DRAMATIC DINING DECOR - IDEAS FOR THE WALLS

Dining room with built in shelves with the back painted a high gloss red! (above)

The holidays are all about family, friends, giving, loving and dining.  I am cooking dinner for lots of family members on Christmas Eve.  Am doing all of the cooking at sis DS's house.  Need to start planning my menu.  Want to add some drama into the table setting and meal this time around.

Anyhooo...all of this planning got me thinking about dining room decor of course.  Sis DS's dining room looks out onto her small courtyard with ivy covered walls...dramatic view greenery.  Maybe I'll add a sparkle light or two outside this year...so guests can enjoy a backdrop of white lights.  Hmmm...need to find someone to put those up.

It is very cool when a dining room has dramatic walls I think - a backdrop of sorts to make the room look special.  Built in bookshelves, paneling, a mural, glossy paint, large pictures framed to create a bold floor to ceiling gallery wall.  Just some ideas.

Here are three very different dining rooms...all with their own dramatic walls.

A wall mural of a river makes a dramatic statement gives this dining room a modern Chinoiserie feel. (above)

A take on wood paneled walls using reclaimed wood beams is definitely high drama (above)

Do you have dramatic walls in your dining room?  Which of these three rooms is your favorite.

Holiday Quick Tips for Dramatic Dining Room Walls:

1. Pick up a more than abnormal number of large ready made framed prints that are all the same (saw some cute ones in West Elm's shop...fyi) and cover an entire wall from floor to ceiling with them.  By covering a feature wall from top to bottom (literally 2 inches above baseboards) with the same print or photo over and over again, you are making a dramatic wall statement.

2.  In time for New Year's Eve dinner...take your favorite photo and have it made it a large scale vinyl wall mural.  I searched the web and saw several companies that would deliver in 7 business days.  A personal made super huge on one wall will do the trick.  Was at a very high end designer's house this fall..she did just that in her dining room with a photo of her sons.

Happy Tuesday!

xo
Coco

Photos: SR Gambrel; Muriel Brandolini; Suzanne Kasler

MY FOUND BOTANICALS! (AND A SNEAK PEEK OF OUR NEW OFFICE FURNITURE)

All photos in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

So...was rummaging through some closets in my tiny cottage in the Hollywood Hills this past long weekend...not really cleaning anything out...really just rummaging...looking for stuff...I actually was looking for some stories I had written years ago about my Grandmother.  While rummaging, I happened upon these...

They are botanical prints  that I bought in London maybe 8 years ago.  I bought them at the Portobello Market in Notting Hill while wandering through the market with some friends.  They were about $10-$25 USD each and one of them has "circa 1870" penciled in by the merchant on the back.   If it is true, they are antiques.

I bought these botanicals, brought them back the U.S. to be framed, put them on a counter I'm sure, and then into a closet for safe keeping and then tah dah here they are...years later.

I chose this plant and flower prints for their colors. I liked the tropical plants...the palm tree is my favorite and then I loved the bright orange red color of the mums and the soft yellow of the Acacia flower.

Such a fun surprise to find these pretties...tucked away in a closet...treasure hunting at home I guess!

Which of these do you like? How would you group together on a wall? Do you like botanical prints in home decor or as art? Do tell.

I will get these framed. The question is what kind of frame to put them in? The other thing I was thinking is that I could have them pressed inside a lucite coffee table tray or something...hmmm...thinking... Help!

Happy Thursday!

xo
Coco

P.S. COCOCOZY HQ Office Furniture Update - We got some more furniture yesterday at COCOCOZY HQ in Beverly Hills - 2 huge book cases and a desk were delivered yesterday afternoon! Have been waiting for 12 weeks for this furniture to arrive.  I picked out these pieces back in June or May I think...and because we wanted some customization as far as colors it took 3 months for the items to arrive.  It was a game of patience waiting for these goodies.   We also got a cool outdoor table from France a few weeks ago (it is not shown here) and that is our main conference table.  Went straight to COCOCOZY HQ after work last night to see our newest office furniture.  I immediately took these blurry pictures. Reminder...the office is small small small...the furniture just came yesterday...nothing has been put on shelves...nothing has been styled...but I think we'll be able to work with these new pieces.  I like them! Again, sorry for the blurry pictures...it was getting dark outside and the light was low.

Wood desk that arrived yesterday with custom white lacquer and one of my brass vintage Stiffel lamps. (above)

One of the super tall cases I had custom painted for the COCOCOZY HQ...just came in yesterday so we have to figure out our storage bin situation right away. (above and below)

The COCOCOZY HQ is oh so tiny...we now have to get rid of the temporary furniture we've been using -- you can see a bit of it here on the bottom right. (above)

P.P.S. We are still waiting on a few more pieces but wanted to share the latest. Most people who are smart and coy only share the before and after....I can never wait that long...so does that make me not smart and not coy?  Over Sharing Syndrome (OSS) kicking in as usual!! Wooohoooo....! Let me know what you think.



All photos in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY