chairs, chairs, chairs, fabrics & color -- a collaboration and labor of love from for my room at Design On A Dime

Let's start with color 

and go from there!

With many design projects I become involved with, the process often begins with color inspiration.  My room at Design On A Dime on April 24 in New York City 

at the Metropolitan Pavilion will be a French-inspired dining room 
with blues, greens and lovely seaside influences.  

I started with this gorgeous blue and silver wallpaper donated from Farrow & Ball, then a pretty green paint color from them as well.  I plan to have the top part of the wall papered with the pattern, called Peony in vivid blue with large silver flowers, then add a simple chair rail and paint the wall underneath this soft green.  Since the 12X10 space has no windows or doors or architectural detailing this will immediately set a residential and elegant tone.  

Beginning with a color story, the process grows from there.  I found vintage French and American dinner and side plates.  Next, I ordered a cornucopia of fabrics -- some simple unbleached linen, an orange linen for piping, a little bit of summer cotton seersucker, then an array of gorgeous new fabrics hot-off-the-press and donated from the Tilton Fenwick design duo recently launched with Duralee Fabrics.  

This new collection is precious, classic yet edited to fresh, modern designs in various blues, greens and creamy hues.  The team smartly named the fabrics, and some even after their favorite design industry friends.

15622 Whittaker (named for designer Ashley Whittaker) color Blue-Green 72

 Gibbie 21086 color lemon  269

 15624 Marvin color aqua 19

21083 Lenox color sea green 250

Restoration Hardware donated six perfectly simple, French bistro Madeleine chairs in a chalky white finish.  By the way, I am personally doing a little "happy dance" over here that RH has put out a brand new collection called Small Spaces  We urban dwellers now can utilize their gorgeous items in a way that works for our city apartments, which often are a tad smaller than suburban and rural homes.  

a donated bar cart from Arteriors

will be set with many pretty items

I am always inspired by the wares over at Mecox Gardens.  Their team puts together beautiful, yet innovative products in a way that makes you want to "nest".  When Mecox Gardens in East Hampton offered me up a couple of wavy top chairs, I jumped at the opportunity.  

Then, my friends over at Pearson Furniture also offered up a pair of chunky, upholstered chairs and now with four chairs (a set of two different styles) I had the idea to blend them by upholstering exactly the same.  I knew my wallpaper and fabrics together, plus all the tabletop items would add a lovely medley of textures, so these chairs need to create a sense of calm in the room yet hold up to the bold design.  I chose a beachy linen and decided to pipe the chairs in an Hermes-orange trim, then paint the legs a nautical, navy blue.  

Of course, adding 14 different pillows to rest upon all 10 chairs in the room, some even donning seashells, will add just the right tonic of pattern and texture.  A very special thank you to Michael Tavano of Mark and Tavano Upholstery for making these chairs look fabulous.  The fastidious attention to detail, the careful painting of the legs--they are pure perfection!

An additional thank you to Maureen Klein and her workroom for providing and creating a total of 14 gorgeous throw pillows using the many fabrics, plus 6 pretty dinner napkins out of the Duralee Lenox pattern.
Take a sneak peek...

Happy Nesting 
XO Tamara