Colin & Justin’s Delicious Winter Warming Dining Room

Fire Your Imagination

Dated fixed features make for really dated rooms, so the focal point feature fireplace had to go.  We specified an ornate fire surround and although it has antique heritage style, it works well in a modern home like this.  In marble, this would cost a fortune, but cast in plaster it comes at a fraction of the price so you can afford to lavish it with a huge over mantle mirror to crown its glory perfectly.

Enter the Dragon

This house belongs to a wonderful Italian family who love ornate décor so it was a case of out with the old and in with the new to really max things up.  Time to enter the dragon!  We love this unique wallpaper courtesy of gilded dragons that wrap around each other to form a repeat pattern.  We used it on the window wall and then colour matched the background for the rest of the room.  The wallpaper is Chinese Dragon from the Vintage Collection by Osborne & Little.

Make more of what you’ve got

Can you believe this table and chairs were stored in the garage and only used ‘for best’!  If you have ‘Sunday Best’ crockery or a dining room that’s only for special occasions then it’s time to use it all more often!  Seldom used spare rooms should be given an additional use (computer / library etc) to enhance daily life.  EVERYDAY should be best - that’s why we liberated the dining set and reupholstered the chairs in teal fabric to match the walls…

Add Layers

This is a heavily decorated look so the window treatments should follow suit.  Find your colour inspiration - here we used the wallpaper - and create a window style to match.  Teal drapes echo the background of the wallpaper, while a gold Roman blind picks up the dragon detail.  Use your major features to influence your minor ones and make design a dream… not a nightmare!

Get Fresh

Fresh flower budgets are not exclusively for megastars like Elton John so try to set aside a few dollars each week to keep your home filled with Mother Nature’s finest.  There’s no better way to add colour, drama and fragrance and, this in mind, these lilies are breathtaking.  The key to success is finding a great florist who’s more about creativity and less about spending.  Bring costs down by using lots of long lasting green foliage and interspersing it with your chosen blooms that can be changed as and when required.

Flickering Fabulous

Candles are great for visual warming, adding scents and cozying up a dining room like this.  If you’re planning using candles this season, please be ‘candle safe’ and don’t leave them unattended, keep away from paper, cards and decorations and don’t leave unsupervised when kids are around.  Always put candles onto a dedicated stand, holder or saucer for safety.  In food serving rooms, avoid heavily scented candles as they can dominate space leaving your Christmas dinner guest licking their lips with vanilla or cinnamon rather than their festive feast!