Resource Day-Before and After

I was going through some old photo's the other day and I came across some shots I had taken in a house, before we started work, and you can see beside it, the completed picture of the new Dining Room. So I thought today, for resource day I would let you in on the resources I used to make this project come to life. Let me walk you through some of the things I did to create more warmth and detail in the space.

• I decided that the old fireplace needed to go. The mirrored overmantle was serving no real purpose (in my mind a mirror should always give you something to see, and a reflection of the Entry didn't justify it being there). So I removed the mantle and replaced it with a new one, that had more architectural detail. (www.kernswilcheck.com)
• The next thing was the walls. I decided that wall paper would give me another layer of detail, so I went with this handpainted paper by Cowtan and Tout.
• In a lot of my projects I custom design pieces to create a unique look, and this was no exception, the chandelier is a custom piece, based on several antiques that I had found. It was made for me by the guys at Paul Ferrante (www.paulferrante.com)
• The chairs too, were made especially for me, based on some photograph's of some antiques that I had seen. This is not an unusual request, sometimes antiques are too small in scale or too delicate to use in situations where they will get a lot of use, so reproducing them is always a good option. Just make sure that you find someone who works in that style, and Richard Mulligan specialises in early American, so was the perfect choice (www.richardmulligan.com) .
• The table is a design by Formations in Los Angeles, they are part of the Dennis and Leen group, and unfortunately do not have a web presence, but if you are in Los Angeles a trip to their Melrose Ave showroom is not to be missed.
• Now for some of the other pieces in the room. The white wrought iron console on the right, is actually an old balcony that I purchased and repurposed from a terrific Architectural Salvage yard that I frequent, Scavengers Paradise (www.scavengersparadise.com) . And the stunning metal sconces on either side of the fireplace come from Mecox Gardens (www.mecoxgardens.com ) one of my favorite stores in L.A. and with stores on the East Coast too.

Well, that gives you an insight into who I use, I know it's a bit out of the ordinary for Resource Day, but I thought it might be helpful.