I have been unsatisfied with a section of my living/dining room so I started playing with an idea this weekend. It is not finished, in fact, only just started but I wanted to show you what I am doing and ask your advice. This is a photo of the far wall of our little home. I love the color on the walls which is a chalk paint from the company Painting The Past called buff. I know painting the walls white would create light but I am not a white wall kind of girl. In the photo, the color looks darker than in reality. I took the first photo with my flash and the second without. It was evening and you can see what I mean I think.
We had two matching guilded mirrors upstairs which I brought down and hung on either side of the hutch. These will be great fun to decorate at the holidays! I am now thinking of switching the lamp on the left with a set of tall candlestick lamps to place in front of each mirror. I thought this would reflect light really well. I will have to get another wooden table like I already have on the left also. 
I am working on reorganizing the top of the hutch today. I will also be changing the four fox hunt prints you see on the very left soon. I am not sure if I will try some of the speculaas molds there or something totally different. But I am not happy with my hutch inside. I was thinking of doing something to make it lighter on the back wall of the hutch. I cannot paint it as DH would never allow to me touch this wood with a paintbrush. It is newly made of antique oak. The inside has become a bit of chaos lately as I was not well enough and started just placing things quickly back inside. It does need reorganized but I was thinking of something that I can easily remove like panels perhaps covered with fabric? And then what would I use for the panels? Perhaps hardboard? What do you think? Should I just redo the inside standing up my pretty cream dishes to make it lighter or try to create panels? Any ideas or links to sites with fun ideas would be appreciated. 
7 comments:
Hi Heidi,
Love your new blog names!
I haven't read through both of your blogs, but will soon - I am way behind in my blog readings!!!
I like the mirrors on either side of the hutch, but am wondering if something a bit longer would be better.
I suppose I should read what you are asking --- will check back later.
Hugs ((())) Roberta
Heidi dear, I can see that your dining room area is quite narrow. To give it width, how about moving those lovely mirrors to each side of the longer walls? They would reflect light from the hanging fixture and make the room brighter too. The hutch and the mirrors either side are filling up too much wall space I think. Even though you don't like white walls, how about keeping the darker buff shade you like on the hutch wall, but painting the other walls a cream or linen shade - that would open up the space too I think.
As for the inside of the hutch, you could make removable panels using fabric covered heavy-duty cardboard - or (and I'd choose this option), stand a few small mirrors here and there at the back of the shelves to reflect your white china and also bounce back the lighting in the room, and yes, definitely stand some plates up.
Don't know if any of this helps - but just wanted you to know I'm here and you can always ask me a question and I'll try my best to come up with suggestions.
Love and hugs - Mary.
P.S.
I think you, like most of us, have the "knick knack' thing going on! You know, collect every little thing we fall in love with and feel like we need to display it all! It's hard to edit, but so worthwhile, because you then display just part of your collection at a time and change occasionally. Actually, come to think of it, you are good at that from what I've seen. But the hutch may be overloaded, so you may have to work on that!
Your dining room is beautiful, Heidi! The buff color on the walls has such a soft, honey tone... I love the additions of mirrors on either side of the hutch and the candles with candleglow in from of the mirrors is a great idea. I also like the idea of panels covered with fabric inside your hutch to accent your displays. A light colored fabric would be terrific and "pop". Cardboard covered in fabric or even paper would be easy--and you could change the fabric or paper to freshen up the look on occasion. Can't wait to see what you come up with! Happy Day ((HUGS))
"The inside has become a bit of chaos lately as I was not well enough and started just placing things quickly back inside." Maybe, Heidi, you could begin by just organizing it, and then you'd feel better about it and wouldn't have to do anything else? Maybe just having less stuff inside will give it the open feeling you may be wanting? Just my 2¢
I "hear you," on the matter of not being able to paint wood. :-) My husband is a woodworker {life-long hobby} and simply loves wood. I can't paint it. Even though I love to toy with the idea of distressed white furniture. :-)
But he does anything else I want, so I guess I can't really complain about this. :-))))
But I do love the use of mirrors! Read somewhere that a mirror is almost like adding a window, to a room.
Aunt Amelia
Hi Heidi!
Love the idea of the mirrors on each side of the hutch with the lamps. I would organize and simplify the hutch contents and find some pretty scrapbooking paper to use for the back walls of the hutch, stick it up with some painters' tape rolled onto itself between the paper and the wood...painter's tape should stick well and not leave any glue residue.
I once filled my hutch with family photos that had fabric frames...the framed pictures were all dfferent sizes and the fabrics coordinated but were all different. It was different and really opened up the hutch area and besides I was able to enjoy all the photos.
Good luck and I can't wait to see the final result.
Hugs2u!
Och och och, wat is het genieten bij je! En dan je blogtitel, hoe verzin je het. De oudere dame is zij afkomstig van een mooi boek? En wat een gezellige kamer zeg weer zo inspirerend. Ik vind je helemaal TOP hoe je je zelf doorheen slaat, GEWELDIG! Je had het over je kast, ik zou hem aan de binnenkant lichter maken en je spiegels helemaal leuk bedacht. Big hug from me Cin x kan je bijna niet bijbenen, goed voor de lijn hihih...
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