Poppy Place Pdx: family traditions

I have never been afraid of colour, so painting my dining room a strong, bold red was not a problem for me. What does become more of an issue is once the paint is dry how do you bring everything back into the room to make it work as a cohesive whole. I feel I have achieved that by not being intimidated by adding more red on red.

A lot of the furniture in the dining room was inherited and are very precious family heirlooms. I am a great believer in preserving and cherishing the past, especially when it has a direct family connection. I am also not afraid to mix the old and the new, hence my Hubby's laptop sitting on one of the chairs (poor guy has to use the dining room as his office when he works from home, I'm the only spoilt one in the house with my own office :)

I had the dining chairs recovered a few years ago.

I love this antique lace tablecloth. I love to dress the table for the seasons. I also have felt it very important to have candles and flowers on the table at all times. Family meals have been a constant in our lives, I love the chat, the ambiance and the connectivity. I hope our kids continue this tradition.

Everywhere in our home you will find a few Teddy Bears partying, the dining room is no exception. The bench my Hubby and I made a few years ago. I couldn't find what I wanted at the price I wanted to pay. I already had the fabric, it is the same fabric that covers the chairs, my Hubby is handy in the woodworking dept. I found the legs online, bought the foam, I already had the batting, a few (hundred) staples later and viola :) ( oh, of course it wasn't that simple and several swear words were used in the process)

I made the curtains from yet another different fabric but pulling similar shades of the colours in the room already. The tassel was a great find at Tuesday Morning (love that store :)

Some inherited Etchings (Love, Love these) :)

Of course had to have some of my beloved Poppies around :)

More Poppies :)

All around the room we have original paintings and drawings from England, this is our British room. This rendering is of a Pub in my Hubby's hometown.

We all love the ocean and so a little space had to be devoted to part of our family's shell collection. With years of happy memories together on vacation at the beach. :)