The Dramatic Gesture
I had an extra rug rolled up. Today, I thought: What would this look like in the dining room? The answer? Fabulous!
I have to smile at the absurdity.
For, the dining room is a wreck.
Yet, I have placed in it an incredibly expensive table by Baker, from their Stately Home Collection (purchased for a song on eBay). I then added a huge crystal chandelier (ditto eBay song). And then today I added a rug.
And all this is ridiculous in a wreck of a room.
But…but…every time I walk into the dining room I feel good. Even though the room is a wreck, the elegant additions give me, well, hope. Hope for what will be, one day.
The rug amazed me with how different it made the room look. Particularly the table. All of a sudden, the extraordinary double bases of the table just shined. It was hard to see them against the wood floor.
So, the lesson, I think, is to always go for the dramatic gesture. Reality be dammed.
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Wow, you’re right, the bases on the table look amazing! And somehow with a chandelier, a fabulous rug and an amazing table the room looks really cool. I think this speaks to the psychology of renovation. Which I think is very important.
Sometimes ya just gotta.
ps: I think you mean wreck, not wreak.
Oops! Fixed!
Thank you!
Ooh! I love that color. And the table legs do stand out more now,.
Deja Vu back to the parlor – I remember when it was still in turmoil but you had your beautiful red sofa sitting proudly in the middle of it all. And look at it now!
Can’t wait to see the dining room’s transition!
Dining room stained glass & wood look amazing–elegant Baker dining room table wit crystal chandelier & lovely rug make a statement! Yes, the walls are a wreck but with these lovely possibilities it gives hope of what is to come!! Beautiful addition & this piece amidst the lively carved
That chandelier! Swoon
It’s even better in person, Heather. MUCH better. Only then can one fully appreciate the scale. It’s huge.
I’m so in love with the Cross House. Some days I feel sorry for you for the expense but most days I’m a jealous bi-atch…lol.
You know, despite the absurdity of it, the juxtaposition between the decay and decrepitness of the room and the gleaming grandeur of the table, rug, and chandelier create quite an interesting and rather elegant effect. Im sure its not ideal for living in but it sure does make for a captivating photograph.
(Im quite pleased by all this accidental alliteration)
My thoughts exactly!!
Also, that rug is fan friggin tastic!
Absurd…and absolutely wonderful! Now…lincrusta. It’s fabulous and I’m enthralled with it. Um, I know that the restoration efforts on the woodwork won’t work on that delicate surface,BUUUUT, have you thought of play doh? Remember, play doh was originally a wallpaper cleaner, so it can’t hurt the lincrusta? I know that play doh works on cleaning dolls of that period, so maybe?
It almost seems like the exposed lathe and broken plaster are part of the decor.
This photo is hauntingly beautiful. I could live with that room the way it is.
Nothing wrong with a few physical hints at a more glorious future 🙂
“Imagination is is the only weapon in the war against reality”
C.S. Lewis – Alice in Wonderland
I can see it already now, how splendid this room will look like.
“All you need is a little faith, trust and pixie dust!” J.M. Barrie- Peter Pan
If I discover the source, I’ll gladly share it 🙂
Honestly, I love the juxtaposition of the elegant chandelier against the broken lath and plaster.
I used to frequent a bar that was in an old house. It still looked like a second empire single family house, inside and out. It had been moved from its original location down the street in a very quaint little town. And it was a dump. My favorite was the fact that during the holidays they decorated the giant holes in the wall with Christmas lights, holes just like that one in the dining room. It wasn’t quite that fabulous chandelier, but it did the job. The owner eventually renovated the place, and while it looks nice now, I miss all the little (and big) imperfections that were often lit for the holidays.
I guess what I’m saying is, I feel you on celebrating the dining room just as it is.
Just getting caught up after many years away. My husband and I call this aesthetic “Acrés Verdé,” or Green Acres, after Zsa Zsa’s Fifth Avenue decor in the plaster-cracked farmhouse. Our own home currently features this style.