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Dining Room Help; should I leave this wall alone? (pics)

16 years ago

All of you have been so helpful with my Dining Room, so I thought I'd run this by you. I have two beautiful wall mounted tables/sconces that came out of my mom's house, and they need a home. The only wall space available is in the Dining Room. Should I add these to the mix or leave well enough alone?

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Comments (19)

igloochic
16 years ago
Can you show us what they look like? That would help...
User
16 years ago
I can't quite picture what you're talking about either. But I will say that I think your dining room is exquisite just as it is!
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I'm not sure I understand as it looks like you have HVAC on the other wall there. But you have done such beautiful things in that house, I'm sure your vision for that will look great. As for Nespresso placement, I don't have one so I don't know how they work but maybe this will help give you some ideas. We are big coffee/tea drinkers and I didn't want all that clutter in my kitchen. I have a small kitchen and already have enough countertop clutter. My laundry room is large and also has my pantry cabinets. It's right next to my kitchen, like where your hall is. Of course, your laundry room is just another couple of steps so either would be similar distance as I walk from my kitchen to laundry/pantry. Anyway..... I have a stretch of counter and some cabinet space in that laundry/pantry room devoted to coffee/tea items, some snack making like the hot-air popcorn popper, and my Blendtec blender for smoothies, sorbets, etc. We make our coffee in a French press and I have a electric kettle to heat up the water. It holds enough for two pots of coffee or one pot plus tea water. So, once a day or so I take the kettle into the kitchen to fill with water at the sink and then the rest can be done in the laundry room. I take the blender jar into the kitchen to add water. It's only a few extra steps and worth every step to keep that clutter out of my kitchen. I'm guessing you could do something similar to that, right? Maybe have a pitcher you fill with water to refill the Nespresso so you only have to go to the sink for water once in awhile and not every time you make one? I do plan on someday having a sink in the laundry room to make this a little more convenient but, really, those few extra step aren't a big deal to me so no hurry on putting in the sink. Another option that might work well for you is to put a roll-out shelf on one of the shelves in the tall cabinet to the left of your fridge. So you could roll a shelf out with the Nespresso on it and then after you are done using it and it is no longer steaming, roll the shelf back into the cabinet. Sorry to write to so long about something so trivial. My concise/edit function seems to be off-kilter this morning. :)
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jjam
Original Author
16 years ago
Sorry, I did this post in a hurry! I'm talking about what's on the wall to the right of the painting. I just wanted to see what one would look like before I put any more holes in the wall! My mom used them as wall mounted tables in a hallway, but they also could be large wall sconces, as they are here. If I used the pair, the other would go to the left of the painting. I put the jar on the one, again to give an idea of what something would be like placed on them.
teacats
16 years ago
I think the wall shelves look great over the two chairs!

Not sure about the color of the finish ..... maybe someone else might photoshop them in a slightly more gold-like finish to work with the frame of the painting and the gorgeous lamps?
postum
16 years ago
That is a really beautiful sconce (or whatever you call it!) but to my eye it just does not fit in that space. You already have the two lamps providing perfect balance to the painting, and that looks just right. I think the sconces detract from the overall look.
User
16 years ago
Ah! OK -- I like the sconce(s) very much and think they add a lot to your space. I like the fact that they bring in another wood tone, which kinda gives your space a more "accumulated over time" feel. I'd go for it and hang the other.
jjam
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, teacats. I hadn't thought about the finish. Your idea is interesting, although these have kind of a distressed look IRL which is pretty. They are vintage Italian and I hate to change them. I see what you mean about so much gold next to them, though. Do you think the one is placed correctly? If I mount these into the wall, they aren't moving, so I want to be sure of what I'm doing! I appreciate your response.
mlraff53
16 years ago
I like them (right above the chairs). I wouldn't change the finish but you can tie them in with the frame with whatever you put on top of them (like something with a little gold in it).
louisianapurchase
16 years ago
First your dining room is exquisite. Second I love the sconces and I would leave the finish as is. I am all about primitive formal and I think they add just the right balance!! The finish also ties in nicely with your drapery panels.

Although, and this is just me talking, I think they need to be brought up a couple of inches. You seem to have high ceilings and they are rather massive in size so if they were up another inch or two they wouldn't seem so weighted. Just add another ginger jar to the other one and your set!!!

Shannon
estreya
16 years ago
Hi!

Your room is exquisite. And so are the sconces. However, i think the sconces compete with the "clean" wood lines, and most especially the straight lines of the lamp (which i also love). But i have a question - is there any play on the same wall the drapes are on? I can't quite tell how much space is actually available on that wall, and i agree that the texture of the drape is very complimentary to the more heavily adorned wood. Have you tried them on that wall, so it would compete less with the server wall?
les917
16 years ago
They are lovely, but too ornate for the cleaner lines of all the pieces in your very pretty room.

They need a big space on a large wall to be used as sconces, imo.

What I was thinking is that you could use them as supports (or so that they look like supports) for a glass top or maybe even a stone shelf to create a console table look, which would be wonderful in a foyer or an upstairs hallway, or perhaps on a wall in a living room.
ttodd
16 years ago
I'm not feeling them in the space. They are so close in size height wise (& width wise if you measured the 2 wall shelves together) to the picture that they compete w/ it. I find your picture to be perfect in your DR & think that it should be the focal point on the wall. Love the stripes - didn't you do those yourself?
jjam
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks all. Your thoughts are all very helpful. I love these (tables, sconces, whatever they are!) and they have been collecting dust because they are so unusual and I haven't been sure what to do with them. My mom had them in an upstairs hall with a gorgeous mirror in between them, but my foyer/hallways are very small and have very little wall space. So my Dining Room strikes me as the most probable space but, as estreya said, I've got mixed feelings about how they work against the straight lines of my DR furniture. I've tried to create an updated classic look in there, and love it, just don't want to upset the balance there. Shannon, I do think you are right that if I keep them they need to be raised up a bit, and the painting then should go up as well. Again, thanks for your thoughts. I'll be sleeping on this one.

Also, estreya, unfortunately there is only a small amount of wall space between the windows. The wall with the buffet is the only available space in the room, if I use both of them, and if I'm going to use them at all, it seems a
shame not to have the pair. (I think????)
jjam
Original Author
16 years ago
I just posted and read a few more messages. It seems I have answered my own question. The more I look at them I think I should leave the wall as is. We do love the DR, and I was also concerned about distracting from the painting. Les, I love your idea about using them under glass. I'm going to look in my LR for a space. Oh for an empty wall somewhere!
lindac
16 years ago
Fabulous!! Right where you put it....make the holes and put them in the wall....as for the finish...it's great! I love the fact that they "compete" with the clean lines of the table.
Linda C
jejvtr
16 years ago
jam
LOVE your DR - just lovely - like I can imagine having a cup of tea & sconce you just baked;) -

I agree w/the others who opined the sconces are too large/ornate, just not working with the rest of the room- They are lovely though.... take them around your home and place them - you'll find a spot where they feel at home - may be in a least likely place

good luck
Kathleen McGuire
16 years ago
Love the "new" sconces! I could see them somewhere on a large tall wall maybe going up the stairs somewhere? I think they are too large for the DR wall. You would have to move the picture up if you were to use them there. And I agree that you already have the lamps to "frame" the space. The added sconces seem out of place. They truly are lovely and I am sure you will find a place for them. Is there nowhere in you LR they would fit? One day you will find a place for them and wonder why it took you so long to think of it!
gk5040
16 years ago
Its not so much they are ornate as they are really too big for the space. They would look beautiful in a 2 story area. A neighbor had something similar and she took them to a professional silk floral designer who embellished them with ferns, ivy, greenery, feathers, etc and they were beautiful. I have something similar but on a much smaller scale.
johnatemp
16 years ago
Jjam,
They are beautiful pieces. But....I just don't see them in there. Your dining room is perfection already!!

But, if I remember your LR - yes, yes!! Find a spot in there.

SMiles:)

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