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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Dramatic Dining Rooms

I did this house a few years ago and it remains one of my favorite Dining Rooms ever. The architect is Robert Sinclair (will post his link later today) a Los Angeles based architect who I think does beautiful work. On this house the gauntlet was really thrown down, I was given this huge, double height space and told to make it dramatic but at the same time warm and inviting. This is what I came up with.
The first thing I did was finish the walls in a polished terracotta colored plaster, then I tented and draped the whole room in a fairly rough linen sheer, that acted as a nice counterpoint. I then lit the linen from behind so that the terracotta glowed through the sheer, creating the effect of a warm, glowing tent. To compete with the height I made three huge drum shades, that really fill the space without getting as serious as a crystal chandelier would have. The floor is polished concrete and the buffet is a custom designed piece that completes the whole package.
What I love about this room is that it really captures that idea that a Dining Room is the one room in the house where you can get a bit more dramatic and fanciful, because it is usually an occasional use room. So be a bit more bold about color or texture etc, this is the room to let your imagination go wild. Good Luck!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

We dont have many skilled plaster installers here in oklahoma. We have tried looking for some, and terrazzo installers as well. There is only one.
I like your dining area though. Im also glad you found the measuring cups useful - hope you found them at the store. If not, they do have them online, I can send you the link if need be. The clear/black are hard to find on their website. Oh, and the beehive cake pan comes with a recipe :)

The Peak of Chic said...

I really like how you tented the room- def. made the room inviting. I've always lived in old homes (1920s) where I had high ceilings, but not double height. So many new homes have such vast spaces- is it a challenge to decorate them?

Mark Cutler said...

So many new homes seem to place size over scale, which can be an incredible challenge. As a designer in these situations, you can spend a lot of time and effort, just getting the backgrounds right, before you even start to decorate. Luckily the architect we worked with is great and he really is a master at creating dramatic spaces that are fun to work with.

kim. said...

Totally gorgeous and so dramatic!! The tenting, the concrete floors, the light fixture....WOW!!!

Mark Cutler said...

Thanks Kim, boy you guys really pay attention to the details of the shots....I love that!