Ok, so we do need a couple more things to round our the dining room. Artwork and a lighting fixture. I’m on the lookout for a great canvas of sorts or a giant photograph – but that will take some time. For now, let’s get some good lighting going.
I’ve already shared some of my favourite pendants for the kitchen. Some of those would work well in the dining room as well. But to keep things fresh, here are some new picks:
If my ceilings were limitless, so to speak, I’d snag a Serge Mouille piece or something by Brooklyn based, Lindsey Adelman. I’m in love with her glass blown fixtures. They’re available at Hollace Cluny and are oh so stunning.
Lots of good things are coming out of Brooklyn these days, and David Weeks Studio is no exception. He makes some amazing lighting fixtures, as seen below.
The London Townhouse of Christine D’Ornano was featured in Elle Decor a few months ago (and featured in a previous posting) The pendants seen below are vintage lamps from the Rover car factory. They remind me of the Caravaggio pendants I love so much. Top photo care of Elle Decor. Bottom photo by Lerkenfeldt Photography.
Below: Secto 4201 pendant. Designed by Seppo Koho for Secto Design. Made from Finnish birch.
To wrap things up, here are a few room shots from Avenue-Road in Toronto and Varenna Kitchens.
No doubt round or square tables are great for entertaining. Here’s a collection of a few pieces that have caught my eye.
Below: Design by Australian based architectural and interior firm, Burley Katon Halliday. This looks like a cross between a Saarinen and Eames table – not entirely sure. Call it what you want, it looks amazing.
Below: Here’s the real deal – an Eames round table.
Below: The iconic Saarinen table – one of the first pieces to pop to mind when thinking about breaking away from a rectangular table. Here seen with different seating options; Tulip chairs, Verner Panton chairs (photo from Anson Smart), and Eames chairs (photo from Ruy Teixeira; Other unknown).
Below: Newly launched Lonny Magazine is full of great treats. Here’s a really lovely set of chairs with a round table. Now if I only knew where they were from…
Below: I spotted this table and chairs on Danish site FRI. Again, if anyone has any info on where to find these chairs, any leads would be much appreciated!
Below: PK58 dining table with PK24 chairs. Add a PK to anything and you’ll be off to a good start!
Below: Jean Prouve’s Gueridon table. Available at HiveModern.
I seem to gravitate towards rectangular tables for day-to-day living, although my sense is that a round or square option might work better in our space. We won’t really know until the kitchen is fully mapped out, but for now I’ll run through the different options – starting with rectangular pieces.
There are lots of amazing tables at really different price points. Sometimes an old farm table looks just as good as some high-end designer piece. If I had to choose, I’d spend on great chairs and find a pretty basic option for the table. But, if I were to go all out, I’d pick up one of these:
Below: I adore Cecilie Manz’s Essay Dining Table for Fritz Hansen. It’s so simple, yet unique, and available in tons of different finishes.
Below: Bulthaup C3 table. This is really an amazing table – so light with such clean, simple lines.
Below: Meridiani McQueen table. Nothing fancy about this one – but a good, every-day table.
Below: Zeitraum Tavola table. The walnut used for this table is really gorgeous. It does go perfectly with the Morph chairs – although personally, I don’t like to match so exactly.
Below: The table below is made from vintage Eames bases and a custom top by engberg design. It also doesn’t hurt that the entire room is quite stunning. Once again, thank you Remodelista.
Below: Tom Dixon Slab Table (and bench). Photo from RUM Magazine.
Below: Jean Prouve EM Dining Table. Available at DWR.
Below: R1920 Light Table by Matteo Thun.
Below: E15 London Dining Table.
Below: Lati table (with matching chairs) by Alain Berteau. Available at Wild Spirit.
There is no shortage of amazing dining room chairs. The ones that I love the most, however, might not be the ones that we choose. I came to this realization yesterday when my daughter wiped her tomato sauce covered hands all over our current set. What to do? Not much, I suppose. We just can’t have anything too precious at this point.
Still, that won’t stop me from sharing my top picks. Starting with Naoto Fukasawa’s Hiroshima chair. I first spotted these unbelievable chairs at Mjolk in Toronto. The wood is ridiculously smooth and I love the added comfort from the grey upholstered seat.
Below: The Formstelle Morph chair by Zeitraum is seriously lovely. I particularly like the version made from American walnut with cloth upholstery. Plus, I have to say that this chair looks even better in person.
Below: The CH20 Elbow Chair was designed by Hans Wegner in 1956 and looks as current as ever. Produced by Carl Hansen & Son.
Below: The Deer chair by Turkish design firm Autobahn has a great mix of style and function. It looks pretty damn good and is supposedly quite comfortable. Produced by De La Espada.
Below: Margot Chair by Dune. I love the design and the name! (Well, I’m biased, for those that know).
Below: A Knoll classic – the Flat Bar Brno Chair by Mies van der Rohe. I never get sick of this design and they are seriously comfortable.
Below: I think with kids, the Eames Molded Plastic Side chair is a great choice. They’d be easy to clean, are surprisingly comfortable, and look great.
Below: The chair below was designed by Belgian furniture designer, Alain Berteau. Discovered on the blog Belgchic (who in turn found it through Remodelista). How’s that for recycling?
Below: Ecole chair by Benjamin Hubert Studio
Below: To finish things off, you must watch the making of Bernhardt’s Corvo Chairs by French designer Noe-Duchaufour-Lawrence. Whether it’s food or furniture, I love seeing where things are made. The video adds a whole new level of appreciation to this design.
I’m Katherine Yaphe, the founder and designer behind Oliver Yaphe, Inc. This business was an idea in my mind for a long time. I knew that I wanted to build something, I just didn’t know how. I worked in the corporate world dreaming of what to do next. Then one day I decided to just start. I launched with rugs. Branched off to artwork. Paper came next. We’ll see what’s to come. What I do know, is there will be more.
Oliver Yaphe Blog
I love being inspired to create. It doesn’t matter how big or small the undertaking, it’s more about this feeling that drives so much of what I do. This blog is my space to instill a bit of that energy to my readers. It’s a lofty goal. I might fail horribly. But every once in a while, something might click (or at least I hope so).
Maine seashore
Fresh cut grass
Vermont air
Wooden tennis racquets (a la Bjorn Borg)
B&W photographs. Real photographs
The Brooklyn bridge
Central Park Roller disco
Picasso Museum in Barcelona
Moleskin notebooks
Rhodia orange writing pads
Globes
Magnum Photo
Letterpress stationery
Coffee table books
Farmers markets
Great packaging
Typography
