My dining room is currently a work in progress. It's not quite pulled together yet. There is the Madeleine Castaing fabric that I just purchased for my dining room chairs; it's currently rolled around a tube, propped up in the corner of the room. Then there's the unresolved issue of where to display my collection of porcelain and ceramicware. I was standing in the room the other night, peppering myself with questions. "Is it going to look too traditional?" "What's the 'Wow' moment going to be in the room?" "What can I include that will be hip and cool?"
But then I got honest with myself. Cool and wow are not only not me, they've become tired and trite. I'm over hip. I want to see pretty interiors. Rooms that look cohesive. Rooms where you don't see one crazy, show-off piece that screams "OMG! Look at me!" After having this conservation with myself, I started to think about designer Paolo Moschino's London home. I first saw photos of it in the October 2004 issue of House & Garden, and two rooms really struck me. First, that dining room. It's such a lovely and elegant room, one that must look so romantic when awash in candlelight. And then there's the rich, rather dramatic looking bedroom with those Chinese Red walls. I couldn't find my tear sheets of the home, so I visited Moschino's website where I found the photos seen here.
After looking at the photos of Moschino's dining room again, I think that I've made the decision to stick with my original plans for my dining room. Nothing trendy, only lovely and elegant.
The two photos above show one end of Moschino's double drawing room.
The other end of the drawing room feels very different. This side is light and airy, while the paneled side feels more cozy and warm. The 1940s era pieces seen here provide an interesting contrast to the more traditional and formal furniture of the paneled side.
Two views of the dining room. To me, it feels more French than English.
A vignette in Moschino's kitchen.
Two views of the master bedroom.
The gorgeous guest bedroom.
All photos from House & Garden, October 2004 and Architectural Digest Russia, February 2009. Simon Upton, photographer.
Why don't you hang your your ceramics collection on the walls of your dining room? This is easy if they are plates and platters and if bowls and so forth you can make some wall brackets out of painted plywood or mdf to stand them on. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAnon- Great minds think alike! I was thinking of the same thing over the weekend. They're plates, bowls, cups and saucers- all of which would fit nicely on a bracket. Thanks! I'll keep you posted!
ReplyDeleteI covet all those Piranesi engravings in the white bedroom. But this is a touch of Display rather than Design. I would have preferred to have seen them framed for archival protection.
ReplyDeleteClassicist- Those engravings are very handsome. They are very "you"!
ReplyDeleteIt will be fun to see what you decide! When we moved into our house almost 30 years ago, I promptly turned the family room adjacent to the kitchen into a dining room. Now as empty nesters and having passed the torch of preparing large family dinners on to the next generation, we are in the midst of turning the dining room into a library with dining options. Being surrounded by books, firelight and candlelight should be a good thing. Being an old English major, I look for the narrative. What story do you want your new dining to tell?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not terribly into "formal" rooms, this home manages to achieve "formal" without going "untouchable. That drawing room portion with the wood panels and contrasting white furniture is pure heaven and so comfortably sophisticated. I'm fully inspired. As they say in Russia: Спасибо!
ReplyDeleteI agree. All the chevron/gilt/suzanni/ikat/lucite combos are becoming a bit much. Designers like Steven Gambrel and Miles Redd have proved that modern and classic coexist gracefully.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully classic residence dahhling... enjoyed the photos very much.
ReplyDelete2004? Let's hear it for rooms that last and last, are elegant without being pretentious, stylish without being gimmicky. I loved this post--merci!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really cool!!Knowing Moschino design his house is probably filled with weird and fun little accents!! want to spend a day there to look around :)
ReplyDeletelove K
You can see this house in its current incarnation in the April 2012 issue of Architectural Digest. There have been some major changes to the "lighter" drawing room.
ReplyDelete