I don't think the set is Victorian; it looks more Mediterranean to me. I think changing the fabric to an aqua stripe would really change the look and it could work for you.

What style is the fixture you hung in the DR?

Hi monablair, thanks, you're right that is a mediterrean style. I knew someone was going to ask about the light, so I took one photo a while ago, but the quality isn't that good to show, it is a bronze black color with that swirly white glass in the shades. We are decorating on a budget for this home.

the light I took out was an copper look ivy with candle lights which might be more mediterrean, but it read late 70s to me even though this house was built in the early 80s

over the last 5 years my style has changed from antiques to a more modern and eclectic look for decorating

Change the chair fabric...I think this will work fine with the olive camelback sofa.

thanks loribee, I hope I can get DH to go look at it.

I understand where your husband is coming from on this. By Victorian he means ornate, which it is. I've spent some time in Florida and I think decorating there is tricky any time you move away from the beach/pastel look. What looks perfectly fine up north can look odd in a Florida house with a view of the lanai and pool.

I think graywings is right, but it can work. We live in FL on a lake and our DR is right off the foy

Our DR furniture is Italian Provincial; the floors are tile. The sun room furniture has caned chairs, simple couches in a small check pattern and only 3" blinds for window coverings.

In theory, these things shouldn't work together. But in practice, they do. It's the fabrics, the colors and the textures that pull them together and allow the heavier DR furniture to fit right in.

I think graywings is right, but it can work. We live in FL on a lake and our DR is right off the foyer and opens to a sun room at the back of the house. You do have a clear view of the patio, back yard and lake from the DR.

Our DR furniture is Italian Provincial; the floors are tile. The sun room furniture has caned chairs, simple couches in a small check pattern and only 3" blinds for window coverings.

In theory, these things shouldn't work together. But in practice, they do. It's the fabrics, the colors and the textures that pull them together and allow the heavier DR furniture to fit right in.

monablair, I think you have hit the nail on the head, it is tricky mixing florida casual with some eclectic formal stuff, this is all new to me. we shall see.

I had this style more in mind, till I saw the mediterranean set, I still think the more casual modern set would work better and be easier to decorate around.

Here is a link that might be useful: contemporary dining set

A dining set like that is most at home in an area like Florida because of it's Mediterranean climate and hopefully coordinates with the style of the home. It is a little fussy, so changing the fabric would be lovely, but I would not choose a striped fabric. I would just go with a solid color.

I must admit that when I read a previous thread about your lovely ranch home I envisioned more modern and casual furniture for it. Perhaps it would help people to advise you better if you could post a photo or two of your new home on this thread?

I too live in coastal Florida and noticed the swing from beach pastels to Med dark furnishings many years ago when the popular architectural styles changed from plain ranches to complex roofed Mediterraneans.

I think you should just choose a style that you feel suits the style of your house and that you can imagine being happy with as your new life in Florida unfolds.

Hmmm ... what if you reupholstered the chairs using a splashy tropical pattern - something along the lines of vintage barkcloth designs? It's a lovely set, and I think you can make it work in Florida!

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Just re-read your message and saw that you plan to use aqua (sorry - not fully awake yet I guess!). There are lots of tropical patterns that incorporate aqua shades as well.

{{!gwi}}

My thoughts exactly. I have purchased from BarkclothHawaii before and those types of prints are just so "Florida Tropical". If you end up buying fabric, grab some extra so you can make matching throw pillows or drapes or placemats. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bark Cloth Hawaii

Jen's fabric suggestions would work beautifully for you, IMHO. Go for it!!!!

Did you see it in person? That looks like the set I ordered over the net and it turned out to be resin - and looked it. The web site description said " beautifully carved seat backs, etc." so I thought it was wood.

Val

sis3, the furniture is what we have and we cant' afford to replace it all, part will go in living room and part in lanai, but we sold our dining set before we left. the dark wood is what we had in last house.

htnspz, I thought of a stripe off the top of my head although I never use stripes as they have to be just right to go, but i will dig up the photos of the silk pillows for the other furniture and you will see what I mean. I was thinking in my mind of big uneven stripes, not thin stripes, but solid would probably go too or a subtle pattern that reads as solid.

auntjen, that second aqua print is lucious, it would be perfect. I love the first which would actually go with the olive sofa and the second would go with the silk pillows on the microsuede chairs/loveseat arrangement. you really have a handle on the fabrics and I appreciate your advice.

vampiresrn, tropical barkcloth would be the ultimate desire for us, we shall see how it goes with Dh.

Val, I haven't actually seen the set, up until I showed dh these remarks he was totally turned off, till I showed him the palm trees, being a former surfer, he immediately perked up then, his ultimate was living in Hawaii and now thinks Florida is much better than there.

There is something so relaxing and vacation like with palm trees and pastel colors that I think is universally liked and that is the feel and look we are going for.

here is a photo of the house in it's current color - now a golden tan. We started out with coral and then went to gray green and now we are at this color. Roof to be done in a tan dimentional shingle and gray/charcoal trim with asymetrical shrub on left of rock wall and on other side of entry

the second photo is as we found the house, we have taken out the loquat trees up next to the eaves of the house to the right of the front door and I plan on putting in an evergreen shrub in front of the octagon window that leans to the right.

picture in your mind an Asian influence more austere exterior with subtle transition of asian/eclectic/tropical decor interior .

perhaps Jen's aqua palms would be aqua backed bamboo. hmmm, so much to do, so much to think about, and so little time.

thanks for all your advice and ideas as we go along in this process, each bit of input brings us closer to the relaxed atmosphere we are looking for in our new home.

At this very moment DH is stripping wall paper which we said we would neve do againa and once again we feel like we have the short end of the stick, but at least we have a home which is so more than so many have in this economy have and for that we are truly grateful.

{{!gwi}}

Oooh, check out the sage in this design:

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

auntjen that is great fabric, you have given me so much to think about for so many of the rooms in my house, thanks so much.

I like the set, it's what you have, looks like good quality, and it's really easy to "de-formal" anything with the right choice of color and fabrics.

Take the colors of your walls from the fabric and take them really pastel ... a tropical floral with extremely pale robins-egg blue or a cream-yellow for walls, and bamboo shades with similar tropical fabric or light muslin panels on windows.

You could have an authentic 1802 Regency walnut dining set in a room like that and it would say "English tropical colonists of breeding and taste live here".

Buy cheap fabric and use lots of it - one of my favorite drapery sets was made from several flat sheet sets in a poshly tropical animal print.

lazygardens, that's just what I was going to do to the walls, I have a very pale aqua picked out; and I am using the pale blue in MBR and light lime in kitchen, more jazy peach/coral in den. hall that adjacent dining and goes by kitchen entry I am not sure about, might just stick with the pale aqua in there too, which would be ok since wall of kitchen isn't close to it.

"English tropical colonists of breeding and taste live here" ha ha, dh will get a kick out of that, had to talk him out of a harley bar for pool area today in favor of a more modern look one, I am a craigslist fool and the bar was right around the corner from our house.

It's all coming together for you and is going to look wonderful! Looking forward to pix!