Room Of The Week
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Room of the Week: A Bright and Breezy Dining Room Makeover
A lick of paint, a fresh new colour palette and smart styling were the makings of this family dining room in Queensland
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Tell us about this house
With its VJ-panelled walls, leadlight casement windows, fretwork and high ceilings, this Brisbane house is the epitome of our dream home.
It’s surrounded by mature, tropical gardens and both decks look over a canopy of lush plants and trees. This dining room overlooks an oval.
With its VJ-panelled walls, leadlight casement windows, fretwork and high ceilings, this Brisbane house is the epitome of our dream home.
It’s surrounded by mature, tropical gardens and both decks look over a canopy of lush plants and trees. This dining room overlooks an oval.
What were you hoping to achieve here?
Painting was the priority. The house originally had a heritage colour scheme that made it feel dark and dated. A new colour scheme of whites transformed the house from traditional to contemporary.
We painted the whole interior in the same whites, which allowed us to inject colour with furniture and furnishings. This neutral base also allows us to swap rooms around as our family grows.
Natural fabrics such as linen help keep us cool, and wicker furniture really suits Queensland’s outdoor lifestyle.
I wanted this room to feel relaxed and connected to the outdoors. This laid-back feel is a reflection of our personalities and lifestyle, but it also reflects where we’re at in our lives; life is messy with small children and nothing stays new for very long.
Painting was the priority. The house originally had a heritage colour scheme that made it feel dark and dated. A new colour scheme of whites transformed the house from traditional to contemporary.
We painted the whole interior in the same whites, which allowed us to inject colour with furniture and furnishings. This neutral base also allows us to swap rooms around as our family grows.
Natural fabrics such as linen help keep us cool, and wicker furniture really suits Queensland’s outdoor lifestyle.
I wanted this room to feel relaxed and connected to the outdoors. This laid-back feel is a reflection of our personalities and lifestyle, but it also reflects where we’re at in our lives; life is messy with small children and nothing stays new for very long.
Starting point
The green leadlight windows and surrounding tropical gardens inspired the colour palette, which flows from inside to out. The dining table colour is a response to the tropical outlook and the green in the leadlight casement windows.
Because of all the windows in this room, it feels like an atrium. So it felt right to fill the corners with indoor plants in planters. It’s so sunny and warm in here that plants thrive.
The green leadlight windows and surrounding tropical gardens inspired the colour palette, which flows from inside to out. The dining table colour is a response to the tropical outlook and the green in the leadlight casement windows.
Because of all the windows in this room, it feels like an atrium. So it felt right to fill the corners with indoor plants in planters. It’s so sunny and warm in here that plants thrive.
What exactly did you do?
- Painted the VJ-panelled walls, the ceiling and trims.
- Repainted the vintage dining table.
- Added Cotswold Joe dining chairs.
- Replaced the wall lights.
- Added planters and indoor plants.
- Introduced a fabric-covered ottoman in a bold, leafy print.
- We left the original floor as is. We wanted to sand it back and refinish it, but with small children it wasn’t a priority. In a perfect world, we’d have a sisal rug in here, but that will need to wait until Louis stops throwing all his food on the floor!
What was your thinking behind the arrangement of furniture?
The proportions of the dining room don’t really lend themselves to any other option than to put the table lengthways in the centre of the room.
The corners of the room needed some filling and height, and the planters do that perfectly.
We replaced the wall lights in the existing locations to minimise electrical costs. Also the VJ-panelled walls don’t have cavities, so we were limited as to where the lights could go without exposing electrical cabling.
What challenges did you face?Essentially, this is the front entrance to the house, so keeping the dining setting small enough so the thoroughfare isn’t blocked or the room visually cut off upon entering was a challenge. I think the high vaulted ceiling and staircase help the room feel open even though it’s quite small.
The battens on the VJ walls restrict us in hanging art, so the wall lights needed to be really special.
The proportions of the dining room don’t really lend themselves to any other option than to put the table lengthways in the centre of the room.
The corners of the room needed some filling and height, and the planters do that perfectly.
We replaced the wall lights in the existing locations to minimise electrical costs. Also the VJ-panelled walls don’t have cavities, so we were limited as to where the lights could go without exposing electrical cabling.
What challenges did you face?Essentially, this is the front entrance to the house, so keeping the dining setting small enough so the thoroughfare isn’t blocked or the room visually cut off upon entering was a challenge. I think the high vaulted ceiling and staircase help the room feel open even though it’s quite small.
The battens on the VJ walls restrict us in hanging art, so the wall lights needed to be really special.
Colour and paint palette:
Materials palette:
Wicker and cane with wood and linen, all natural and perfectly suited to the balmy Brisbane climate.
Finishes on the walls and dining table are as matt as possible while remaining durable and low-maintenance.
- Walls are painted in Dulux Casper White with Lexicon Quarter trims and balustrade.
- Dining table is painted in Annie Sloan Antibes Green chalk paint.
Materials palette:
Wicker and cane with wood and linen, all natural and perfectly suited to the balmy Brisbane climate.
Finishes on the walls and dining table are as matt as possible while remaining durable and low-maintenance.
Key pieces of furniture/fittings
- The antique dining table belonged to my grandmother. I salvaged it from my parents’ garage and it has been with me since I moved out of home 20 years ago. It’s been patched and painted several times to suit each interior I’ve lived in since university. Unfortunately, it’s not in the best condition and almost didn’t survive the move here, but I’m pretty attached to it and can’t imagine replacing it.
- Joe dining chairs from Cotswold Furniture.
- Planters from The Family Love Tree.
- A Bonnie and Neil ottoman that I picked up recently at a little shop in Coolangatta, Queensland. I couldn’t resist the tropical green print on white linen, and it really makes this room.
- Fiori Di Pizzo antique brass and fretted ceramic wall lights from LightCo. I’ve been lusting over these lights for years and hadn’t found the right space to use them until now.
Why do you think this room works?
Without art in the room, the dining table becomes the hero. Also, the plain walls allow the beautiful leadlight windows to shine.
A limited colour palette gives the room an understated feel, even though the green is quite bold. There’s also a nice connection between inside and out through the use of colour and plants.
Tell us
Do you love this tropical-inspired dining room as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story, and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more interiors ideas? Don’t miss last week’s Room of the Week: A Colourful, Curated Family Living Area
Without art in the room, the dining table becomes the hero. Also, the plain walls allow the beautiful leadlight windows to shine.
A limited colour palette gives the room an understated feel, even though the green is quite bold. There’s also a nice connection between inside and out through the use of colour and plants.
Tell us
Do you love this tropical-inspired dining room as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story, and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more interiors ideas? Don’t miss last week’s Room of the Week: A Colourful, Curated Family Living Area
Answers by Kate Connors, interior designer and director at Connors & Co.
Who lives here: Kate Connors, her husband Matt and their two children Stella, three, and Louis, 11 months
Location: Bulimba, Queensland
Room purpose: A family dining room (although we tend to eat outside on the deck and I’ve adopted this room as my office and meeting room)
Room size: Approximately 15 square metres