Aubergine Walls and a Silver Leaf Ceiling Create Dining Room Chic
High drama and glam are the order of the day for this dining room in an otherwise kid-friendly Boston home
The homeowners told designer Kristine Mullaney they wanted something a little different for the dining room in their historic Boston home. Not only did they want the adults-only space to feel radically different from the rest of the house, which was designed to be kid-friendly, but they also wanted high drama and undeniable elegance. Mullaney delivered with major glam, using reflective surfaces, rich eggplant tones and bold Pop Art.
The homeowners are big art collectors with several significant Pop Art pieces. The artwork above the fireplace is an Andy Warhol portrait of Ingrid Bergman in an acrylic box frame from Boston’s DTR gallery.
The fireplace is new but has a traditional style to go with the other original fireplaces found throughout the home.
Chandelier: Crystorama
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The fireplace is new but has a traditional style to go with the other original fireplaces found throughout the home.
Chandelier: Crystorama
Find more crystal chandeliers
Because this is a kid-free zone, Mullaney was able to use more delicate fabrics and finishes than in other parts of the house, including voluptuous, extra-full drapery panels in an Osborne & Little poly-silk fabric that resembles the silk charmeuse of a woman’s couture gown.
The ceiling is covered in silver leaf, an arduous process that requires an artisan’s delicate touch to smooth hundreds of small sheets of silver into a perfectly flat surface. “It has even more of a reflective quality in person,” Mullaney says.
The ceiling is covered in silver leaf, an arduous process that requires an artisan’s delicate touch to smooth hundreds of small sheets of silver into a perfectly flat surface. “It has even more of a reflective quality in person,” Mullaney says.
The built-in cabinets were inspired by industrial stainless steel German cabinets the designer saw at Coup d’Etat, a San Francisco boutique. The antique dining table was an estate sale find that Mullaney had ebonized and silver-leafed. The chair upholstery plays off the aubergine walls, and the custom blended wool and silk carpet from Landry & Arcari has an ivory-hued base with a geometric print in eggplant silk that shimmers like so many of the other finishes in the room.
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Dining Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Well-traveled parents who love art and love to entertain
Location: Boston
Size: 700 square feet (65 square meters)
Designer: Kristine Mullaney
In this highly trafficked family home bursting with energetic kids and pets, the dining room was designed as a glamorous retreat just for grown-ups. The kitchen and dining room switched places, which meant taking this room down to the studs, effectively giving Mullaney a blank slate to glam it up with glittering finishes and striking art.