Thompson striped silk curtains and Moroccan-influenced cotton sheers, or the just-right-shade-of-turquoise leather seats on the Frances Elkins-esque chairs and the canary yellow Kravet ultrasuede on the Oly chairs. (I know, ultrasuede....?....but a great color and completely cleanable, a must for the dining room.)

And we have previously discussed the fabulousness that is Cassandria Blackmore....she is, of course, a key player in my little fantasy, and this piece was the inspiration for the room's color scheme:

Maybe someday this will be a reality for me, but for now I'll have to live through my fictional client and my little rendering.