Pent Dining Room: Three For Dinner (and two dogs…and a cat)

27 Nov Pent Dining Room: Three For Dinner (and two dogs…and a cat)

I love this family.

The husband and I went to rival high schools, the wife and I went to college together, and they have one of the most beautiful baby boys I have ever seen.  Seriously!

The Pent’s home is old and lovely, and the dining room especially has lots of natural light.  Because the previous owner put it through a bit of a lackluster reno, the home needed some pizzazz.  Our first challenge was marrying the styles of the couple and combining both of their visions, plus keeping in mind there is a baby in the house and two large dogs.  Oh, and a cat, you can’t forget the cat!

Besides the pretty sunshine coming through the windows, this room houses the husband’s (a talented pianist) gorgeous glossy white baby grand piano.  Here are some before pictures – the dining room is the first room you see to the right when you walk in the front door.

Looking in from the Living Room.

Pretty fireplace.

At the back of the room, there is a bit of space for a small lounging area which I think is really cozy to have in a living room.

So as you can see, with the pretty floors, natural light, fireplace, and incredible piano, all this room needed was to be revamped into something both owners would love.  When I sat down with them, it was pretty clear there was a bit of a style difference.  Asking about the husband’s style, I was told,

“Think P.Diddy.”

Still makes me laugh.  Definitely a first.  The wife loves the Domino look, and is more of an eclectic vibe.  Overall, they are both fairly modern and very fun to work with.  The plan was for all of the furniture to leave the room except the buffet and the settee (which was to be revamped after some unfortunate incidents with the cat), and the curtains are also new and pretty, so they were going to stay.  Since I was having a bit of a hard time figuring out what dining chair would work for them, their design board had a few chair options.     

Our first matter of business was wall color.  We finally arrived at a deliciously rich gray – it is a Valspar color, and I cannot think of the name of it.  If you really love it, leave a note for me in the comments section, and I will find it for you.  A major component of brightening this room was painting the trim a bright white to match the piano.  It was painted beige before, which lended a drab feel to the room.  The ceiling was painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Collingwood”.

After a few pow-wows with my clients, this is what we created.  Take a look.

The dining table is the “Emmerson Table” from West Elm, and I love it.  The wood is reclaimed, and I think it is the perfect modern farmhouse table.  It is a truly beautiful piece.  Look at that thick wood top!  The chairs are from Z-Gallerie, and they are now discontinued; however, for those of you that like to know, they are called the “Concerto Dining Chair”.  Pretty perfect with the piano, right?  The white leather will be easy to wipe clean, and the polished nickel nailheads add some sparkle.

The little settee at the back of the room was recovered in a plum Sunbrella velvet, and is now cozy and comfy.  Wood and chrome side tables (aren’t those sleek?!) are from West Elm, the ikat pillows are from Etsy, and the center lumbar pillow was custom and designed by yours truly.  White gourd lamps from H-to-the-Goods.

Love the mid century art piece featured above the sofa!  It’s a Gypsy Soul find!

I am crazy for this rug!  It is vintage, in perfect condition, super soft, and the colors are so vibrant!  It really ties the room together.

The fireplace received a fresh coat of trim paint, and we replaced the art that was there with the agave art from the kitchen.  Don’t the colors look beautiful together?

You know I love x-benches, and this vintage Milo Baughman pair was recovered in an ikat fabric (Robert Allen “Khanjali Peacock”), where they now flank the fireplace.

The buffet got some new jewelry in the form of brass ring pulls, and we added some pretty sparkly items to the top.

Although our original plan was to replace the lighting fixtures as they felt too “contractor”, we ended up painting them this amazing green, and they. look. awesome.  I have a new appreciation for them, and they add some serious punch to the room.

You will laugh when you find out what color they are – about as far from P.Diddy as you can get!  We painted them with Rustoleum’s John Deere Green!  But hey, the look terrific, and that’s what matters.

Looking at these pictures makes me happy all over again.  Doesn’t this room look incredible?  Modern, comfortable, artistic, and definitely has the wow factor.

Come back tomorrow for the Pent’s Living Room reveal!

**Heartfelt thanks to Kat Phillips, of TheGrayAttic.com, for the beautiful photography in this post.**