Our Belated Dining Room Reveal

I just realized the other day, while I was sharing yet again photos of our dining room on Instagram, that I haven't done a proper reveal of it on the blog.  Did you read about our exciting experience at Restoration Hardware's Chicago flagship gallery?  We love the RH style, and this dining table and chairs from RH define our home's overall style.

We're fortunate to have such a large dining area in a townhouse.  Let me explain how we have designed our dining room to be comparable to our previous larger home's.

The builder has designated this space as a typical townhouse layout.  As you can see below, the space right outside of the kitchen is the dining area, and the living area on its left.

Builder's rendition

Ignoring the builder's planned furniture placements, the builder's living/ dining area is a huge open space!  Knowing the dimensions of the layout, I knew it would be a spacious area to use as our dining room. 

But where should we put the living area now that our dining table has taken up the entire space? See the 2 dining tables in the builder's layout?  One is in the dining area and the other in the breakfast nook (bottom left).  We didn't see the need of a breakfast area in our old house, so naturally I've eliminated this one in the new house as well.  As mentioned previously, we designed it as a seating area/ living room instead.  

This was our dining room in our previous home...

and I was pretty sure the new house's dining area would fit it just right.

This was the furniture layout we planned for in place of the builder's:

Our planned layout

I've posted my dining room inspirations here, and I'm so glad how it turned out!  Although the dining room of our previous home is larger, I love how much brighter the dining area is at this new house.

One of the tricky elements of this dining area is the different sizes of windows.  The set of windows on the left is wider than the patio doors on the right.  Since we're using this as a dining area, we wanted the windows to have a unified look.  

We devised a work-around solution to treat it as one large window wall by installing the taupe swags only on either ends of the wall.  This window treatment makes the room feel larger by unifying the two sets of windows as one.  The set of topiaries and the double chandeliers were placed strategically to enhance this illusion of symmetry.

As you can see, the console table is at the same position as in our previous home.  It made sense to have it on the left side of the dining area instead of the right side, which may then block the traffic at the patio door.

These were the chandeliers that hung above our previous home's kitchen island.  We loved them too much and just had to bring them with us to this new house! 

These chandeliers were another tricky point of this dining area.  During our pre-drywall appointment with the builder, we noticed the two light boxes for this space.  They were in the middle of the builder-planned living area and dining area.  If you check the floor plan above, you would notice the lights would be far apart.  

We requested the placement of the light boxes in this large space to be moved to accommodate for the two chandeliers.  We marked exactly where the boxes should be.  Although the site supervisor emphasized that he couldn't promise us the location would be exactly as marked, they were pretty much where we wanted them to be...  4 ft. apart above the centre of the dining table.

And yes, to know where to mark those light boxes, we had in mind the placement of our dining room furniture in this space.  We had a rough idea of how far the dining table should be away from the window wall, and how much space should be between the dining table and the console table.  That was how we gauged where the light boxes of the chandeliers should be.  

These are what I would call minor but essential details of our planning phase.

And since we don't have a home office, this is where I have my (usually messy) work area as well.  Yup, I use the Mr.'s rock glasses for my fave lemony San Pellegrino.   It makes my water look that much prettier!

This is the breakfast area turned seating area.  Notice there's no TV on our ground floor.  We've always wanted it that way, even at our previous home.  We're not serious TV watchers and I find it a nuance to work furniture placement around a TV.  Instead, we had banished the TV to our basement family room.  It's a calmer home without having to talk to each other over TV sounds.

The walls look bare without any wall treatments.  Eventually the Mr. will get to building the wainscoting and re-painting our main floor.  I'd much rather have our storage issues addressed before we attempt any improvement projects on aesthetics.  You can see the Mr.'s DIY wainscoting at our previous home's dining room here.

I think I've covered most of the design elements of this dining area in our new house.  Well, it's not so new anymore; I can't believe September would be our first year anniversary at this house!  It's time to celebrate!

Oh that reminds me of this important part of our dining room...  our bar cart!

Restoration Hardware Chicago - The Gallery at Three Arts Club

I can't believe it's already been a week since we've returned from our Chicago visit.  Our friends there always make our stay with them lots of fun.  Knowing that we're food lovers, it's almost a sure thing that they would introduce us to yet another delicious venue.  This time around, on the first afternoon of our visit, they brought our family to enjoy a scrumptious snack...  and a feast for the eyes!

I'm talking about the Restoration Hardware's Chicago flagship store - The Gallery at Three Arts Club.  It's a historical building that has been renovated, and of course, outfitted by RH's furniture.

I couldn't contain myself when I saw the Café!  I don't think I was able to close my mouth from the oohs and ahs that were coming out.  I heard it's usually a never-ending lineup into the cafe, so we were very lucky to arrive at tea time and got seated at a table right away! 

This latte was nothing short of perfection! We also ordered a truffle grilled cheese sandwich, which was equally out of this world.

It was late afternoon and this gigantic chandelier lit up.  It brought a fairytale ambiance to the whole courtyard café.

Our visit didn't end there...  be prepared for an overload of images!

The Gallery has five floors, each floor houses a department as such:

Our friends suggested we start our tour of the gallery from the top floor of Outdoor and Garden, and continue down the floors.  It was such a good idea...  if we had gone from bottom to top, it would've been dark (and rainy) outside when we got to the Outdoor part!

Let me take you on a mini tour of the Gallery.  It has too many beautiful rooms and I can't possibly fit them all in one post, so I've picked my favourites to showcase.

Outdoor & Garden

RH read my mind...  rattan furniture, dining area under a curtained gazebo, gray patio stone slabs...  my backyard goals are screaming at me.

Then we went down this beautiful staircase from the outdoor area, lit by these gorgeous large chandeliers, with their light reflected by the gilded mirrors:

Modern Furniture Line

The 4th floor houses RH's relatively new modern line.  I'm not much of a modern gal, but when it's glammed up with tufting and gold accents...  I think I can live with that!

This Porthole bar curio with pipework base looks stunning.  It's a statement piece that can fit any style of space.

How glam is this modern powder room?  That gold chair with fur cushions takes an ordinary-looking vanity up a notch!

Child & Teen

I guess it's no surprise that I was inspired by all things RH when I was brainstorming the playroom for little man.  I love the industrial style and rugged feel of the boys' rooms:

This is such a cool work (and gathering) space for the boys!  Wonder if they'll get any work done just chit chatting away in those furry chairs :-)

And here are the rooms fit for princesses!  It's so much lighter in textures and brighter, a stark contrast to the boys' rooms.

I can see a slumber party going on here!

How dreamy is this bed?  Love the chandelier emerging through the canopy.

This is my favourite room of the girls space.  A daybed, a beautiful beaded chandelier, and even a space to host an Alice in Wonderland tea party!

Plus a mirror vanity table, and...

... a mirror dresser!  All the glamorous touches!!  Lucky girl!

Bed & Bath

I'm not sure how I whizzed through this floor without taking much photos!  But I love this bathroom vanity, with a luxury hotel feel. 

Notice how they showcase the different faucet styles at each sink:

Living & Dining

And here we are back on the first floor.  Every space featured is stunningly gorgeous!!  You get the sense of grandeur that's the essence of Restoration Hardware in each setting.

I love this dining room's intricate fireplace.  Makes me want to have a fireplace in ours too!

Such an intimate setting for a dining room.  My photo doesn't do justice to this beautiful stone top dining table.

Hallways

RH didn't leave any space unturned; even the hallways are beautifully decorated.  Need some inspirations for your long hallways?  Adorn them with mirrors/ artwork, chandeliers, and exquisite sconces.  Here are a couple of my favourites:

Pantry

The Café's pantry is off to the side but it's not just a regular butler pantry.  Those gray cabinets feature a marble countertop, supporting a brass and glass shelving unit.  This is exactly what I dream of for our basement family room's bar area.

It shouldn't be too hard for the Mr. to DIY, ya think? 😁

How many times have you dreamed of being in a room of an RH catalogue?  For a Restoration Hardware fan like the Mr. and I, this visit to the Gallery was a magical experience.  Each floor and each space within is like a live catalogue right in front of you.  And we're ever so grateful for our friends to know us so well, both food- and style-wise, that they brought us there!

Speaking of food...  I'm undergoing vacation detox from our stuff-athon (as in stuffing ourselves with the yummy good food in Chicago!).  Can't wait to go back again!!

Living Room Reveal and Styling Tips

Being in a townhouse, there usually isn't a separate living room so to speak.  Since we had the builder finished the basement as a family room, it freed up space on the main floor (and no TV!).  We also didn't need the builder-designated breakfast area, which is in close proximity to the breakfast bar and dining room (c'mon we're only a family of 3).  That gave rise to the idea of a seating area in place of the breakfast area.

After months of anticipation, we finally (!!!) received the end tables we ordered back in October for the living room/ seating area.  I had decor items lined up for its arrival since our purchase, and we can now focus on beautifying our living room.  

It's been more than a year since I wrote about our living room design board, and this was what I had in mind for our living room in that post:

Deals come and go, and so our furniture choices differ from our design board.  We incorporated pieces that we love, while still staying true to our decorating style.  Here is how our living room actually turned out:

First to set the stage is of course an elegant and comfy sofa.  We've scoured through stores, but none other than the Nicole sofa by Sarah Richardson was our one true love.  The curvy sides and arms add the touch of uniqueness that distinguishes it from traditional sofas.  Plus, I love its large fluffy seat cushion, so nobody would be sitting on cushion gaps.  

Natalie Hodgins, who managed our furniture order seamlessly at Sarah Richardson Design, suggested we also include the back cushions.  We're so glad we went with her suggestion, the back cushions up the comfy factor of a tight back sofa.

With the statement art piece above the sofa as the focal point, we decided to go with a pair of end tables with acrylic legs.  The tables almost seem to disappear into the surrounding, but the chrome accents and mirror bottom shelf bring out the gleam in them.  

Its hard lines are a nice contrast to the curvy marble coffee table and delicate arms on the sofa.  We also love how the mirrored bottom shelf reflects the light from the table lamps and creates depth for whatever decor placed on it. 

Instead of using large armchairs on either side of the sofa, as in my original design board, we opted to use a pair of cane back dining armchairs from Restoration Hardware.  It was one of those decisions that was prompted by a deal, and worked out great in the end.   We already had one from our old house's home office, and saw the second one at the RH Outlet while it was running a 30% off lowest ticket price campaign.  It was a no brainer to grab it!  

Their narrow footprint streamlined the seating area, so that the living room appears less crowded than if we had used chunky armchairs. 

With our living and dining areas being next to each other, we used a silvery blue as a transition colour between the two areas.  The silvery blue tone can be found in the animal print rug, the kitchen stools, and the dining room console.  

It's All in the Details

Now that we have our essential pieces down, it's time to beautify and liven up the seating area with accessories!  This is a stark contrast to the year at our rental, which I never bothered to decorate.  It was a boring place to stay at, lacking in character without something beautiful to look at.  

Since moving in at our new house, I've purged through our old home decor accessories and curated items that we love.  I don't really work with a theme, other than a seasonal one.  However, the objects still look coherent, because they all represent us.

With a prominent piece of artwork above the sofa, we picked out neutral tones for the throw pillows.  Pulling a darker tone from the art, in this case the navy, for a contrasting pillow colour helps to ground the space that would otherwise appear washed out.

We didn't want too many accessories to crowd up the small seating area.  Afterall, if I didn't exercise control, I could easily pile up the coffee and end tables with everything I love ;-)  

In keeping with the spirit of less-is-more for this small space, instead of filling up the coffee table with books, I decided to give it some breathing space by corralling simple accessories on a tray.

I used metallics throughout to balance the strong copperish gold tone of the frame.  It helps to avoid washing out the rest of the seating area against the strong piece of art.  

Here on the pale marble coffee table, I used a mirror tray with bronze frame and an antiqued gold lantern:

And at the end table here, with the gold resin shell bowl and beige-gold toned capiz shells tray.  I love how the gold Jonathan Adler Carnaby Zebra dish echoes the animal print rug to subtly tie in the accessories.  

Just in case you're wondering, no, the seating area is not considered done until the Mr. installs the full-panel wainscoting as in my design board.  He gave me the "I've got a lot on my plate" look when I reminded him about it the other night.  I brought it up, just because...  I'll leave him alone for now, as he's still finishing up with our dressing room.   =)

It was exciting to envision this builder-designated breakfast area to be a seating area when I first saw the floor plan.  Even more fun was the design process, and now furnishing and personalizing it to suit our living style.  

We love how it is neutral enough to not fight with the artwork, and yet everything works in harmony.  This is the first room that we see when we walk into the living area, and it should naturally feel welcoming.  We wanted it to be a focal point without being too formal (ie. realistically livable with a kid).  

I think with the speed the little man dashes to the couch after coming home, we've at least managed the livable part =)

P.S.:  The wainscoting should be a piece of cake for the Mr., since he's done the wainscoting with the chair rail for our old house's living/ dining room.