How we Transformed a Soulless Awkward Space in to a Gorgeous Dining Area
Sharing my styling tips, a table with a secret, fab dining chairs, accessories I know you will love and how a hurricane lamp almost caused me to dramatically expire whilst on a cliff top.
Good morning and welcome to our Sunday morning meeting! And a huge welcome if you are new.
This week I am delighted to bring you a post that is sponsored by one of the high street greats, and let me tell you that when they emailed to ask if I would like to work with them, I almost fell over. It’s a real honour to be able to work with a brand I have long admired and been a customer of. It is also an honour to be handed the microphone and entrusted with it, so to speak. I hope you enjoy the read and come away from it feeling inspired, whether that’s for a whole redesign of your room or maybe you spot the perfect table you have been searching for to accommodate the whole family at Christmas (organised, I am extremely impressed) Perhaps you simply fall in love with a tiny accessory you didn’t know you needed (story of my life) some of the links are rabbit holes - I was lost for days, you have been warned haha
Here is the story of our space and if you have any questions, just shout and I will do my best!
I have spent many a happy hour or two wandering WEST ELM in their Westfield store, and never come away either A) empty handed or B) without a head full of new ideas and inspiration for our next project (pray for Gav) If you aren’t lucky enough to live in the vicinity, let me introduce you to some of the gorgeous pieces as we chat through the design process that took our dining area from a soulless lacklustre space behind the sofa, to a place where it is actually a pleasure to spend time.
But first - let’s talk spaces
We have a 3 story terraced town house overlooking Fistral beach in Cornwall. It wasn’t really the right time to buy, but we had been keeping a little eye on the market, just to get a feel for it really. We were in Cornwall, camping in the rain and there was literally nothing to do apart from hide from the weather on the campsite, so I aimlessly scrolled Right Move and … this house popped up as just listed - I knew of these houses and had admired them for YEARS. I remember staying in a property just behind it when our eldest son was a baby and walking past them (it must have been shortly after they were built because I remember the for sale boards up in front of each one for sale and thinking how lovely they were) and so without even telling Gav I made the appointment to view, mainly out of curiosity and the fact it was a vast improvement on sitting in a wet field for the afternoon. PLUS we were literally 5 minutes down the road. I broke the news to him once we were booked in.
‘IT WOULD HAVE TO BE PERFECT’ he said, as we walked in. ‘Don’t worry, we are only looking’ I reassured him. We walked in to the lounge, saw the view and we were absolutely done for from that moment on. Love at first sight. GAHHHH
It was built in the 90s by the Duchy of Cornwall and I firmly believe that King Charles should be in charge of all house builds because this, although ‘new’ looks like it could be straight out of the Edwardian era. It is symmetrical and has gorgeous wooden sash windows. It is a terrace built on a curve, so although we have symmetry, nothing is actually straight. Our poor builder tiling floors that are on the kink!
The largest room looks out to sea and needed to be a multi tasking lounge and dining area. Pluses - lots of natural light. Minuses - it’s a bit of an awkward shape that needed zoning without looking fussy or cramped.
Our space ‘before’ was soul suckingly dull and massively un inspiring. This house had been rented by so many people before it came on the market 3 years ago, and I genuinely don’t think it had had anything but a lick of white paint across the MANY new tenants since it was built. So it really was an unloved blank canvas.
However, before we could start making it pretty, we had to go completely back to basics and start from the floor up because that laminate was NOT giving good base vibes. I knew if I was going to love this room, no matter how gorgeous the extras were, if the bones weren’t bringing joy, the bones had to change. So that is what we did. Stripped EVERYTHING out, rewired, swapped out the old light switches for smart new ones, panelled a wall, replaced the floor, got rid of the horrendous rusty radiators and bought gorgeous new ones and spent aaaages deciding on paint colours and lighting.
We inherited an ugly fireplace with no endearing features, and like most of our neighbours who all have one, we had absolutely zero intention of lighting it - it was gas and in SUCH an awkward place that we made the decision to decommission it all together. It is still there behind the wall, for someone to uncover in years to come but I highly doubt it will be with the same excitement that we would feel today at uncovering a Victorian gem with original tiles!
We nibbled a tiny bit more space by pushing a small part of the wall back a bit - it was boxing, housing pipes so it was all tidied up and we grabbed a few more inches on the back wall. It was only a tiny amount but it has made such a difference. We maximised storage in the lounge area by fitting a bespoke wall unit - more on that in another post, and chose a corner sofa which naturally zoned the space in to two clear areas.
The paint colours we chose are Kittiwake and Stir About. Both from Farrow and Ball. We took Stir About over the ceiling too, so there is no white paint in here at all, it brings a lovely, put together, feeling to the room without really noticing why.
Lighting is a vital consideration early on in any redecoration planning. You might be stuck with switches in the wrong place because they are really not cheap or that easy to move without disruption, but if you are going back to basics it could be the perfect opportunity to have them exactly as you want them, positioned for how YOU live. Long time readers will know I am a huge fan of layering light, so it was super important to have a plan before the electrician started. I knew we needed a pendant light over the dining table, so out of everything I might have started choosing and planning for this room, it wasn’t a wall colour, or a rug or even a table, it was the light and everything under the light came second.
There was a practical reason for this ofc - the electrician was booked and he needed to know what holes to make in the ceiling and where. It is SO hard making these decisions so early on, but we needed to commit so I made a mood board (find out how, here) and committed!
The pendant light we chose is absolutely gorgeous and I applied my usual theory when deciding which size to order - ‘Don’t half arse anything. Always use your full arse’ It never fails!
So THE LARGE HENRY PENDANT was duly ordered. This pendant comes in 3 sizes and multiple finish options and it is currently on sale! The length can be easily adjusted too. I knew I didn’t want it too low because although low is gorgeous when entertaining, I wanted to consider what would be on the table at other times and for there to be room for a large vase of wild flowers etc. And I ADORE the milk glass finish. It is just perfect and would sit well in so many settings, from cottage to mid century to new build, if in doubt - HENRY. He is such a stylish statement without taking over and I love that.
Let’s discuss tables.
You might be like us and cater for larger groups occasionally. We decided on an extendable table and because space is an issue, we were really careful when choosing the size. Some tables are much wider than others and we just don’t have the luxury of much space here, so we went for THE HARGROVE EXTENDABLE TABLE which is made from sustainable wood and has a drop in leaf taking it from 152cm to 203cm in a flash. Vitally, at 99cm wide, it is 10 cm narrower than some of the others and that was a really important consideration.
West Elm have a glorious selection of beautiful tables and you don’t have to worry about assembling yours - it’s all done for you when it arrives TABLES LINKED HERE
PULL UP A CHAIR….
Of course there is a fabulous selection of stylish dining chairs in store and online - and as much as I loved the idea of a vintage mishmash, I much preferred the idea of an upholstered, wipeable and padded leather chair for absolute comfort. There is a HUGE SELECTION of dining chairs at West Elm. This in not their first rodeo, or mine. The derriere deserves TLC, and sitting at a table should not be a test of endurance!
These beauties are in collaboration with Marcus Samuelsson - view the whole collaboration HERE. They are so supportive and comfy which is vital because this table doubles as a desk when we are working. Otherwise I’d park myself on the sofa with my laptop, promptly nod off and get absolutely nothing done!!
RUGS UNDER THE TABLE
Is this a controversial subject? …. I can see that if you have young children it is probably not the one, but I really love a rug under the table, my only proviso is that it’s heavy enough not to ruck up (annoying) and big enough for everything to comfortably sit on, so no one is wobbling precariously half on and half off. A rug also helps to clearly define an area and it looks more considered and finished somehow. Also, this protects our brand new oak floor and stops me freaking out when anyone dares to slide their chair in and out.
HUGE SELECTION OF RUGS LINKED varying price points and many on sale. I was really taken by THIS ONE because it is reversable. It wasn’t in stock when I ordered, but it’s back now!
LET’S ACCESSORISE
The small touches make me so happy - THIS LINK IS A RABBIT HOLE You have been warned HA!!
These NAPKINS are SO cute with the SARDINE NAPKIN RINGS - it’s the little details that are so pleasing :)
SARDINE CITRONELLA CANDLES
STACKING WINE GLASSES - on sale
DINNER PLATES, MUGS AND BOWLS - The whole collection is on sale and they sit happily in any setting. A gorgeous staple.
If you are after a beautiful shaped vase that is gorgeous on it’s own just as it is, or with long stems - this is it. The range features sculptural ceramics that are not to be hidden in a cupboard - I love this shape and the flowers from my garden, but it lends itself to a single faux stem too. MANY MANY DELICIOUS VASES AND RECEPTICLES
FINALLY - I am a complete sucker for a candle. Add an enormous glass storm lantern, that incidentally, doubles as a massive vase, then I am in heaven. (Easily pleased) I had a plan for this one and it involved lugging a tupperware box full of sand and a heap of pebbles back up the hill from the beach. GOOD GRIEF it weighed a tonne! Not even being dramatic when I say I thought I was going to have an actual heart attack on the cliff path. ANYWAY. It was totally worth it. CHUNKY TWISTY CANDLES HERE - 6 colours, 2 sizes, on sale.
GLASS HURRICANE HERE - 2 sizes and both on sale. SUCH a useful piece. Looks gawj with sand in. *Send crane.
RUNNER - West Elm have a brill selection of runners - they are a decent length too. This one also comes in natural.
I think that wraps it up! All details spilled. Keeping a tight colour palette of just two wall and ceiling colours has helped to unify the whole area so the two different zones sit well, don’t fight and although separate, really go together and form a simple backdrop to everything else.
I promise a post about the lounge area to answer alot of ‘what is that and where is it from’ questions I have had from IG - I just need to finish a tiiiiny bit of paint on the media unit (did you spot the bit that needs doing?) so I can take some lovely photos! Along with sharing some AMZAZING art that I have finally decided on for a very blank wall- watch this space bc I KNOW some of you will be all over it too.
Huge thanks to West Elm for allowing me to deep dive in on this post. And thanks as ALWAYS to you guys for reading - I hope there was some inspo in it for you!
Have a FABULOUS Sunday and I will be back next week!
Love
Sally xxx
The Sunday Edit is free to read and always will be. West Elm paid for this post ensuring you never have to - THANK YOU so much for being here! S xx
I am attending this mornings meeting as a car passenger travelling from Manchester down to Devon for the week and it was thoroughly enjoyable 😉. Thanks Sally for the entertainment and inspiration on this beautiful morning. I can't wait to see the sea. Always love how you use so much colour in your interiors, very me and makes me want to add more!
Have a lovely week, hoping this sunshine continues 💛 😊 🌞
The whole room looks amazing , are you sure you aren’t an interior designer in real life .