colonial Archives - Emily A. Clark

A High/Low Mix in Our Kitchen Dining Area

Jul252018

Although our kitchen renovation was officially finished almost two years ago, I’m still making tweaks in the dining area. Like most of our house, it’s becoming a high/low mix of a good statement piece or two and some really lucky Craigslist or thrift store finds. (My favorite way to decorate!)

Since moving into this house, I’d been using an inexpensive light fixture that I had bought for our last home. It was intended to a be a placeholder until I found the one. And nearly three years later, I found the perfect replacement.

I always felt like the fixture needed to feel lighter against the wallpaper, and the arms and white linen shades on the Dillon chandelier from Hudson Valley Lighting do the trick. It also gives off plenty of light, with the shades making it feel very cozy at night. I’m using 40 watt bulbs (although you can do up to 60).

The Dillon chandelier is traditional without being stuffy. I anticipate that it will be here for a very long time. . . I also think it’s a better blend with the brass pendants over our island and the wall sconces I used over the gallery wall.

In the market for statement lighting? Hudson Valley Lighting (#hudsonvalleylighting) has some great options. Shop them all here.

Lighting isn’t the only way I’m changing up this spot. I took away the heavier wood chairs and, for now, I’m using a mix of slipcovered end chairs and a pair of Chippendale style chairs I found on Amazon a couple of years ago that have since sold out. (I also found a similar set for another room here.)

The dining bench was a budget compromise when we did our renovation. I found a bench that fit the wall perfectly and decided to put my money into other things (like wallpaper) instead of doing a built-in window seat, changing out the windows, etc. Finding a good high/low decorating mix is like figuring out a puzzle, right?

For a full list of sources, see the bottom of my kitchen renovation post.

This post was sponsored by Hudson Valley Lighting.

Follow #hudsonvalleylighting on Instagram for more lighting ideas.

Quick Change: Faux Bamboo Dining Chairs

Jul182018

Today, I’m sharing one of my best Facebook Marketplace finds to date and some very kid-friendly fabric you might be interested in checking out. I wasn’t even looking for dining chairs when I found this faux bamboo set listed for a steal. (And, six hours later, they were in my in my garage. . .)

See more of my entryway here.

The only kicker was that they didn’t come with cushions and definitely had to have them.

I wanted something with no maintenance so I started looking at vinyl. After ordering–and returning–an inexpensive embossed ostrich vinyl that looked way too shiny, I decided it was worth shopping around and paying a little more per yard. I ended up going with this light blue linen-lookalike:

For reference, I needed three yards for this project and my upholsterer charged me $60 per chair in labor.

By the way, I guess this room has given up the title of being called my office. I’m forever working in a comfortable chair or on the porch with my laptop so for now, we’re calling it the dining room again. . . .

Our Screened Porch (+ Adding a TV)

Jul122018

Although I just redecorated our screened porch last year, we’ve once again changed things up and it’s working even better for our family. It’s all the same furniture, but we reversed the layout and added a TV, which has given us the feeling of an extra living room. This is my favorite reading spot and, as I mentioned in my Instagram story yesterday, my preferred place to meet Alex Trebek at 7pm every night.

I have to admit, I’ve been having outdoor furniture envy when I see all of the light/white pieces on some of my favorite patios. But our Target furniture is still going strong after six years so we’re going with it. Instead, I picked up several bright white pieces for our porch this year and added color with some new pillows.

Side note: I think Target may be discontinuing its Belvedere line. There’s little left online. But, I linked to a similar set–and sources for everything else (or similar items)–at the end of this post.

I know someone is going to ask how we hung the TV. This is not my speciality. (Remember, I’m strictly the “idea girl.”) My husband and his friend executed my plan. ;) But. . . I can tell you we used this bracket and bought this TV. It’s not made specifically for outdoors; those are way pricier so we decided to take our chances under the covered porch.

See last year’s porch transformation–and how I painted the floors–here.