I like the blue walls but it is a bit dark. Are you thinking of changing the color of the room?

Hey 3...no and this is why...the light is low tonight but during the day and at night with the candles lit it is perfect. I love my dark walls I am just a BAD photographer :)

{{!gwi}}

Then what would you like to do? I could see a nice arrangment for your dining table but nothing too formal.

The blue walls do work wonderfully with your rug and that tile table. Very nice room.

I recognized the Southern vernacular of your wonderful home. I had guessed New Orleans, my hometown, but I see you're in AL. Mobile area? Your colors, furnishings, art and architecture are terrific.

Trailrunner, your DR is charming as is. Not sure why you want to tweak it more.
I like your carefully edited touches. If you just have the yen to change something, take 3d's advice and put an unexpected and artsy tablescape that you can change at whim. Perhaps a sculpture?

So this is what I did after removing the lamps from the table in the morning room...

I moved the lamps to the sideboard...I really like the way it looks now...I am sorry for all the blurry photos...at night I have a hard time with photos. Also the still life looks way better over the Moroccan table...I think. See what you think.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

3- I don't know what to do on the table. Any suggestions. I have lots of "stuff" so what are you thinking...taller...wider...silk...grasses...bamboo...I am lost..right now it is seashells that I picked up while running on the beach in Destin in Jan. with a candle.

blessings...my hometown too !! Me and DH grew up in NOLA !! Lots of family still there and were here for Katrina and then were on the way for last week and stopped in Baton Rouge.

Blessings you are so kind. I simply acquired things as they appeared to me. I don't shop at all . Never. So it makes it hard to add to the things I have fallen into. We are in Opelika AL . DH is with AU.

I have a crazy design style...no style.:) NOLA, Santa Fe and Victorian all mixed. I moved stuff tonight just on a whim since I decided to post pics and was trying to get "outside the box".

trailrunner: I love your DR as is. It almost has a zen feeling to it. It is so warm and inviting with decor that has meaning. I love the dark walls. It would look stunning with some wainscotting/pciture rail; but truely it'd be icing on the cake. My only suggestion would be to move the two smaller botanicals closer to the larger and also space a bit further apart vertically. I like to use the width of the matting to space apart. I'd like to see something on top of the hutch to draw the eye up--perhaps a bit of greenery? You have wonderful tablescapes already so I'm sure you could put something together.

Uptown, although when DH & I moved there in the late 90s we lived on Bayou St John. Left in '03 and visited family and friends several times pre- but only once post-K. Wish we were close enough to get an occasional bbq oyster fix at Drago's! Wish I had taken 4 generations of photos from my mother's house, but feel very blessed that we got my cousins to pick her up from the nursing home and they all stayed with us. We had a houseful too.

Anywho, find a piece of sculpture. Definitely a little "outside" but should make you smile when you see it. Or create some free-form tablescapes with little treasures and seasonal flowers/twigs whatever. Scatter your seashells. Add some blown glass fish. Have fun. You can always change to a more formal look whenever you like.

I have a wonderful Kuba cloth that I use as a runner most of the time because it's quite beautiful and textured but unexpected. I have other more traditional runners to vary the mood which I use for guests (but really I don't want the Kuba piece ruined with spills so I prefer to use something more cleanable). Sometimes I have two large hurricaine hand-blown candle holders, sometimes leaded crystal candlesticks and add seasonal color occasionally. Sometimes I use several tiny vases. Sometimes I use squash or pinecones or several pots of violets or scatter jellybeans for Easter brunch or create Christmas fun in an off-beat way. (Must be NOLA.) Almost always fresh roses for guests unless the blooming plants are on hand. My point is your DR tablescape is one of the easiest way to shift the paradigm.

Bon nuit!

Who had those very cool colored glass fishing floats? Something like that might be very nice in her room and add a bit of color.

You know, really it's a gorgeous room, and I love the dark color, but what's ruining it for me...don't get upset, but that chandelier is terrible darling, just horrible, plain, ugly and umm other stuff.

Please, save your beautiful room...and I'll help....please carefully package it in a box and send it right on over to me :oP Quickly, really it would be so gorgeous in my din...umm I mean I'd be happy to help you out by suffering with it for the next 50 years ;oP

(Ok I love the room) And all kidding aside (unless you fell for that and have packed it up LOL which is GREAT) I'd love to see a great texture runner or center fabric panel on that table, something to bring the deep blue to the center of the room, verses having something light floating on more lightness of the table wood. I can see a lovely slubby silk, or a hand woven tapestry...something unusual, casual, but with the deep formal color of your walls woven in.

And send me that light :oP (Gad it's dearly to die for!!!! I don't even look at the room...I'm just drooling over that LOL)

I love your house (what I've seen from these recent posts) as well. The only thing that immediately struck me about your DR is in the pic where you show the 'overview' (and the window), that side of the room seems crowded to me. I think one piece of furniture needs to be edited from that side. Could the tall china cabinet be moved to the other end of the room? The other end of the room seems light on furniture -- with only the Moroccan table there? (If I'm interpreting the pics correctly.)

Love your collection of wood bowls, vases, etc. -- noticed them in the other pics too.

I've had a lot of fun reading this post. Very interesting room.

First off, I was furious with Igloo until I kept reading, lol. That chandy is divine!

I love, love that color and wouldn't think of adding wainscoating. IMHO, that would add a traditional look that wouldn't be correct for your space.

If you are going to keep the pictures that high over the sideboard, I'd put one of the wooden pieces (the center one, in the group of three, or both on the right) on some kind of a platform (box?)to create a bit of height and variation. I didn't mind them, flat on the table, when you had the pretty flowers in the center, though.

For the Moroccan table, I'd put both of the candle holders on one side and then add height on the other side with your bamboo idea.

Love Igloo's idea of a great table runner.

Gorgeous room!

Val: exactly! The Zen feeling is what I am always going for. I realized you can't see it in the pictures here but there is a picture molding around the room and from it up to the ceiling is all painted like trim so it looks like a huge crown molding. I will see if I can take a pic.

blessings I am sorry that you lost all the photos...that has to hurt. I am so glad that your Mom is safe though. We lived several places there. I was in Gentilly as was DH and when we married while I was attending Loyola we lived on Chartres and Esplanade, on the corner. We later moved to Gen Haig on the park. I went to JFKennedy HS on Bayou St John...1968 I graduated :) We have only been back once siince the storm. We are going agian in Nov.

Your suggestions for a sculpture and table scapes are great. I have not tried that at all. I don't know what a Kuba cloth is but will look it up. THANK YOU...great ideas and I will try this out.

3grad...I think it is Allison that has the floats. I love them too and have thought of them in the past...great minds :) If I could trust E-bay that they would be the "real thing" I would get some. I may look again and see what I can find. Also my SIL is in the NW in WA maybe she can get them there. Thank you...

Chic..you had me going there....the fixture is from the Restoration Lighting sale 2 years ago. I wish they still had a line with this look as I wanted something for the foyer....they don't though. I will tape your name and address to it...it is your when I am gone : ) : )

If you have some pics of that sort of tapestry /runner I would so appreciate it. That is exactly what I would love. I have had poor luck trying to find runner. The table is 6ft x 3 ft and as you can see in the picture of the sideboard the rug is a Hunter Tabriz with lots of a rose and navy and dark gold in it. Keep an eye out for me.

Sue I agree....I NEVER thought of moving the china cabinet. Inspired is what you are. Let me see what kind of time DH has and I am going to see if we can move it . Then I will have to move something else so may need to use graph paper first. THANK YOU all great ideas...I knew I would get them here. c

Wonderful room! You must have GREAT parties in here!

Yes -- a deeper colored runner (blues, reds, yellows) that would go along the full length of the table would bring the darker colors to the heart of the room -- which is the table!

Do you have a large blue bowl? Or a larger longer wood bowl -- maybe a rectanglar piece? I'd like to see it filled with pine cones and bits of gold/red berries on stems for the fall season. Maybe bright gold yellow mums in the room to pick up the golds/yellows.

Maybe a line of blue glass votives along the length of the table? For a change -- perhaps simple dark blue cushions for the chairs?

Perhaps the dark wood chest out in the foyer? Your wonderful grandma's lamp could be the "light that keeps out the dark" in your foyer? Perhaps with black-and-white photos of her and your family?

Try the tall china cabinet on the wall by the doorway (the other side of the Morroccan table) to balance that whole face of the room.

Then trim the end of the lace curtain -- and consider adding very tall stationary dark blue velvet panels on the window. On each of the slanted walls by that window -- I'd like to see two tall trees in gorgeous blue-and-white pots. With uplights of course ((me and my lamp fetish LOL!)

LOVE the two lamps on the sideboard! (of course!!! LOL!) I LOVE having lighting options in every room!

Perhaps -- since the vintage office chairs are a lighter wood stain color -- they would work in here? Perhaps a secondary seating area by the window? With a table between them and a lamp?

Yes -- for the foyer --- one of your rugs! To add color and life .....

Jan (just thoughts -- hope you don't mind! I have a picture in my mind of all of us running around your gorgeous home trying your things in different places -- what a party THAT would be!! LOL!)

LOL @ Igloo! Quite frankly, I hate her artwork. It's just all wrong. So "Native American", and gads - really, who does that anymore? I'll offer my services for taking those pictures off her hands too. Trailrunner, just box 'em up and send 'em my way for "disposal" (uh, yeah - that's right, "disposal"), and keep your beautiful blue walls bare and fresh-looking.
>;-D

Yet another sudden thought from the depths of my shallow brain .....LOL!

How about opening up the gateleg table to act as a center table in the foyer? With a gorgeous vase or a huge wooden bowl on it to welcome guests? And dark wood chest from the dining room would sit in front of that window in the foyer with your grandma's lamp burning bright.

WOW ideas and more ideas ! I have a heart pine bench on front of the long windows in the DR you probably can't see it.

tea: what do you mean trim the lace curtains?? Shorten them ??

How would I do velvet panels...would they clash with the navy walls ? I would have to do the rods above the windows so as not to harm the old trim work.

Could the dark chest go in front of the foyer window since it is taller than the sill by quite a bit ?

I have to do the china cab where the Moroccan table is since it sticks out and would make the doorway crowded but then I could place the Moroccan table to the right of the doorway.

I had not thought of using trees/up lights...silk trees??

Vintage office chairs instead of bench...I can try that !

The idea of opening the gateleg is a very good one too.

Aunt Jen....so you want me to add your name to all the Native American Tewa Gallery prints ??? OK you get the prints and chic gets the chandy....I am making a list...my kids don't want any of it :)

More pics to come. I gotta go move stuff. c

trailrunner all you need to do is download Free Picasa2, then you can fix your photo's as I did of yours here, I straightened on turned lights on...LOL and sharpened, however one was out of focus quite a bit, but they are better don't you think? you can't take a bad photo if you use Picasa...I luv it!!
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Ah! I don't think that the dark blue velvet curtain panels would clash with the walls -- although dark red or maybe dark gold might work too? I've included a hot link to a Pottery Barn inspiration photo (wrong color curtains but a good idea of what I've been talking about) BUT you could do a short dark rods above each end of the the windows and then the long lush curtains -- velvet or even gorgeous silk (which would add a touch of luxurious sheen at night)?

Folks here on the list have also found curtains at JC Penney or perhaps Restoration Hardware -- maybe check their sites for ideas? THEN check around for less expensive alternatives at places like T.J. Maxx; Target etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Velvet curtains PB inspiration photo

thank you susie....that certainly brings it out much better. I have never tried Picasa....will have to look into that for sure.

teacats: thank you ! I think the velvet or silk might really do it. I didn't see navy on the PB site but will look around. I get the idea now.

Did you mean to shorten the lace curtains? How much? I posted more pics on the other thread. I can't move anything in the DR til DH has time. Maybe this weekend. c